ski gadgets

While downhill skiing may look like a nice, smooth, swoopy experience, anyone who has done so will know that it can actually be quite a boneshaking affair. The ShredShox system is here to help, by adding shock absorbers to existing downhill skis.

Ski mountaineering – aka skimo – is an epic sport in which skiers make their way up to the summit of a mountain, then downhill-ski back to the base. The E-Skimo system is designed to make the trip up easier, by putting motorized treads on the skis.

Downhill skis may give you an unmatched feeling of freedom when you're actually skiing, but they can be awkward to carry when you're not on the slopes. That's why a group of entrepreneurs has created the SkiTaker system. It allows users to clip the ends of their skis onto the sides of their boots.

Leave your skis or snowboard unattended outside the lodge; skip lunch/après ski drinks; or obsessively look out the window. The AlpineTec AlpineHawk provides a fourth option: an electronic anti-theft system that sounds an alarm and sends you a smartphone alert if someone messes with your skis.

After three years of development, Dainese has shown a near-competition-ready prototype of the Dainese D-Air Ski. Using an array of sensors, the protective ski garment detects a crash and rapidly inflates around the skier's upper body to protect from injury on the way down.

The new BearTek gloves play extra nice with portable electronics by bringing mobile device control to your fingertips. The gloves sync wirelessly with iPhone and GoPro action cams to provide control of functions like call answering, music playback and video recording.

The K2 Rescue Shovel Plus Ice Axe is a backcountry shovel built for a variety of winter emergencies and obstacles.

The AKKA Ski Retriever tracks your skis when they become lost.

Gizmag takes a look at the top 10 high-tech ski gadgets for 2013.