Skiing

Wearable technology is taking to the slopes with the introduction of Carv, a two-part monitoring system that provides lessons and real-time feedback for skiers based on motion analysis and pressure data.

If you're a downhill mountain biker, chances are that you switch to snowboarding or downhill skiing once the snow sets in. Matic Hriba and a group of fellow Slovenian cyclists, however, really liked the idea of sticking with the bike format. The result is the Hillstrike.

The Explore1 ski helmet from LinkPro Sports is designed to do more than just protect you from hard knocks. With the inclusion of radio communications, Bluetooth smartphone connection, and RECCO avalanche protection, the helmet brings an impressive tech suite to deep powder and high elevations.

It may not go down as one of the best Red Bull stunts ever, but in what definitely qualifies as an interesting use of a Red Bull F1 car, Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen gained and dropped vert on the world-famous slopes of Kitzbühel, Austria. The 800-hp RWD Red Bull RB7 sure looks cool doing it.

Over the years, numerous tinkerers and companies have tried to transfer the fun of bicycling to the snow. The latest such design, the Snogo ski bike uses an articulated steering system and front suspension to connect the rider to the powder or hard pack below.

The wearable ski racing airbag moves closer to the mainstream. Dainese, designer of the first wearable airbag, will get its tech on the back of World Cup racers this season, and POC launches its own version, the all-new Spine VPD 2.0 Airbag Vest.

We've already seen setups that allow stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) to be rowed, sailed, or paddled like a kayak. There's apparently still room for innovation, however – the Supski system lets you propel your board using upper body techniques borrowed from the sport of cross-country skiing.

Back in 2011, we reported on BIG's waste-to-power station near Copenhagen. It will boast a ski-slope and an installation that expels a steam ring every time a ton of carbon dioxide is produced. The Danish firm has turned to Kickstarter to get the steam ring generator installation up and running.

For decades, Sweden's RECCO has been supplying ski patrols and rescue agencies with an avalanche rescue system that helps locate buried victims. It is now working on a more versatile, year-round system designed to make helicopter-based search and rescue faster and more efficient.

New in the sports wearables market is GogglePal, a heads-up display for snowboarders and skiers that places real-time fitness stats, navigational cues, and games unobtrusively in the user's ski goggles. Three levels of models are offered as pledge rewards in the company's Kickstarter campaign.

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.

Wearable technology is popping up in more and more areas of our lives, including ski slopes. The RideOn AR goggles offer skiers and snowboarders a view of the mountain augmented with digital overlays, showing directions, messages, weather reports, and virtual gates projected in front of your eyes.