The Japan Times - E-Power hits the slopes: new wave of snow sports emerges

Already an experienced surfer and snowboarder, Edouard Aubert took up skateboarding during the pandemic, as he was drawn to the empty roads.

"Since I'm an engineer, I quickly put a motor on it," he said with a grin at the CES technology show in Las Vegas.

"But we needed more. Roads weren't enough for us, and neither was off-roading. We needed sand, snow."

While electric skateboards were abundant, "there was nothing for off-roading," said Adrien Ladan, Aubert's former schoolmate and business partner.

The two Frenchmen launched SQ-Motors to develop the Sternboard, a three-wheeled board capable of reaching speeds over 60 km/h on a track.

Initially focused on sand terrain, they developed a tracked model "for fun" and recently sold six units to a ski resort in the French Pyrenees.

The basic configuration costs around 3,000 euros, with snow equipment adding another 1,000.

"The snow version isn't meant for hurtling down slopes or replacing snowboarding," Aubert explained.

"It's more for walking and cross-country skiing."

The resort will test both winter and summer configurations, using tracks and mini-skis on the front wheels for winter, then removing them for year-round use.

Qatari investors have approached the entrepreneurs about the sand version, and Aubert promises mass production this year.

So far, they've hand-manufactured dozens of units to refine the product and ensure reliability.

"The idea is to find new playgrounds," he said.

The classic wheeled version has found unexpected fans: "We've had quite a few requests from farmers who ride them on their farms," Aubert noted. "We're already on our fifth."

- Just enough exercise -

Nicola Colombo brought his E-Skimo to Las Vegas, a ski touring system he likens to an electric bicycle.

In ski touring, skiers climb slopes rather than using lifts before skiing down.

With E-Skimo, as the skier moves, a motor drives a fabric strip beneath the ski, acting as a conveyor belt that reduces strain on legs and thighs.

Using AI, the system gauges the slope and ski positions to calibrate assistance based on the user and pace. The motor stops once the skier completes their forward stride. At the summit, users can remove the fabric band, motor, and battery to descend on what amount to conventional skis.

"The idea came after taking friends ski touring," Colombo recalled.

"They weren't enjoying themselves because it was too physically demanding."

Ski touring typically requires more exertion than downhill skiing.

"We want to make it accessible to people with lower fitness levels," said Colombo, whose Swiss company E-Outdoor seeks partnerships with ski manufacturers.

Though production hasn't begun, he estimates a price of around 1,500 dollars, roughly double standard touring skis.

While the e-skis can move on flat surfaces without leg power, as Colombo demonstrated on a Las Vegas ice rink, he emphasized that wasn't their purpose: "We want to maintain exercise."

M.Saito--JT