A notable curiosity at the last CES: the first pair of electric touring skis is entering the final phase before being released to the public. The Swiss company that designs them has finally revealed their price. Unsurprisingly, it's particularly prohibitive, as you'll have to pay nearly €5,000, excluding shipping, to get your hands on them. After being unveiled in Las Vegas, the E-Skimo skis were used by a handful of potential buyers during two-hour test sessions held in San Bernardino, in the Swiss Alps.
Now, the most motivated buyers can move on to the reservation stage. A deposit of 250 Swiss francs (266 euros) will be required to validate their transaction. E-outdoor, the company behind these first electric touring skis, plans to sell the first 100 pairs of E-Skimo (which will be numbered), before moving on to larger-scale production.
A motor and a battery on skis
In addition to the price, 4800 euros, we know a little more about the technical specifications of the E-Skimo. Thus, the system developed by E-outdoor has been grafted onto 173 cm skis made of titanal and manufactured in Austria by BLIZZARD. Still on the traditional ski part, you will need to consider ATK bindings, compatible with soles from 290 to 335 mm).
As for the powertrain and its battery, the manufacturer communicates on the integration of two 246 Wh batteries (for an estimated autonomy of 3 hours of hiking or 1500 m of elevation gain). On the engine side, E-outdoor is not very talkative, it does not communicate on the power, nor on the torque, simply indicating that there will be three levels of assistance and a "Drive mode", a sort of automatic mode in which the skis will be propelled up to 14 km/h, on slopes up to 9°.
Of course, with the E-Skimo electric skis, the buyer will find in his package a storage bag, a specific backpack (to store the different equipment during the descent) as well as poles, layers of skins and crampons. The equipment is guaranteed for two years.
Ideal for touring, really?
As a reminder, the E-Skimo electric ski works in a rather unique way since the integrated motor is responsible for driving a seal skin deployed on the central part of the ski. This, articulated like a belt, then drives the ski to help its owner move forward with less effort. The system, which obviously only works during ascent phases, is based on several sensors that detect when the skier lifts their foot. It then activates to help them in their effort, allowing them to move forward up to four times faster, according to E-outdoor.
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