Vipera, The ELECTRIC Ski
Long lift lines are to skiing what crowded lineups are to surfing: a fact of life that we all contribute to because of the simple fact we’re adding one more body to the mix while simultaneously complaining about their existence as if everybody else is the problem. The irony is never lost on me.
Gurnoor Sooch is a skier who decided to do something about the pain of waiting in a long lift line rather than just letting it be a thorn in future ski trips. By taking a page out of the books of backcountry skiers and snowboarders, he designed and built a pair of electric skis called Vipera. Imagine combining your standard alpine skis with a miniature version of the treads that propel a standard snowmobile. And since snowmobiles are neither cheap, nor easy to haul around, his idea isn’t actually all that terrible.
“If you don’t have a truck or don’t want to spend all the money on a snowmobile, these might be a pretty decent alternative,” Sooch says. “You can pack it, store, and take it in the car wherever you want.”
Sooch sees his electric skis as an easy way to access the backcountry and get away from resorts. The skis have a battery pack and drivetrain on opposite sides of the bindings. Admittedly, it’d be difficult to find a clientele willing to ride around with these things permanently attached to their skis, but Sooch’s design allows for the components to be taken off or set up on skis in about a minute. You could conceivably use them to replace long hikes or snowmobile rides up hill, throw the drivetrain into a backpack, and then make a few carefree turns back down the mountain on your everyday alpine skis. The whole system weighs about 20 pounds. And at least one product video shows the Viperas moving at a reasonable speed — approximately 20 mph, according to a product page.
How much? According to the Frigid Dynamics website, you can pre-order the electric ski setup with a $199 deposit now, with a listed full price of $2,999.
