A Canadian company from the Yukon Territory is currently beta testing their new ski pole technology that hopes to give cross country skiers an edge when training and competing. Proskida, is currently comprised of six members, but the three man team that started the company have a passion for cross country skiing and wanted to use their technical backgrounds to design a product that would help fellow skiers.
The ski poles they have created measure the power and efficiency of a user. Small electronic sensors are embedded in the grips of the poles to collect and record data, making them a bit bulkier than standard cross country ski poles. However, a top Canadian skier attests “they feel great once you start skiing.” The data collected ranges from metrics on upper body strength to techniques. Since Proskida started there have been a few different prototypes, and they have filed for patents as well.
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Proskida designed poles to allow skiers, trainers, and coaches to evaluate performance during races and practices like never before. The data collected is sent to a user’s Smartphone for evaluation in real time. The goal is to help athletes train more specifically based on the results collected during every ski.
The high tech ski poles hope to give users a competitive advantage as they are able to quantify if new training, weight lifting, and techniques are really working to make them a better and faster skier. Proskida is not currently on the market, but they are offering the opportunity to beta test their product.
There is an application on Proskida’s website for a limited number of skiers, teams, and coaches to apply in order to test the product. The select few parties who beta test the product will be able to use the data to improve and they will receive help from the company in order to do so. Proskida then receives real world feedback to help improve and fine-tune their product before it officially goes on sale.
Proskida is currently working with the Canadian national team to test the product, and it is a relationship where one of the founders, Alastair Smith, sees a great benefit. “We hope we can have them tell us what they need out of the tool, and we can modify and make it work for them.”
There is no price yet for this product, but the company plans to make it available in North American and Europe sometime this year. After beta testing is complete Proskida hopes to give cross country ski racers around the world the opportunity to put their high tech poles to good use.