Simulated Skiing and Snowboarding
| Alpine skiing indoors on ski simulation equipment for learning and training. |
Ski and snowboard simulators fall into two categories, those which mimic the environment and those which mimic the motion.
Environment Simulators: Simulated downhill skiing and snowboarding indoors requires a snow substitute and a mountain substitute. An inclined rolling carpet has been employed for most of the simulators in this category. Edging enables turning and your progression down the slope just as on snow.
Sports Motion Simulators: These simulators are beneficial as a workout and training tool as they tend to mimic the physical motion. They may not mimic the physical control of the skis on a skiing surface although the simulator may provide physical feedback to try and partially mimic this experience.
Both styles of simulators tend to provide a physical workout and each can be augmented with virtual reality environments to enhance the realism. While I do not believe that they are a substitute for the winter alpine mountain experience, they can provide an experience in places and at times when where the real thing is not available.
Virtual Snow International is a provider of indoor simulation ski and snowboard equipment and training videos based on an inclined rolling carpet to simulate the skiing and snowboarding alpine environment. They provide training to those learning but do not get to frequent the mountain and improve. They can also acclimate the beginner to skiing or snowboarding so that the mountain vacation trip is not their first exposure.
Virtual Snow (Los Angeles) training center has three adult and one child sized rolling carpet simulators.
Virtual Snow training facility in Santa Monica CA.
Student skier learning to ski at Virtual Snow
Student takes instruction from the training video and puts it to practice on their ski simulation equipment
Virtual Snow Los Angeles indoor simulated skiing facility.
Virtual snow has a complete video training curriculum for snowboarders and skiers.
The Adventure Snow Sports simulator is a sports motion style simulator with a treadmill revolving carpet. It's also protable.
Adventure Snow Sports ski simulator demo
The SkyTechSport is a sports motion style simulator. It's fun and a workout. When run with slalom gates it becomes a fun and challenging game.
SkyTechSport ski simulator demo
Note that there are two types of simulators, the more advanced which seek to mimic the mountain and ski conditions and the simple which seek to create a framework on which you can mimic the motions of skiing.
- MaxxTracks.com - giant rolling carpet
- SkyTechSports.com
- SkiBiz - giant rolling carpet (from Europe)
- Slope8: Hong Kong - giant rolling carpet
- Ski Studio - another rolling carpet
- Ski Simulator - exercise equipment
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