Alpine skiing is a popular sport in many countries. The sport offers considerable touristic, economic and health benefits, but is also associated with a high risk of accidents. Together with partners, Salzburg Research has developed and tested a method for assessing the quality of skiing. It should help skiers to analyse their skiing technique and thus avoid accidents and injuries.
Salzburg/Austria, January 29, 2025. 68 countries in the world have at least one ski resort equipped with lifts. In total, there are over 5,700 ski resorts worldwide. Between 350 and 380 million people visit the ski resorts regularly. Like other mountain sports, skiing is also associated with a certain risk of accidents. In Austria alone, 369 deaths were recorded between the 2008/09 and 2017/18 winter seasons. In order to reduce the risk of accidents and fatalities, it is important that skiers are able to accurately assess their own skiing ability.
Together with partners, Salzburg Research has developed a feedback system based on sensor technology with professional skiers. A pilot study has now been carried out to test how recreational skiers can also benefit from this technology to assess and improve their skiing technique. The results have been published in the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.
Sensor technology analyses skiing ability
Researchers led by Stefan Kranzinger from the Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft have analysed the skiing quality of 62 recreational skiers with the help of an IMU sensor system, the so-called ‘Connected Boot’. The ‘Connected Boot’ records kinematic parameters such as edge angle, speed and forces in order to create a quality score on a scale of 1 to 10. ‘The Ski Quality Score was developed from measurement data with professional skiers and gives recreational skiers immediate feedback directly on their own smartphone after every descent. Each individual turn, the average of each descent and the daily average are automatically evaluated with the score from 1 to 10, whereby ‘1’ corresponds to a ‘snowplough or pizza slice’ and ‘10’ can usually only be achieved by professional or top skiers in optimal conditions,’ says Kranzinger from Salzburg Research, a research institute specialising in movement data analysis.
The results were compared with the participants‘ subjective self-assessment, which was collected before and after using the technology on the piste.
Key findings
The majority of participants agreed that the Connected Boot sensor system provided useful skiing information and improved their skiing style. Key findings of the study are:
– High correlation between technology and self-assessment: the ski quality scores determined correlated strongly with the subjective assessment of carving skills. This confirms the reliability of the technology, even for recreational skiers.
– Gender differences: Female participants significantly adjusted their self-assessment after using the technology, whereas this was less pronounced for male participants. These differences could be due to different perceptions and reactions to feedback.
– Experience influences results: Skiers with more than 15 days of skiing experience per season achieved significantly higher quality scores than less experienced participants.
‘The study shows that the ‘Connected Boot’ can be a valuable tool for improving skiing technique by providing users with direct and precise feedback. This could not only increase the enjoyment of the sport, but also reduce the risk of accidents caused by overestimating one’s own abilities,’ continues Salzburg Research researcher Kranzinger.
Innovative methodology: Living Lab approach
The data was collected as part of a living lab approach. The participants selected their own ski resorts and used the sensor system in real environments. This user-centred approach provided authentic feedback and valuable insights for the further development of the technology.
Background information:
The Connected Boot was developed by Salzburg Research together with Atomic and the University of Salzburg in the COMET project ‘Digital Motion in Sports, Fitness and Well-being’. The study with recreational skiers was funded by the state of Salzburg as part of follow-up projects.
Original publication:
Christina Kranzinger, Stefan Kranzinger, Eva Hollauf, Harald Rieser, Thomas Stöggl (2024): Skiing quality analysis of recreational skiers based on IMU data and self-assessment. In: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 24 December 2024, Sec. Sports Science, Technology and Engineering, Volume 6 – 2024. (https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1495176)
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© Salzburg Research/Atomic Austria
Innovative technology helps skiers to analyse their skiing technique and thus avoid accidents and injuries: Real-time feedback directly to your smartphone