Carv: Digital Ski Coach at Your Fingertips

words by Katie Van Riper

Have you ever watched in awe as a total stranger perfectly arcs their way down a firm groomer? Or maybe it’s that moment they bounce, pop, and recover with confident balance and power down an inconsistent mogul field. Chances are that this person has spent hours following the advice of an instructor and has made countless turns trying to perfect their skiing over the years.

Enter: Carv, your new digital ski coach, an app and footbed sensor duo that will have you chasing continued progression and working towards your goal of becoming the best skier you can be. Carv offers you a way to track your skiing in real-time, acting as your own private instructor by providing feedback and drills throughout your ski day. Focusing on balance, pressure, and edging to work towards a more perfect turn.

Carv’s proprietary algorithm is machine learning made for the mountains. Carv’s Ski:IQ™ pairs over 70 million recorded turns with feedback and comparable data from a team of world-class instructors and athletes, making it the largest and smartest collection of ski data. The app and footbed sensor tracks and analyzes your balance (while also measuring edging, pressure and rotary) based on three specific metrics; how well you move your balance forward at the start of the turn, your movements through the apex of the turn, and the topple: how smoothly you move your body inside your skis as you start your turn. If an average skier has a Ski:IQ™ of 100, your goal is to advance your skiing towards 200. A higher score means better skiing, just don’t get discouraged if you never reach 200 – this is aspirational even for the best skiers! Fun fact, this season the highest number to be reached is 161. CARV also measures how well you rotate your skis together and uses advanced and scientifically backed metrics that look at your turn shape and how symmetrical your curve is across the slope.

I’m one of those lucky ones who grew up with the privilege of near-constant ski coaching. My mom worked for our local ski resort, so we like to say the mountain was my babysitter; while she was working, I was skiing. My parents put me on plastic skis strapped to regular snowboots as soon as I could stand, put me into tyke weekend programs when I was old enough, and on, and on until I was able to attend a ski academy (a private high school designed for training competitive winter athletes – usually training and skiing every day), and then off to ski race in college for four years. You could say I have had professional ski instruction for the majority of my life.

Now a weekend warrior, I know a lot of that training falls to the wayside, and I rely heavily on the years of muscle memory. When I lose focus on hardpack, I default to the dreaded “A-frame” stance, meaning my inside ski isn’t being properly utilized and my legs are not parallel, assisting in my ability to drive and edge across the hill. The first personalized focus tip that Carv provided after three firm runs at Deer Valley Resort. PARALLEL SKIS to maintain better control over the turn direction and speed – a near-direct correlation to my most expected problem area. That’s one smart footbed sensor.

Hot tip: If you’re like me and run a tight, low volume boot, you might share my concerns about the space the footbed sensor would take up; although I felt the toebox was a bit snugger, this is hardly noticeable in a normal volume or wide boot as the sensors are just 3mm thick (the same as most boot warmers on the market). I would recommend a custom liner to make sure you’ve got the right fit for the liner and footbed. Carv also offers a Boot Fit Guarantee with a 100 day no-hassle returns policy if you're not satisfied with the way the sensor fits inside your boot. 

My favorite part of the Carv app; the tips that come along with the impressive metrics. Based on your data developed as you ski, the app will deliver a range of advice to help build your technique, offering everything from applicable drills to have you focus on a development area, to concept explanations to help you find your next breakthrough. It truly is like having a PSIA instructor in your pocket, helping you with sustained and continuous improvement.

As an unexpected extra of the Carv app, there are also pre-season and off-snow training videos to make sure your ski fitness is ready for the season, including HIIT and mobility workouts. Carv gives you the opportunity to make this winter your best yet as you prep for the season and take your first turns, progressing every day as if you were receiving personalized feedback in your own private lesson.

Learn more about Carv and begin improving your skiing today.


This content is sponsored by Carv