The E-Bike of the slopes: How E-Skimo plans to revolutionise the mountainside

After five years of secret development, E-Skimo has debuted the world’s first powered skis, designed to help tourers conquer every ascent and focus their energy on the thrill of the descent. Chris Price talks to company founder, Nicola Colombo…

For decades, the world of ski touring has been defined by a school of thought that leans towards the puritanical. The pleasure of a descent, it argues, is a reward that must be “earned” through the gruelling penance of a manual ascent, walking uphill using textured skins stuck to the base of the skis to prevent slipping backwards.

For these traditionalists, the lack of mechanical lifts is a point of pride. However, a new innovation emerging from the Swiss Alps threatens to disrupt this long-standing hierarchy: the world’s first powered skis.

Launched officially in January 2026 in Verbier after five years of research and development, the wonderfully-named E-Skimo system represents a significant shift in alpine mobility. Just as the e-bike expanded the reach of casual cyclists, these motorised skis are designed to assist the normal rhythm and motion of ski touring, allowing users to ascend faster and with significantly less physical strain.

The project is the brainchild of Nicola Colombo, a software and technology entrepreneur with a track record of pushing the limits of electric transport. Colombo, who previously co-founded Italian Volt electric motorbikes and set a distance record riding a prototype bike from Shanghai to Milan, turned his attention to the snow during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns.

“There was a spike in ski touring because resorts were closed,” Colombo explains at Helsinki’s Slush exhibition, ahead of the product’s official launch. “My friends came out with me for the first time and found it too intense. They complained it took forever to get up (the mountain), then only two minutes to descend. That’s when the idea sparked”.

A hidden conveyor belt for the snow

On a technical level, E-Skimo consists of a pair of high-performance free-ride skis, each equipped with a front-mounted lithium battery and a rear-mounted motor delivering up to 850W of power. The secret to its propulsion lies in a “traction skin” – a looped conveyor belt that stretches along the top of the ski and passes through specialized holes to run along the base.

Unlike a snowmobile, the system is not intended to carry a stationary passenger. Instead, integrated sensors, accelerometers, and gyroscopes monitor the terrain and the skier’s gait. When the user lifts their heel, the motors activate, adjusting power in real-time to slide the ski forward. “Power settings change according to a slip factor calculation,” Colombo explains, highlighting the complex AI software that assesses snow conditions. “The amount of data involved is crazy.”

Users control the intensity through buttons mounted on their ski poles, switching between “Eco,” “Climb,” and “Boost” modes, which provide 30, 60, and 100 percent power assistance, respectively. The result is a dramatic increase in efficiency: the manufacturer claims that climbers can ascend at 700 metres per hour compared to the typical 300 meters, effectively conquering ascents four times faster for a third less effort.

High performance at a premium price

Inevitably, with this level of innovation comes an “early adopter” price tag of SFr4,500 (approximately £4,200) for the full system, including the skis, batteries, motors and a specialized backpack. And while this places it in the premium bracket alongside high-end e-bikes, Colombo suggests that scaling production could eventually see entry-level models priced between €2,000 and €2,500.

For those hesitant to invest several thousand pounds, E-Skimo has established several “Experience Centres” in major alpine hubs such as Verbier, St Moritz, and San Bernardino. These centres offer guided tours and tests, a strategy designed to let the technology speak for itself. According to Colombo, the strategy is working: “Whoever tried the alpha version last year, made the order. We got a 94% conversion rate.”

The target audience extends beyond just those seeking an easier ride. Colombo identifies “the friend of a ski tourer who is not as fast,” mountain professionals like chalet owners who must travel uphill for work and older people who require physical assistance. Even younger, elite skiers are showing interest, viewing the tech as a way to “go higher and farther” so they can maximize their time on the descent.

“The alpine ski, it’s all about speed, one minute descent and then 20 minutes packed in a cable car,” Colombo observes of traditional skiing. “With E-Skimo you do maybe one hour or two hours uphill with a moderate effort and feel good afterwards.. it’s a different way of enjoying the mountain.”

Early Hurdles and Technical Realities

As with many first-generation products, the E-Skimo faces practical limitations. Weight is a primary factor; during an ascent, each ski carries roughly 2.8kg of motor and battery hardware. Furthermore, battery life can be temperamental, heavily influenced by temperature and snow conditions. While the motors are rated for roughly three hours (or 1,500 metres of vertical gain), the critical pole batteries that control the system only last four hours.

“You can also run out of battery in less than two hours,” Colombo admits, citing deep, wet snow as a heavy consumer of power. However, he maintains that two hours of touring is more than enough for the vast majority of users. For those caught short, the system is designed for quick recharges – 45 minutes for poles and two hours for the main motors – provided they can find an accommodating mountain lodge.

Perhaps the most significant challenge is the cultural one. The distinct whirr of the motors can feel intrusive in the silence of the backcountry, and “purist” skiers have already expressed notable disdain. During field tests in Verbier, one instructor labelled the development “grave,” stating: “To ski with motors is not organically human.”

Colombo counters that “haters” often see the product as a threat to their solitude on the slopes. “It means more people,” he notes. “When we ski, we pretend the mountain is our own.”

The future of the mountain

Despite the friction from traditionalists, industry experts see E-Skimo as a “similar breakthrough product” to the e-bike. Once the summit is reached, the motors and batteries are detached in roughly 60 seconds and stowed in a backpack, transforming the E-Skimo back into standard freeride skis. Advanced testers have found that once the weight is removed, the downhill performance is identical to traditional gear.

Colombo remains optimistic about the expansion of the brand, exploring options for “white label” partnerships where major ski brands could integrate his technology into their own products. “You don’t buy a Bosch bicycle,” he notes. “You buy Scott powered by Bosch. It could be the same. Now you can go buy Rossignol or Atomic powered by E-Skimo.”

Ultimately, the goal is to make the mountains accessible without sacrificing the spirit of the sport. As the technology matures and the “haters” potentially soften their stance, the E-Skimo may well become a common sight on the slopes, proving that a little electrical assistance can make the alpine adventure go much further.

Chris Price was talking to Nicola Colombo at the SwissTech stand at Slush in Helsinki, which he attended as a guest of  Business Finland . For more information on the E-Skimo go to https://e-skimo.swiss/