Mountain sport fanatics can now reduce their environmental impact and at the same time save money on ski passes by using a parachute to tow them to the top of slopes – a pursuit known as ‘UpSkiing’.
Carving down a mountainside can give you the feeling you are at one with nature, but the ski industry has a significant impact on the environment – not least because chairlifts and cable cars consume copious amounts of electricity.
A team of backcountry skiers from America has developed a greener, low-carbon way to enjoy winter sports that does away entirely with the need for ski lifts.
An UpSki is a large round parachute sail that harnesses the wind to allow skiers and snowboarders to ride up mountains. The experience is described as as ‘powerful enough for exhilarating speed, yet precise and controllable for manoeuvring and stopping’. The canopy is designed to keep the user on the ground at all times and can be deflated instantly for safety. Weighing only 4.5 kg, it can easily be carried in a mountaineering rucksack and launched or packed in minutes.
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