By Brandon Walker EBS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
BIG SKY – Winter sports are a staple of any mountain town
and injuries from the physical demands of sliding through snow are inevitable.
Knee-related issues have always been one of the most common injuries for
skiers. To help remedy the effects of these injuries for powder enthusiasts,
Roam Robotics has developed a product called “Elevate”. Elevate’s intended
purpose is to alleviate the pain that riders feel in their knees from old,
nagging injuries by absorbing some of the pressure that is focused on those
joints while making turns downhill.
DJ Glusker, Regional Operations Manager for Roam Robotics in
Park City, Utah, simplified the concept behind the device: “A cylinder that’s
clothed gets filled with air to a certain pressure. The shape of the cylinder tries
to change as the pressure increases. It tries to straighten out and that’s
where the person feels the support. We’re able to control the pressure that
gets put into it and the pressure that’s let out in order to provide support.”
The device weighs around 13 pounds in all, between the brace
and the backpack that powers it. “The device is made to be lighter than most
traditional powered devices. It’s not a closed system, like many other devices.
Meaning you don’t have to put anything into it, it just gives you power out,”
Glusker said.
Dylan Hall, Vice President of Retail for Big Sky Resort, is
intrigued by the new technology. “Anyone who lives in a ski town long enough is no stranger
to knee pain. If we can help minimize that by making these products available,
we’d consider that a success,” Hall said. “We
are always looking for innovative ways to use technology to improve the ski
experience.”
Starting Dec. 15 and running until the season comes to a
close, skiers will be able to try the device out for themselves. Roam Robotics will have a
designated space in the Big Sky Demo Shop, located in the Snowcrest Building,
with a representative stationed in the store throughout the winter season.
Originally constructed in 2018, the second edition of
Elevate will be available for rent to the public this season. “Nothing for sale
this year. It’s not a prototype, but there will still be a lot of changes that
we want to make to continue to improve it,” Glusker said. “We have a small
space in there that will allow us to interface with clients, fit them, and then
take them to snow and make sure everything’s working well and kind of launch
them, if you will.”
