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The Hasenfl\u00fceli summit in the Pr\u00e4ttigau, canton Graub\u00fcnden, is considered one of the best ski touring destinations in the region. <\/p>\n
Keystone \/ Arno Balzarini <\/p>\n
It might sound like an April Fool\u2019s gag, but a Swiss company is very serious about its e-skis \u2013 the world\u2019s first battery-powered skis. However, initial reactions suggest it will be an uphill battle winning over purists.\n<\/p>\n
This content was published on <\/p>\n
March 7, 2026 – 11:00\n<\/p>\n
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\n I write articles on the Swiss Abroad and \u201cSwiss Oddities\u201d as well as weekly briefings and press reviews. I also translate, edit and sub-edit articles for the English department and do voiceover work for videos.
\nBorn in London, I have a degree in German\/Linguistics and was a journalist at The Independent before moving to Bern in 2005. I speak all three official Swiss languages and enjoy travelling the country and practising them, above all in pubs, restaurants and gelaterias. <\/p>\n
Other language: 1 <\/p>\n EN original <\/p>\n \n Fran\u00e7ais <\/p>\n \n fr <\/p>\n Les premiers skis \u00e9lectriques au monde: r\u00e9volution ou simple gadget?\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: Les premiers skis \u00e9lectriques au monde: r\u00e9volution ou simple gadget? \u201cThe idea came about during Covid, when the ski lifts were closed,\u201d software and technology entrepreneur Nicola Colombo told Swiss public broadcaster SRFExternal link<\/a> last year in his workshop in San Bernardino, southeastern Switzerland. \u201cI was already going on ski tours, and some friends wanted to join me. But after the first attempt they realised they weren\u2019t fit enough.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s how the idea was born to create something that, according to Colombo\u2019s start-up E-Outdoor, would make the sport \u201cmore accessible, exhilarating and inclusive, empowering more people to explore the beauty of the mountains with ease and joy\u201d.<\/p>\n Colombo wanted to create for ski touring \u2013 skiing up and down unmarked or unpatrolled areas \u2013 what the e\u2011bike had done for mountain biking. The result is E-SkimoExternal link<\/a>, launched at the end of 2025 after four years\u2019 research and development. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a ski lift mounted under your feet but a device that reduces fatigue and increases uphill speed,\u201d Colombo told SRF. The pulling power is generated by a skin that rotates beneath the ski, driven by an electric motor. The two motors are activated with buttons on the poles which \u2013 before you can say \u201c007\u201d \u2013 set the skins in motion.<\/p>\n The entire system is controlled by artificial intelligence, which coordinates all the information about the ski\u2019s position. Once at the top, the equipment (2.8kg on each ski) can be unclipped and stowed in a backpack before tackling the descent.<\/p>\n E\u2011Outdoor claims that E\u2011Skimo reduces physical effort by up to 30% and increases ascent speed by up to 80%. The battery is said to last for about three hours, with a full charge also taking around three hours. The price? The E-Skimo packageExternal link<\/a> will set you back CHF4,500 ($5,850). By comparison, normal touring skis cost on average around CHF500.<\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Would you give e-skis a go? <\/p>\n Battery-powered skis are divisive. Some people think they don\u2019t belong on mountains, others welcome the gentle boost they provide. What do you think?\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n View the discussion Typical buyer<\/p>\n As for whom the innovation is aimed at, Colombo says the system is \u201cnot intended for technically demanding tours but rather for easier routes in safe environments \u2013 such as marked trails where you can be out for two to four hours at a moderate intensity, perhaps reaching a hut or a mountain pass before enjoying a relaxed descent\u201d.<\/p>\n He said such marked routes exist, for example, in certain ski areas in Valais or in Graub\u00fcnden around mountain lifts. There, safe uphill routes are prepared and clearly demarcated, and the descent can then be made on the pistes, he added.<\/p>\n The developers of E\u2011Skimo said they also see great potential outside the Alpine region, for example, in Scandinavia or North America.<\/p>\n Swiss business magazine Bilanz reported at the beginning of FebruaryExternal link<\/a> that 100 pairs of E-Skimos had been brought onto the market and 25 had been bought immediately. The entrepreneurs had expected that ski tour beginners would buy the skis, but it turns out that the typical buyer is male, around 60 years old and a long-time ski tourer \u2013 they just want a bit of help going uphill as they get older.<\/p>\n Sometimes you just need a little help. <\/p>\n Keystone \/ Arno Balzarini <\/p>\n The Italian and French armies had also signed up for tests, according to Bilanz. E-Skimo is available for private trials at \u201cexperience centres\u201d in St Moritz, Verbier and San Bernadino in Switzerland, and in Sansicario in Italy.<\/p>\n Environmental and safety concerns<\/p>\n However, e-skis are not without controversy. In particular, quite a few people have raised environmental concerns about a possible \u201cinvasion\u201d of the mountains, as well as issues related to safety and the danger of underestimating hazards, Swiss public broadcaster RSI reportedExternal link<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWith e-skis the slope is less tiring, and also people with insufficient preparation or insufficient physical condition can get to the mountain. What\u2019s more, there\u2019s the risk of disturbing wild animals \u2013 and during winter, which is a sensitive time for them because of the cold and the snow. Every disturbance takes a toll on their energy,\u201d Aaron Heinzmann from nature conservation association Mountain WildernessExternal link<\/a> told RSI.<\/p>\n Colombo sees things differently. \u201cEven if we assume that a certain number of traditional skiers switch to this type of activity, given the size of the network and the number of routes we have in Switzerland and, more generally, in the Alps, we\u2019ll never be able to saturate the trails,\u201d he told RSI. \u201cWe\u2019ll never see those images of long queues of cars and people you get on certain Sundays at ski resorts.\u201d<\/p>\n What goes up must come down. <\/p>\n Keystone \/ Arno Balzarini <\/p>\n Regarding safety, Colombo added that it wasn\u2019t the equipment that made a person more prone to taking risks or behaving irresponsibly. \u201cIt always comes down to education, to setting certain rules. In this sense, I don\u2019t see any difference from traditional ski touring, where preparing an outing requires taking into account the weather, avalanche risk, physical and technical fitness, and everything else needed to minimise danger.\u201d<\/p>\n Mixed reaction<\/p>\n So what\u2019s it actually like? \u201cIt\u2019s an unnerving thing to feel a ski move without your input,\u201d wrote a journalistExternal link<\/a> from the Financial Times who took E-Skimo for a spin in Verbier in January.<\/p>\n \u201cAs each heel lifts, there\u2019s a thrum of motors and rotating skins and the skis slide forwards around 80cm. All the effort is outsourced. When the photographer asks if I can attempt that steep slope, passers-by stop to watch. If not entirely effort-free, it\u2019s literally no sweat. I am a ski-touring Terminator, undaunted, unstoppable. At least until the batteries drain.\u201d<\/p>\n Summing up his thoughts, he admitted he was \u201ctorn\u201d. \u201cAfter the battery issues on this test, I can understand why purists might rail against motorised skis. Equally, E-Skimo let me pack far more into an afternoon than I would usually manage.\u201d<\/p>\n Financial Times readers were also split, with arguments ranging from \u201cnot everything should be easy\u201d to \u201ca helpful way of keeping up with fitter friends\u201d:<\/p>\n \u201cHuge respect for some very clever engineering. It might catch on, but I doubt it as there are a number of important limits that exist in the winter mountains: [\u2026] outside groomed slopes, if you aren\u2019t fit enough to skin up it, you probably won\u2019t be able to ski down it if snow conditions get any way tricky (especially with an additional 5kg in your pack).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSki touring should remain exclusively reserved for those willing to put the work in. Else people won\u2019t appreciate\/respect the mountains as much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother device to add to my daily device charging list? No thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy partner doesn\u2019t have the same skill at skiing as I do, and it can be difficult at times to persuade them to join me. With something like this, they\u2019d feel more comfortable going out and keeping pace with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to be an early adopter, but I won\u2019t rule it out either. I was sniffy about e-bikes, but now I have one and it has its place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cE-skis \u2013 bring them on! Just need some snow\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \n More<\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Tourism Trends\n <\/p>\n Climate change in the Alps: five ways Swiss ski resorts are fighting for survival <\/p>\n This content was published on <\/p>\n Feb 15, 2026 <\/p>\n Not all Swiss ski resorts have a future. How mountain destinations are coping with less snow and cost pressures. <\/p>\n
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