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SkiClaws Frontcountry

ski better uphill

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SkiClaws Frontcountry

SkiClaws Frontcountry

SkiClaws Frontcountry

SkiClaws Frontcountry

SkiClaws Frontcountry

ski better uphill

ski better uphill

ski better uphill

ski better uphill

Doug Hitch
Doug Hitch
Doug Hitch
Doug Hitch
1 Campaign |
Whitehorse, Canada
$1,170 USD $1,170 USD 6 backers
5% of $21,833 Fixed Goal Fixed Goal
Choose your Perk
Pure Backer 20% discount

Pure Backer 20% discount

Currency Conversion $24 USD $28 USD (12% off)
$35 CAD
Est. Shipping
February 2023
0 claimed
Super Early Bird 40% discount

Super Early Bird 40% discount

Currency Conversion $210 USD $349 USD (40% off)
$300 CAD
Est. Shipping
February 2023
0 out of 50 of claimed
Early Bird 35% off

Early Bird 35% off

Currency Conversion $227 USD $349 USD (35% off)
$325 CAD
Est. Shipping
February 2023
0 out of 50 of claimed
Tech Fiend 30% discount

Tech Fiend 30% discount

Currency Conversion $245 USD $349 USD (30% off)
$350 CAD
Est. Shipping
February 2023
0 out of 50 of claimed
Early Adopters 25% discount

Early Adopters 25% discount

Currency Conversion $262 USD $349 USD (25% off)
$375 CAD
Est. Shipping
February 2023
0 claimed

A better way to ski uphill

I'm Doug from Yukon (that's just east of Alaska, in Canada). I have been cross-country skiing in the winter wilderness for decades. I would rather struggle up a rugged trail through a wild landscape than slide along a tame groomed track. I can wax and herringbone with the best of them but was frustrated when the trail up was too narrow, steep and/or icy for herringboning. Yes, you can stop, install skins, climb, stop and remove skins. But for short hills it is faster to just take off the skis and walk up.

I thought there had to be a better way, a way to have positive traction to aid climbing but nor requiring stopping to mount skins or crampons. I wanted to ski to the impossible hill, go straight up, then ski at the top, all without stopping. I thought it had to be possible, even though no one had figured it out.

After more than one snowy face-plant and a lot of pondering the light bulb went off: let the binding move along the ski and use the change in relative position to engage and disengage the claws.

It is a simple idea and it has been effectively used on various prototypes over several years. It is patented. It has been my dream for a long time to make this device available to anyone who struggles up any hill, from a beginner at a resort to a frontcountry adventurer.

How you can help

The campaign is to help SkiClaws further product improvement and start manufacturing the FC model. Supporting this campaign means far more than a financial contribution. Your act of commitment to the concept will be used to leverage innovation funding. Your pre-purchase demonstrates that a market exists for this new paradigm in skiing and will give more confidence to investors. For this reason the campaign target is not really a dollar figure but a number of commitments. The target of 100 commitments may be sufficiently convincing for a startup but of course the greater the number, the greater the confidence in the market. For your extra security, we are using Indiegogo's "Fixed Funding" model which means that if the goal is not met, your contribution is returned to you.

What you get

I am hoping you love the idea of SkiClaws and don't need perks to convince you to commit but we have perks. First, there are deep discounts, 40% for the first 50 backers, 35% for the next 50, then 30% for 50, 25% for 50, and then all other backers get 20% off.

The first 100 also get a Pure knitted beanie ("toque" in Canada) from Atlantis. Italian-made from low-impact Polylana® and certified according to Standard 100 By Oeko-Tex ® these hats are also extraordinarily stylish.

The first 200 also receive two ClawStoppers, plastic clips to keep the claws either engaged or disengaged. The main purpose is to keep the claws retracted for easier transport of the skis. They can also be used on really long uphills to keep the claws engaged for easier climbing.

The Impact

Your early-adopter commitment will help bring meaningful change to the sport of cross-country skiing. We have testimonials from advanced skiers who feel the thrill of the new power the SkiClaws bring when climbing. Beginners who have felt frustrated or stymied by the uphill task feel more confidence and satisfaction with the sport. Folks with bad hips, knees or ankles that suffer with herringboning can ski pain-free. We think that this technology represents as big an advance to the sport as the introduction of skate skiing.

Any change brings resistance. SkiClaws need to get used by people who rave about them to others. Your commitment will help get a robust version of SkiClaws FC into the hands of influencers. The current prototypes work but the product needs further development to serve the mass-market.

Risks & Challenges

There is minimal risk to you. You either get a great product at discounted price or, if the target is not met, your money back. After many years of innovation and testing we see a path forward to market. We have tentative support from institutional funders. We have had prototype parts from aluminum, steel and rubber made not only locally and elsewhere in Canada but also in India and China. We have designed and 3D printed in-house hundreds of parts in PETG, TPU, and nylon and have had parts in Ultem printed off-site. Keen observers will notice differing parts in the available videos and images.

Your commitment will inspire us to work even harder. We have a lot of FAQs on skiclaws.com. Many were written in response to incisive Facebook comments during the long pre-campaign. Likely your most challenging questions will be answered there.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are unable to make a financial commitment to SkiClaws you can still be a huge help to bringing this new paradigm in skiing into being. How? Make some noise! Word of mouth is the most effective way to spread ideas. Indiegogo has a complete set of sharing tools that are quick and easy to use. Maybe someone in your circle is a tech fiend.

 

     "The sturdy, claw drops down and engages with a little kick to provide the uphill kick then tucks away for the glide. I tried the claws on a local rough, ungroomed route and was impressed with the ease in ascending moderate gradients. Plus, there was the glide on the descent, without having to adjust the skis in any way."
     — Afan Jones, 30+ years nordic skiing experience

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     “I have always enjoyed skiing but found going uphill the most challenging part. I was very impressed that I was able to effortlessly master the use of SkiClaws within seconds, and I could run up hills easily. I can tell you it works! I now feel a lot more confident and comfortable skiing outside of the beaten path, which I love!”
     — Lana Selbee, Executive Director, Yukonstruct

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     "A great new product that tackles two cross country ski challenges - uphill traction and transitions. It doesn't take long to adjust to their use and once you get the hang of it, the grip on packed snow, going up the steepest incline, is impressive. What makes it extra special is I don't need to stop and put on skins if I'm pulling a pulk on a narrow trail. I look forward to trying SkiClaws again in the future."
     — Geoff Stone, owner Stoneworks Solutions and experienced backcountry skier

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     “I really like your invention.  I believe that it will make cross country skiing a more enjoyable sport.  People will be willing to pay a good price for it.  One of those people will be me if I end up returning to the sport  -- and your invention motivates me to get back into the sport.  In fact, Marie was discussing how ebikes were smoothing out the hills, causing people to get more exercise from their bikes.  Well, your device does the same for cross country skiing.”
     — Bruce and Marie Fast, Tech Innovators

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     “Kudos to you (Doug) for skiing without poles! Bad on the rest of us for not bringing poles. You put on a good demonstration of what knowing how to use the product can achieve, when used as intended. Running up the hills also proved to be a good option for me.”
     — Ian McMahon, 10+ years Ski Industry Professional

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     “It took my brain a little time to master the use of the SkiClaws and when it did, a whole new world opened up for me. I can effortlessly climb up steep slopes. On narrow uphill trails where there is no room for herring-bone, I go up with my skis pointing straight ahead. This device increases my freedom of mobility 10-fold and extends my season as I can still ski uphill even when the snow turns to ice.”
     — Itai Katz, two seasons of cross-country experience.

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     “Thank you for introducing me to the Ski Claws! I have a weak ankle due to an old injury which means herring boning up a hill could be painful and cause harm. But thanks to the SkiClaws, I've been able to enjoy the skiing season after all. I can keep my ankles straight and just claw up those hills. I look forward to many more busy ski-seasons, thanks to those claws.”
     — Chantal Frances, three seasons of SkiClaws experience.

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     “As an experienced Nordic skier, I was intrigued by the SkiClaws right away. Upon trying them, I was impressed at how easy they are to deploy and activate, how well they grip the surface of the trail, and how quickly they retract when no longer needed. I imagine it wouldn’t take long to become quite proficient in their use, thus opening up a whole new world of winter exploration, right out your door!”
— Kalin Pallet, Outdoor Retail Industry Professional with over 20 years experience.

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     “Downhill skiing has been my go to winter sport. Two winters ago I tried cross-country skiing which I enjoyed at first. Here in Northern Canada there are lots of free trails and I was pulling my hair out for not having found out about this sport earlier. But soon going uphill on the skis was disenchanting and in the end a deal-breaker. I gave it up. Last winter I tried SkiClaws and it made all the difference. I am going to get back to cross-country skiing this year. In my opinion, SkiClaws are a must have for cross-country. What a great innovation!”
     — William Lechuga, Tech Entrepreneur, beginning cross-country skier

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     “I'm a novice X-country skier and have always struggled with the terrain. One day I was invited by Doug to test his new prototype of SkiClaws. I was surprised that in a matter of minutes I figured out how to use them properly and then climbed easily on the terrain which was a challenge for me in the past. I highly recommend trying Ski Claws. Surprise yourself! It's so much fun!!!”
     — Nicky Rosenberg, Electrical Engineer

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     "SkiClaws work great for climbing slopes on packed or icy snow. The climbing technique is to put the foot further forward than most people are used to but we were able to climb right away. As ski coaches, we can see how using SkiClaws can help improve hill climbing learning on waxed skis on groomed runs! The system is not too heavy. It's a bit noisy but seems fixable. In our touring business we use the wider Scarpa 75mm system and we would like to adapt SkiClaws to this. It would be easier than stopping to put on and take off the skins."
    — Raphaelle & Fabien, Yu'Ski Expeditions owners and guides.

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     "Les SkiClaws sont parfaits pour grimper des pentes sur neige tassée ou verglacée. La technique pour monter consiste à mettre le pied plus en avant que la plupart des gens ne sont habitués, mais nous avons pu grimper rapidement. En tant que moniteurs de ski, nous pouvons voir comment l'utilisation de SkiClaws peut aider à améliorer l'apprentissage des montées avec des skis à farter sur des pistes damées ! Le système n'est pas trop lourd. C'est un peu bruyant mais cela semble améliorable. Pour notre activité de ski de randonnée nordique, nous utilisons le système Scarpa 75 mm plus large et nous aimerions adapter le système SkiClaws. Ce serait plus facile que de s'arrêter pour mettre et enlever les peaux pour monter les pentes raides."
    — Raphaelle & Fabien, propriétaires et guides de Yu'Ski Expeditions.

 

 

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