{"id":804747,"date":"2020-02-29T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-29T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=379494"},"modified":"2020-02-29T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-29T15:00:00","slug":"are-physical-limitations-affecting-your-ski-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/are-physical-limitations-affecting-your-ski-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Are physical limitations affecting your ski days?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: Sponsored content brought to you by Roam Robotics<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Elevate does not ski for you, but it can keep you on the slopes longer.<\/em><\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Former Olympian and World Cup skier Hank Kashiwa is 70 years old with 20 surgeries under his belt \u2014 12 of them on his knees \u2014 but partially thanks to an exoskeleton device made for skiers, he\u2019s not missing a beat.<\/p>\n

Three years into skiing with Roam Robotics\u2019 Elevate, Kashiwa has felt the product\u2019s ability to alleviate pressure on his joints. The wearable, easily transportable, device offloads as much as 30 percent of his body weight from his quads and knees, allowing Kashiwa to continue doing what he loves without overstressing his surgically repaired joints.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve watched (Roam Elevate) develop into a very intuitive system where it knows when you need power and support,\u201d Kashiwa said. \u201cIt\u2019s really fun skiing with the Roam device because it gives your legs a break.\u201d<\/p>\n

How it works<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Elevate device offloads up to 30 percent body weight, making the 10-pound backpack and 2-pound leg devices barely noticeable once you\u2019re skiing. <\/em><\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Elevate has two main components: a powerpack worn on the back and two separate leg devices that weigh a little more than two pounds each. The powerpack, which weighs about 10 pounds, serves as the brains of the unit. Its software communicates with sensors in the leg devices to anticipate a skier\u2019s turns. Compressed air turns into upward force to assist the body\u2019s natural movements while skiing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe device is interpreting your intent and providing support throughout the turns,\u201d said Johnnie Kern, Roam Robotics\u2019 director of product marketing. \u201cThe external frame helps reduce fatigue, allowing you to ski longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elevate\u2019s powerpack contains a shoulder strap-mounted controller that allows the skier to adjust power and sensitivity performance on-the-fly while skiing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe device is fully adjustable and always follows your body\u2019s lead, so you are always in control,\u201d Kern said. \u201cThe goal is to augment the experience. Elevate does not ski for you, but it can keep you on the slopes longer if your legs and knees aren\u2019t happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a short fitting for a skier\u2019s height and thigh circumference, and a brief tutorial on how to use the controller, you\u2019re ready to hit the slopes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Elevate is offloading up to 30 percent body weight, we\u2019re hoping you hardly notice the equipment once it\u2019s on and you\u2019re skiing,\u201d Kern said. \u201cThe idea is that the benefits offset the weight.<\/s>\u201d<\/p>\n

Longer ski days, vacations and years<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Elevate has two main components: a powerpack worn on the back and two separate leg devices that weigh a little more than two pounds each.<\/em><\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Elevate offers a solution to debilitating discomfort that often causes people to hang up their skis earlier than they\u2019d like.<\/p>\n

\u201cZero knee pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo fatigue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m young again \u2014 it was so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt works!\u201d<\/p>\n

From aging athletes to those with previous injuries, early testers and adopters of Elevate are impressed with its results. Anyone whose ski days or ski vacations are being cut short due to physical limitations should give Elevate a try, Kern said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis technology has some really powerful implications for a lot of different aspects of life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Life-changing implications<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The device is fully adjustable and follows your body\u2019s lead, so you are always in control.<\/em> <\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Early adopters are reporting all kinds of benefits, the most significant of which is a decrease in \u2014 or even the elimination of \u2014 pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite honestly, this winter I was not that into skiing because the pain is not that appealing anymore even though I love the sport. Went up on the chair lift and did a run down and honestly I had absolutely no pain at all,\u201d said Lisa Dawson, author and gear tester for Wildsnow.com.<\/p>\n

Whether you no longer need a cortisone shot before hitting the slopes or you\u2019re able to ski every day during your ski trip instead of needing every other day off, the benefits to users can be life-changing.<\/p>\n

Earlier this winter in Aspen, one skier who broke his back five years ago said the device helped him ski faster right out of the gate and it allowed him to ski longer into the day. He told The Aspen Times it was like \u201cskiing with moon gravity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kern said he\u2019s also heard from ski instructors who have expressed interest in using the device to teach people how to ski.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe heard one little boy ask his parents, \u2018Does this mean grandpa can go skiing with us again?\u2019\u201d Kern said. \u201cAnother skier said it was the first time she skied without pain in 20 years. How cool is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: Sponsored content brought to you by Roam Robotics Elevate does not ski for you, but it can keep you on the slopes longer.Courtesy Photo Former Olympian and World Cup skier Hank Kashiwa is 70 years old with 20 surgeries under his belt \u2014 12 of them on his knees \u2014 but partially thanks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-804747","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-20 06:44:36","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804747\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}