CARV is one of those things that has seemingly been floating round the skiing world for ever, and yet only broke ground in 2016. The CARV device is a revolutionary bit of tech that measures your skiing, offering real-time feedback on elements of your skiing that may be easily missed by all but the best instructors. I finally got a chance to see what all the fuss was about at this year’s ski test, putting a pair through their paces. Here’s what I thought about CARV.
The device itself is a thin insert that sits in your ski boot, under your foot between the liner and the shell. In the insert are 36 pressure sensors – combining across both boots for a total of 72 – that are constantly measuring the pressure applied (or not) across the whole foot. These are linked to a battery pack that sits at the top of the cuff, feeding data back to your phone and the CARV app.
These insoles are constantly measuring the pressure you apply to each boot – and therefore each ski – and measuring when you are engaging this pressure. As any decent skier and any decent ski instructor will tell you, good technique is all about your weight; how you move your weight up and down, fore and aft, and, critically, ensuring that all your weight is applied to the outside ski on each turn, are the golden tickets to skiing well in any conditions on any surfaces, on and off piste. With CARV, you can get a better understanding of your weight distribution, with CARV’s training helping you improve on weak spots as you go.
Actually fitting and setting up the devices was easy enough. Provided in three out-of-the-box sizing, it is best to size down as there is little to no scope for trimming the inserts to size. The battery pack tucks neatly away on the top of the cuff of the boot, and you won’t notice you are wearing it. Other than that, its just a case of getting out there and skiing.
Throughout your ski run, CARV is constantly measuring data, providing feedback in four key areas: control (how well you remain balanced), carving (your ability to get your skis onto their edges), parallel (ensuring your skis are moving and pressured symmetrically), and pressure (gauging how and when you are putting pressure through your skis). It then combines all this into a Ski:IQ, a single score to gauge your progress and measure your skiing against other CARV users worldwide.
I already knew I had weaknesses in my skiing, but CARV was exceptionally helpful in actually indicating what these specific weakness were and allowing me to then correct them. My left ski is always weaker than my right ski, something I knew from how effectively I could carve or perform a powder turn over the last few years. CARV identified a delay in engaging my left ski on left turns, as well as an imbalance in my position. Through both of these I was then able to work on my body positioning, driving forward with more strength to more effectively engage my left hand ski.
Similarly, I leave too much weight behind on my inside ski when I ski. This was something I was less aware of, but thanks to CARV I was able to work on it some more; by actively disengaging my inside ski from the snow, I was able to better transfer more of my weight onto my outside ski, creating a more confident edge to carve with. CARV has improved the training side of things now, with coaching available as you ski through headphones telling you where you are slipping and how to improve your skiing.
CARV has also done something really sneaky with their Ski:IQ tool, too. By comparing you to a list of other skiers, you get a double dopamine hit of seeing your Ski:IQ increase, and shift you up the worldwide leaderboard, too. It unleashed an animalistic competitive streak, urging you on to ski harder and better to improve your score.
There are a couple of drawbacks to using CARV. The technique that it aspires to is only suitable for perfectly groomed slopes of a steep enough – but not too steep – pitch to making picture perfect carving a possibility. Being criticised for taking my foot off the gas over a patch of ice or not having perfect carving technique whilst skiing in powder does leave a bit of a sour taste in your mouth.
Similarly, the inserts are about 3mm thick. This can make a big difference to the fit of your ski boots, and I found that after a couple of runs my feet were in absolute agony; I had to stop and take them off, letting my feet breathe, and couldn’t continue for more than a few runs at a time. If you are wearing racing or narrow fitting boots, consider this factor carefully. CARV are now rolling out a second generation sensor, designed to not need the insert to work - I admit to not having the opportunity to try this yet.
I really enjoyed the feedback I got from CARV, the coaching it provided from the raw data points a huge help in growing my skiing, which I knew had its weaknesses. If you are looking for that last little key to unlock amazing skiing, but don’t have the money, time, or see the value in forking out for an instructor, CARV could be the solution you need.
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