By Andrew Liszewski
One of the least desirable places to spend the Christmas holidays would be in the emergency ward of a hospital with a broken leg which is why I stick to the toboggan instead of skis when it comes to winter sports. However I would gladly risk life and limb on this hybrid ski-scooter because to be honest it looks like a lot of fun.
The Tri-Ski was tested on the slopes in Switzerland and Austria for the past five years and is now finally safe enough to be sold in the lawsuit-friendly United States. While it may look tricky to ride the device is apparently easy enough for beginner skiers to enjoy with a minimal amount of practice. Besides ease of use the other big advantage it has over skis is that it doesn’t require the use of special boots, bindings or poles. Just climb on board, point it downhill and hold on.
A set of padded handlebars are used to turn the front ski for steering the device while the two back skis that you stand on can move independently for side to side motion which allows you to really lean into a tight turn without the fear of falling. For transport the whole thing collapses down into an included bag and at 29lbs it may not be the lightest ride on the slopes, but I’m sure it’s one of the funnest.
The Tri-Ski is available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $899.95.
How do you stop?
the same way you stop on regular skis, as in the picture, lead in to one side, all wieght pushing inot the shon, if you push the fron ski also into the snow, you should stop. I am no expert skier, but it looks to be about the same stopping motion.