CONWAY, N.H. — The first of its kind available at a race shop on the eastern seaboard, Kyre Cluett, president of Stan & Dan Sports, wanted to bring a unique opportunity to New Englanders with a Sky Tech Sport ski simulator.
“It’s something that the U.S. Ski Team works with," Cluett said. "They have it in their training center, and those athletes use it for conditioning and for coming back from injury."
It was something that Cluett was interested in and found via YouTube. A store in Wisconsin was the closest to New Hampshire to carry this particular simulator. Cluett reached out to the owner to brainstorm how it could best be used.
Beyond conditioning and recovery, the simulator is also used for advanced boot fitting. Small tweaks to ski boots can make large differences, and skiers are able to test those out immediately to see the effects of the change. In addition, the simulator can be used for dryland training early in the season. On a local level, it has caught the attention of coaches and skiers alike.
“They already have a great interest in incorporating it into their training program for their athletes," Cluett said. "So that’s being worked out right now, the specifics of that. People come in to utilize it just to get their ski feet back and conditioned for the season, and just for fun. It’s a blast to be on."
Time is blocked out in 30-minute increments by individuals or teams. Having a coach or physical therapist right in front allows for quick adjustments.
"You can still go about your activity but listen and take feedback," Cluett said. "So from an instructional standpoint, you can see things you want to adjust in real-time."
While you can add gates to the course to simulate a race, it's mainly used for its conditioning component — something that will certainly be helpful as we have powder days in our future.