CARV 2 The History
We previously reviewed the first edition of CARV, the smart digital ski instructor which took many skiers to the next level in their search for the perfect turn on the piste. First released in December 2017, the ski gadget involved two footbeds attached to two CARV units situated on the cuff of each ski boot which then communicated with the CARV app on your phone; the CARV would analyze your technique and then coach you with live audio whilst you ski.
We were so impressed with the first rendition of CARV, and over the years we saw the app evolve as CARV collected and studied hundreds of millions of turns from some of the best skiers around the globe to update the algorithm that CARV was based on. We saw our skiing improve over this time, from Charlotte who had skied for 5 seasons and myself who skied from age two and used to be a ski instructor. CARV gives a Ski IQ score for your skiing and it was fun to see this improve over time.
During this time, CARV collated some mind-blowing statistics. CARV essentially coached 40,000 skiers, gave over 2,600,000 hours of instruction, recorded over 580,000,000 turns and shared over 150,000,000 tips to its members.
CARV 2 the evolution
So, we were very excited to hear about CARV 2 being released in 2024 and even more excited to be able to test this next step in their evolution. The first big change is no footbeds! Just two new CARV units to attach to the boots, a super easy setup. Although my first thought was how are they going to collect all the data from my boots and skis? Well the new CARV 2 hardware have motion sensors which incorporate accelerometers and gyroscopes that can measure movement and twisting in every axis.
CARV 2 AI
OK, we are all probably tired of hearing about AI this and AI that, the buzz word that has been used to death; but the clever data science team at CARV have put AI to work in an ingenious way through the help of human teaching.
So how do you train an advanced AI model? Take a handful of the worlds best ski instructors and get them to score 4000 videos of skiers from over 500 skiers of every ability and let AI learn from the skiers data and the instructors score; then test CARV’s ability to agree with these instructors… Simple but genuinely genius in its design; we all knew AI had arrived on the scene, but I personally never dreamed that it would be able to improve my skiing.
Along with all of the data that CARV have collected over the years, they could train their advanced AI model to give feedback without the data from the footbeds, in fact it turns out that AI prefers the data from these new motion sensors rather than the footbed sensors of CARV 1.
CARV 2 on all terrain
The original CARV could only coach us on perfectly pisted terrain, and I wondered if it would ever be able to help on all mountain terrain, from the bumps to the choppy uneven snow to the extreme of fresh powder. Well, it seems that CARV 2 is now learning about the rest of the mountain. With the help of existing CARV members, their instructors have scored 11,000 videos of skiers in all types of terrain and CARV 2 is now able to detect moguls, powder and uneven snow conditions and give advice on how to ski these varied conditions.
My experience so far was that CARV 2 was pretty good at picking up on the terrain as it varied; whether it will learn about the piste conditions such as hardback and ice we shall see but with continued data collection I believe this will only improve. As for tips on how to improve, general feedback and your IQ score, CARV2 will prioritise its response for each snow condition from now on, for pisted runs CARV 2 will prioritize edging; in moguls vertical release, balance and parallel will be encouraged and in powder, turn shape and edging similarity will help win the day.
CARV 2 the experience
Initially when I first turned the CARV 2 app on and skied I thought to myself, where have all the coaching modes gone? In the Ski tab you just press ‘Ski’ and off you go; however CARV then starts to give you suggestions on what it thinks that you need to improve. After a little skiing you can start to dive down further into the app. As you dive down, it may seem more complicated at first sight, but once you start playing with the app and discovering how things work, it seems to be a more wholesome experience, with all parts of your skiing skills being accessible.
Skiing metrics are broken down into three sections: Rotary, Edging and Balance with each section being broken down into the various skills for each section. The best way to use this is to explore the app after a few runs, take a look at your percentage scores for each metric and pretty quickly you start to see where you are strong and what needs further work, then click on each metric to see ‘What it is?’, how to improve and your progress thus far. Now go and ski and select the metric that you want to work on. The layout is great and has been very well thought out indeed.
Customisation is key, you can dial up or down the level of coaching you want from no audio at all to turn-by-turn feedback, from intelligent suggestions to selecting which metric you want to focus on; find what works for you so you can focus on your skiing.
When you stop for a Kaiserschmarrn you can then dial down and review all of the data and see where you are weakest so you can target it on your next run, or buy a Zirbenschnaps and celebrate your improvements… Note we do not condone drinking and skiing ;)
CARV 2 Changes
With the coming of the new CARV 2 a few metrics have disappeared, appeared or been tweaked during this next step in evolution. Whilst it might be sad to lose a few metrics like edge pressure which is less relevant during bumps, powder and uneven condtions, one must be prepared for change in the name of advancement and I think the changes do make sense.
New data has appeared such as Transition Weight Release, scoring the skier’s ability to unweight the skis in the transition of the turn, integral in powder, moguls and uneven snow. Early Forward Movement has improved, which is so important when it comes to keeping control of your skis and making them work for you, not the other way around; I prefer to ride my skis rather than my skis ride me!
The new visual representation of your turn shape in the metric sections are amazing and can very quickly give you visual feedback on your turn such as if the last section is skidded or if it is carved throughout. Traditionally as instructors we would get students to look back up the mountain at their tracks, now they can see them on their phone.
CARV 2 has lost ‘Train with an Olympian’ with the likes of Ted Ligerty, but CARV 2 plans to keep working with Ted and will soon expand to other athletes across different terrains; so watch this space.
CARV 2 The future
The world is changing around us at a very fast rate and who knows where AI will take us next; I must say that I never saw this one coming, and I am glad that I did not. It’s like being a kid all over again with a brand new toy to play with. We are now getting a taste of how CARV 2 will evolve and who knows where CARV will be in another 10 years, but I can only imagine.
Will CARV replace Instructors? Will it integrate with Waze and show you the quietest pistes in the resort? Will it count your calories, so you know how much Tartelette you can devour at the next mountain hut? Will CARV move to other snowsports? I have no idea, but I am excited for the journey.
For more information visit CARV
