A Norwegian company is selling jet packs that allow skiers to travel horizontally or uphill at speed, potentially cutting out the need for ski lifts.
No more left queues. He's skiing up hill
Posted by InTheSnow Magazine on Wednesday, 1 March 2017
Named ‘ThrustMe’ the jet packs, which weigh around 10kg, resemble back packs but contain four small jet engines positioned at the waist, are retailing for 3,640 Euros. Any sales are treated as ‘pre-orders’ with the company saying 200 will be available in time for next winter.
The four engines are electro fan which together provide 300N / 30 kg of thrust. This is enough to give skiers speeds of up to 80 kph (50mph) on level ground.
The energy source is a rechargeable battery which provides 15-30 minutes of power on ‘average use’ the company states. It then takes 6 hours to recharge and the unit is controlled by a 2.4 Ghz Wireless speed controller.
“THRUSTME is a product designed primarily for skiing, but can also be used for several other activities such as cycling, skating, skateboarding, snowboarding, paragliding and more,” the manufacturers state.
It is unclear as yet what the possible safety implications and usage restrictions may be, the manufacturers say users must be at least 16 years of age.
