Things took a turn for the better with my digital friend

Henry Druce aims for perfection on the pistes, encouraged by the dulcet tones and hard science of a hi-tech training system

‘Go get ’em tiger.” These weren’t the words I was expecting to hear before whizzing off down a pisted run. They were the dulcet feminine tones of my digital instructor, relayed through Bluetooth headphones, who I had quickly nicknamed Carvella.

I was on the glacier slopes of

Stubai in Austria, trying out the latest version of the world’s first digital ski instructor, Carv 2.0.

It works by using a robust insert that you fit between the shell and liner of your boots, which gathers data from 48 pressure-sensitive pads and nine motion sensors. This data is fed to connected matchbox-sized tracker units sitting on the back of your boots before being relayed via Bluetooth to the Carv app on your phone (currently compatible with the Apple operating system, with

Android scheduled for the 2019-20 season) and from there to an earpiece. Even a technophobe like me found it easy to set up.

Between these three components, Carv is able to measure your speed, acceleration and ski orientation a staggering 300 times a second. This data is converted into easy-to-follow graphic displays on your phone’s screen, together with feedback from Carvella. You can choose from 16 other voices to hear for instruction, but having already become smitten, the thought of listening to alternatives felt like cheating.

It does take a little time for Carvella to get to know you – three runs to be precise. That was how many I completed to give the app enough data to assess my skiing level and build a profile of my data-ski self. There are 20 levels, from one for near beginners to 20 for top-qualified ski instructors. After my third run Carvella selected middle-ranking level 10 for me. This was the first, and only, bump in our blossoming relationship.

The app has two different modes and I started trialling the Free Session one, which highlights the most obvious areas to improve – in my case it was edging. Carv also gives you a Ski:IQ score to indicate how well you ski a particular run – 100 is average.

As I sat in the gondola, heading back up to the summit, Carvella said, “Great run! Your Ski:IQ was 115. Next run, focus on keeping your edges at

‘As a recreational goodintermediate skier I find Carv’s exercises are a brilliant way of improving my technique and skiing with friends at the same time.’