In-Field Validation of an Inertial Sensor-Based System for Movement Analysis and Classification in Ski Mountaineering.

Jules Gellaerts,Farzin Dadashi,Evgeny Bogdanov,Benoit Mariani

doi:10.3390/s18030885

Abstract

Ski Mountaineering (SkiMo) is a fast growing sport requiring both endurance and technical skills. It involves different types of locomotion with and without the skis. The aim of this study is to develop and validate in the snowfield a novel inertial-based system for analysing cycle parameters and classifying movement in SkiMo in real-time. The study was divided into two parts, one focused on real-time parameters estimation (cadence, distance from strides, stride duration, stride length, number of strides, slope gradient, and power) and, second, on transition detection (kickturns, skin on, skin off, ski on and off backpack) in order to classify between the different types of locomotion. Experimental protocol involved 16 experienced subjects who performed different SkiMo trials with their own equipment instrumented with a ski-mounted inertial sensor. The results obtained by the algorithm showed precise results with a relative error near 5% on all parameters. The developed system can, therefore, be used by skiers to obtain quantitative training data analysis and real-time feedback in the field. Nevertheless, a deeper validation of this algorithm might be necessary in order to confirm the accuracy on a wider population of subjects with various skill levels.

Highlights

Ski mountaineering (SkiMo) is a growing sport, on the shortlist for winter Olympics, with an increasing member activity
We can specify that a positive mean relative difference corresponds to an overestimation of the algorithm compared to the reference
The aim of this study is to develop and validate in the snowfield a novel inertial-based system for analysing cycle parameters and classifying movement in SkiMo in real-time

Summary

Introduction

Ski mountaineering (SkiMo) is a growing sport, on the shortlist for winter Olympics, with an increasing member activity. SkiMo. SkiMo is generally defined as a discipline that includes at least one period of climbing with “seal skin” under the skis and a downhill period (even if the downhill phase is not present during a climb, for instance, during “vertical race” events). SkiMo is generally defined as a discipline that includes at least one period of climbing with “seal skin” under the skis and a downhill period (even if the downhill phase is not present during a climb, for instance, during “vertical race” events) It can comprise periods of carrying skis on a backpack in steep areas. It can be seen as the equivalent of trail running for the winter season, with the additional specificity that it requires technical skills for skiing and transitioning from one locomotion type to another

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