While skiing in Vals, Italy, in December 2024, I encountered a public ski racecourse that allowed anyone with a lift pass to ski around gates and record their performance. The footage was made available for viewing through the resort’s website. This sparked an idea: What if AI could analyze this data to give real-time coaching?
This question became the foundation of OpenSkiAI—a project to make ski coaching accessible to everyone. But why stop at skiing? The same principles could apply to any sport or activity that relies on technique and movement. Snowboarding, golf, tennis, gymnastics, or even swimming could benefit from AI-driven coaching that provides instant, personalised feedback.
Beyond sports, this concept could revolutionise instruction on any movement, including the movement of AI.
By creating OpenSkiAI under an open-source license, I aim to ensure that these basic, common-sense ideas are free for everyone to use. The concept is released under a CC0 license—a universal declaration of dedication to the public domain. This means you don’t need to attribute me or seek permission. You are free to use, adapt, or build upon this idea for yourself, your company, or your inspiration without limitations.
In the past, corporations have patented simple concepts—like eBay’s “Make an Offer” button—which stifled innovation and prevented others from building upon them. By creating OpenSkiAI, I aim to demonstrate how AI can be used to analyze and train any human movement that can be captured on video, not just skiing. This concept allows ski schools, instructors, or even individuals to train AI models using their own techniques and approaches, tailoring the technology to match their specific needs. It opens up the possibility for ski instructors to develop tools that align with their teaching styles, preserving diversity in methods while adapting to the limitations and capabilities of AI. This concept can extend far beyond skiing to benefit countless other sports and physical activities.
This app is designed to be as user-friendly and open-source as possible, empowering a wide range of users to configure the application in ways that suit their needs. Whether you’re a ski instructor, an individual skier, or part of a ski resort, this app would adapt to your unique requirements, providing insights and AI-driven analysis.
My name is Jamison Young. I grew up in the Snowy Mountains of Australia, and I’ve been passionate about skiing for as long as I can remember. Skiing is often seen as an elite sport, but I believe technology like AI can make it more inclusive. OpenSkiAI is my attempt to bring this vision to life. If you're interested in collaborating, feel free to contact me.