Skiing in a blended virtuality: an in-the-wild experiment

In this paper we describe a concept of using a Head Mounted Display (HMD) whilst downhill skiing and snowboarding, and experimenting with it in-the-wild on a skiing slope. The wearer experiences an alternative Virtual Reality (VR) visually through the HMD whilst their other sensory inputs experience the full sensation of real-world skiing, creating a blended virtual/real experience. To enable accurate tracking of the wearer's motion, we implemented a 'snow mouse' device, which rotates on the snow as the skier moves and enables dead-reckoning of the user's position. The prototype device was evaluated in-the-wild, on downhill ski slopes by both a skier and a snowboarder. Initial feedback suggests the level of immersion achieved is high, and particularly, users noticed the non-visual aspects of the experience.