The East’s First Ski Simulator

Weather bad? Need to get your legs in ski shape? The good news, you can now ski gates or moguls indoors. South Burlington’s Gonzo’s HD Sports recently installed one of only two high definition ski simulators in the country (the other is in Los Angeles).

Clip into skis or a snowboard and in 10 minutes, if you push it, you’ll be sweating a river and your thighs will be burning as if you’ve just gone top to bottom skiing the moguls nonstop at Sugarbush’s famed Stein’s Run. No fooling. It’s that real.

Crank up the simulator to 60 mph and take the gates on a simulated giant slalom course, or do a high-speed run down Mont Blanc. The more you edge, the faster you go.

Better yet, the computerized data can gauge precisely what angulation you have when turning to the right or left. Have a weak side when skiing? Most of us do, and the simulator can help teach you to make your weak side stronger.

Steve Gonsalves, owner of Gonzo’s HD Sports in South Burlington, bought the simulator this fall. “It’s good training for the every-day skier and rider,” Gonsalves says, “but it’s also approved by the US Ski Team and should be great for the ski academies, college and high school racing teams. The edging is unreal. It’s a tool that can really teach you how to roll your ankles, bend and angulate your knees and get on your edges.”

The simulator rents for $60 an hour and is great for a group of friends. Gonsalves also plans to hire PSIA certified ski instructors to conduct lessons at the facility. You bring your own ski or snowboard boots and clip into bindings, and you’re ready to go. Gonsalves, a Burlington area golf pro, also has golf and several other sports simulators so you can up your game at other sports while you’re there. www.gonzohdsports.com —Angelo Lynn