The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) banned fluorinated ski waxes at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, prompting a local Yukon skier to develop a piece of software that determines the best wax alternative based on snow conditions. The resulting project is now a finalist in the Youth Innovation Showcase competition.
Sitka Land-Gillis uses artificial intelligence to predict the optimal ski wax for any snow condition, analyzing data collected at his Whitehorse ski club, including ground and air temperatures, humidity, ski types and snowfall dates.
Land-Gillis aims to have the algorithm ready for the Canadian Ski Nationals in March. After refining it with his home club, he plans to gather more data from other ski clubs across Canada, ultimately aiming for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
His project has attracted sponsorship from Skiwax, a distributor in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Though only recently entering competitive skiing, the 14-year-old has been involved in the sport for many years.
“I started skiing since I learned to walk, and I joined the ski team probably between kindergarten and grade one, like the ski programs, and of the actual competitive ski team, this is my first year in the highest level of competition,” Land-Gillis said.
His algorithm has the potential to save ski teams time and money. Currently, teams spend large sums testing various waxes for ranked competitions, Land-Gillis confirms. By using his AI-driven solution, teams can streamline this process and allocate resources more efficiently, ultimately enhancing their overall performance, he added.
Land-Gillis notes that the sports technology he's developing can easily be adapted for other winter sports like biathlon and snowboarding, significantly broadening its impact and usefulness across the winter sports community.
His innovative approach has garnered recognition and accolades.
The project impressed at the Youth Innovation Showcase competition, earning a finalist spot in the 12-15 age category with Land Gillis’s “Wax It to Win It: A Golden Algorithm for Team Canada.” Winners will be announced on Nov. 27.
He also entered his project in the Canada-Wide Science Fair, held May 26-31, 2024, at Carleton University in Ottawa.
Land-Gillis found the complexities of ski wax and selection criteria challenging. He took the initiative to seek help from Alain Masson, Team Canada’s lead wax technician on the World Cup, to navigate these difficulties.
Masson provided Land-Gillis advice on how to design the testing processes, he said.
He also faced the challenge of learning to code and building an algorithm with little prior experience. He acknowledges receiving coding mentorship from Stephen Tory.
“I'm taking two online university courses this winter to understand kind of how to build the algorithm,” Land-Gillis said.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
