Transmission exoskeleton
zUFO ASCENT
One single pair for the whole outing.
Skin up, climb, ski down: without ever taking off your mountaineering boots.
Today
The ritual everyone knows
You climb in ski boots, you reach the foot of the route, you sit down in the snow. You take off your ski boots, put on your mountaineering boots (cold, if they travelled outside), and stow the first pair on your pack. On the way back, the same operation in reverse. Two pairs worn or carried, for the whole climb.
With ASCENT, your mountaineering boot does both.
You insert it into the exoskeleton to ski, you take it out to climb, and your feet never leave their boots.
ASCENT works with your mountaineering boot.
The one you already own, the one you feel good in. It does not replace it.
Three moves, and your feet never leave their boots
-
1 You put it on
Your mountaineering boot, in the morning, as usual.
-
2 You insert it
Into the exoskeleton: it takes about twenty seconds.
-
3 You click in
The whole set into your bindings, and off you go.
At the foot of the route
You take off the exoskeleton and stow it flat against your pack. You don't take your boots off: your mountaineering boot stays on your feet from start to finish.
The four elements
- 1
Front buckle
Holds the boot at the front
- 2
Wedge set in the heel
Holds the boot at the back
- 3
Shin strap
Provides upper support
- 4
Carbon plate
Transmits forces to the ski
On the way up, the exoskeleton is released and the leg is free. On the way down, it is engaged.
What it changes, in practice
One single pair
You no longer choose which boots to wear and which to put up with.
Less weight on your back
The second pair stays at home: that's volume and weight you no longer carry on your back for the whole climb.
A free foot, and a real descent
Your foot is no longer locked in a rigid shell for hours, and on the way down, the transmission of forces is controlled by the exoskeleton.
The common foundation
ASCENT carries zUFO⁴™ Technology
Forward lean, ankle freedom, flex and canting are not options: they are the four dimensions of zUFO⁴ technology, the common foundation of all zUFO products.
On ASCENT, forward lean is set with a dial, without tools and without taking your boots off. Canting is also set right on the terrain, to adjust your position as the outing goes on.
Your foot is held by the mountaineering boot, itself inserted into the exoskeleton, itself clicked into the bindings: as far as the binding is concerned, the exoskeleton plays the role of the shell of a conventional boot. A safety strap can be added to lock the mountaineering boot into the exoskeleton.
On top of the zUFO⁴ foundation
And what is specific to ASCENT
Fits all mountaineering boots
Adjustment wedges let you fit the exoskeleton to your boot, whatever its brand, for precise support.
Tightening set by the front strap
You adjust the support by hand, and it stays put.
Specifications
The price · around
€650 a pair
This amount is for the exoskeleton alone.
ASCENT is used with a pair of mountaineering boots, which you need to own. If you don't have any yet, you will need to budget for that purchase as well.
An order of magnitude based on the first industrialisation quotes we have to date. These quotes will be refined as industrialisation progresses, and the final price will be announced when pre-orders open, at the end of winter 2026-27.
Like every product built on zUFO⁴ technology, ASCENT is designed to be repaired rather than replaced: single-material parts that can be taken apart and replaced one by one. Environmental gains will be measured on the final product, and published in the form that environmental claims require.
| Type | Transmission exoskeleton |
|---|---|
| Programme | Ski approach ★★★★ · Ski touring ★★★☆ |
| Levels | Suits all levels: if you can ski with conventional technology, you can ski with ours |
| Sizes | 37 to 45 (EU sizes, i.e. 235 to 285 mm Mondopoint) · see the size chart |
| Boot compatibility | The vast majority of technical mountaineering boots, held by a heel wedge and a screw at the front |
| Binding compatibility | 100% of pin-type ski touring bindings (tech bindings) |
| Mounting | On a ski that is already drilled, the mounting distance may be slightly longer: an adjustable heel piece absorbs it, otherwise remounting the inserts is a workshop job, not a limit of the product |
| Range of motion | More range than your ankle has: the limit is physiological, not mechanical iAs a reference point, the adult ankle flexes on average about 17° forward and 50° backward. ASCENT is designed to exceed these ranges: on the way up, your ankle decides, not the mechanics. Reference values from published biomechanical studies (NCBI, PMC5833958 and PMC4118219). |
| Materials | Carbon, plastic, metal |
| Weight | Being finalised, target 500 g per foot iASCENT is at the pre-series stage: the final weight will be measured at the end of industrialisation. Our design target: 500 grams per foot. |
| Manufacturing | Exoskeleton made in France |
Pre-orders will open at the end of winter 2026-27
First deliveries are planned for winter 2027-28. Until then, two options: apply for this winter's trials, or follow our adventure through the newsletter, which will let you know first.