Mountain Bike Suspension on Skis: Genius or Unnecessary?

ShredShox has gained considerable attention since it unveiled the recent production models of its somewhat-polarizing ski suspension system. Utilizing two mountain bike shocks, a carbon fiber baseplate, and some seriously complex engineering to make it all work, the ShredShox is designed to offer a 'skiing experience like never before.' After watching the promotional material and trying to understand the reason for this invention, I can't help but ask myself, "Who's buyin' this?"

With two RockShox Monarch R shocks per ski and some pretty exotic materials used for manufacturing, you'd have to expect ShredShox to demand a premium price, and a tag of $1,995 is just about what you would imagine. That is just for the binding, though, and you still need to have a pair of skis to mount them on. A deposit of $500 will get you in line for these interesting pieces of equipment when they finally enter production.

Heavy, complicated, and demanding of attention, ShredShox seems to be trying to solve an issue that only exists for a tiny percentage of skiers. Anyone who has ridden mountain bikes in the cold can tell you that suspension systems don't always love being exposed to freezing temperatures for extended periods.  This video from Out Of Collective  illustrates how little the suspension actually moved under the rider and points out some issues with the system overall.

Is this an exciting skiing hybrid that borrows necessary tech from mountain biking, or is it unnecessary and a waste of bike technology? One thing is sure: mountain bike shocks require some pretty substantial leverage ratios to effectively and consistently provide the force needed to move a shock piston. However, the system's utilization of these Monarch R shocks doesn't deliver the necessary force to achieve its aim. Maybe they have a proprietary system in the works. Out Of Collective has an interesting breakdown here.