Snow machining and side slipping in alpine skiing

Abstract

A simple approximate theory of snow machining is developed and tested against the results of past laboratory experiments. It is also applied to side-slipping and traversing in alpine skiing, and yields realistic predic- tions which can be tested experimentally on real ski slopes. Eventually, the theory could be used in modelling of skiing turns involving the phaseof skidding.

Mechanics of wedge turns in alpine skiing

“…where N (i) = N (i)k is the normal component of the snow reaction force,k is the outgoing unit vector normal to the plane of the ski slope,n (i) s is the unit vector in the plane of the slope which is normal to the edge of the i-th ski and points to the side opposite to the direction of motion, and Φ (i) is the inclination angle of the line connecting the midpoint of i-th ski to skier's centre of mass (Komissarov, 2020). For simplicity, we assume that both the skis and the CM move with the same velocity and denote asm the unit vector in the direction of motion.…”

“…In our previous work, we developed an approximate theory of snow machining and applied it to some of the most basic manoeuvres of alpine skiing, side-slipping down the fall line and diagonally across the ski slope (Komissarov, 2020). The main simplification of the theory is its neglecting of the Coulomb friction between the ski and the cut snow and its main advantage is the very simple analytical expressions for the turning and braking components of the cutting force.…”