The picture below shows a snowboarder executing a purely carved turn. Top level snowboarders are typically the only ones who are able to do it consistently. It takes quite a bit of skill to execute a carved turn. Carving turns is one of the more interesting areas of study in the physics of snowboarding.
As a result of this minimal level of friction between snowboard and snow, the speed reduction of the snowboarder is minimized, and he is able to navigate the course faster. The figure below illustrates this.Īs shown in the figure above, in a purely carved turn there is no skidding, and the only snow resistance present is the very small sliding friction between snowboard and snow. The most efficient turn occurs when the snowboarder does a purely carved turn, in which the snowboard is pointing in the same direction as its velocity. However, in some cases, a degree of skidding is unavoidable, but the key is to minimize it in order to minimize the speed reduction during the turn. This results in the momentum of the snowboarder not changing direction quickly enough to match the direction the snowboard is pointed. This happens when the snowboarder turns his snowboard too sharply into the turn. The path "swept" by the snowboard is the result of plowing the base of the snowboard through the snow.
The figure below illustrates a turn that is executed while skidding. This is a necessary requirement for minimizing snow resistance, and maximizing speed. In both these cases, the snowboard is pointed in the same direction as its velocity (which is the same as the velocity of the snowboarder). This frictional resistance is significantly more than the resistance seen if the snowboard were to glide on the snow, either with the base of the snowboard flat on the snow (while moving in a straight line in the direction of the snowboard), or with the edge of the snowboard planted into the snow (while carving around a turn, to be discussed). This occurs because the "plowing" action generates frictional resistance with the snow, by physically pushing it. Although the skidding can be controlled and the turn successfully executed, it ultimately results in a significant loss in speed, which can be undesirable. This occurs when the snowboard is tilted on its edge and the exposed base of the board "plows" into the snow head on. In the following section skidding will be discussed.Īmateur (less experienced) snowboarders typically skid around their turns. This is a result of the side of the mountain being at an inclination (i.e. The landing force experienced by the snowboarder is reduced because his normal velocity component relative to the mountain surface, just before landing, is small. This creates frictional resistance with the snow and prevents his speed from reaching dangerously high levels.Ī common snowboarder stunt is to jump off a helicopter and land on the side of a mountain, before racing down. He does this by skidding his board on the snow, in a controlled zig-zag pattern (shown in the first picture). However, since the side of the mountain is very steep, the snowboarder must prevent himself from going too fast and losing control. The two pictures above show a snowboarder going down a mountain. So the more a snowboarder descends down a hill, the faster he goes. An understanding of the physics of snowboarding is useful to snowboarders of all skill levels because it allows them to identify those key physics principles enabling them to properly execute certain moves, which is useful from a performance point of view.Ī snowboarder typically gains speed by converting gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy of motion.
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