The sport of skiing has been around for thousands of years, originally existing solely as a form of transportation. Today the sport is entirely dependent upon the laws of physics, and has even had advancements through reliance on physics. There are two types of Nordic Skiing. These are Classic (or diagonal) and Skate Skiing. Usually these two forms are raced separate. To be fair, there are actually two slightly different forms of skate skiing; V1 and V2. As these can get very very complicated and precise in the technique, I will focus mainly on classic skiing, which is also the type of skiing that most people are familiar with.
Cross-Country Skiing is the most basic form of skiing, even preceding downhill skiing. Primitive skis may have even been used about 3000 B.C. in Norway. There have been cave drawing found that seem to depict men on skis. Skiing has its roots in Scandinavia; Vikings used skis as a form of transportation in the 10th century A.D.
Early skis were made of wood, and even the word ski comes from the Norse word skith a stick of wood. Norse skies were very rudimentary, little more than snowshoes. Glide was little to none. It was not until the early 1800s when Sondre Norheim changed the face of skiing and gave skis glide that the sport was introduced to the world.
Competitive skiing started in the late 1800s, again in Norway. In the 1932 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, Nordic Skiing as we know it was added. Today the sport has evolved to be both extremely competitive and leisurely.
In the past 30 years the sport has changed dramatically, adding skis made of synthetic materials, and utilizing waxes for improved speed. Physicists have been at the front line of all this; from determining the coefficent of friction for both the wax and the ski, to helping skiers change their technique based on the laws of physics.
To maximize speed, Nordic skiing is more about form than probably any other sport. Brute strength and athletic prowess certainly have their advantages, but these pale in comparision to proper technique.
While the shape of classic skis is slightly different than that of skate skis, the real difference is that classic skis have a "kick zone." This is a spot directly underneath the foot that has kick wax applied to it. Kick wax is a sticky poly-hydrocarbon that in theory is only supposed to provide a sticky surface from which to push back from.
Whether zipping along a winding trail, flying through the open flats, or powering up a steep hill, snow machines and the rider need to use physics to stay in control of the machine and themselves. The main components are the track, engine, skis and riding. Snowmachine tracks are essential to making a snowmachine move. Ever since snow machines first originated in the late 50's, designers have been finding ways to improve traction in a variety of conditions. Some of these conditions are driving on groomed trails, not groomed trails, overflow, and deep snow.
Snowmobiles have come a long way since Polaris Industries created the first one. Ski Doo always on its tale trying to defeat the one sled company that will always be around. I Know that a stock Polaris and a stock Ski doo raced, that the Polaris would win every time. That is the reason why I ride Polaris, because no matter where you are they’re the way out!
Friction is obviously an important factor of cross country skiing. On one hand, friction is necessary because without it a skier wouldn't be able to ski up hill or even move on flat surfaces. However, when racing, skiers prefer to have the smallest friction force working on them possible.
Next, take a few steps up a slight incline with your front foot in the snowboard binding and your back foot out. Make sure that the snowboard is perpendicular to the incline. Take one step with your foot that is not attached to the snowboard, then lift your foot with the snowboard attached to it and take a step with the entire snowboard. Keep taking baby steps until you are up an incline. The process can become tiring after a while, but for beginners the ski-lift is not quite recommended at this point. You should be looking for beginner slopes with a very small incline.
Gymnasts use physics everyday. As a gymnast I never realized how much physics went into every motion, every back handspring, every mistake on the bars. If gymnasts were physicists (or at least knew more about physics) they would be better equipped to handle the difficult aspects of gymnastics. As a gymnast I learned the motions that were necessary to complete the tricks that I was working on, and as a coach I taught others the same. I never truly understood why a particular angle gave me a better back handspring or why the angle that I hit a springboard at really mattered when completing a vault. We are going to explore some of the different apparatuses in gymnastics and a few of the physics laws that are involved in them. We will not even barely scratch the surface of the different ways that physics can explain gymnastics.
Skates used to be more like skis. Players glided on the ice rather than actually skated. Artifacts also show the use of animal bones as skate blades as well. Currently, steal blades are used. There is a small arc groove on the blade that provides the friction needed to counteract the slipperiness of the ice (Haché 37). The boot of the skate is hard enough to protect the foot from puck impact but also flexible enough “to allow the calf muscle to push forward and to ease knee bending when the player crouches” (Haché 35).
Pieter and I were determined to become proficient water skiers, while Rhea had knee issues that limited her participation. The Gibson Girl only had a forty horsepower motor, which wasn’t sufficient power for faster skiing or for doing tricks like skiing barefoot. I remember using the Comfort for some of our skiing before Dad traded the outboard for a sixteen-foot Gar Wood Junior, which had an inboard motor and more power. Pieter and I spent hours practicing the basics of getting up efficiently, skiing across the wake and then jumping the wake. It wasn’t long before we developed a passion for mastering slalom skiing. I wanted to ski all the time during that period.
Snowboarders have become very popular since the 1998 Nagano Olympic games. Snowboarders have struggled with many battles with defending themselves towards the skiers. The injuries of skiers and snowboarders are caused by poor training and lack of confidence. The snowboarders are faced with many harsh conditions while learning how to snowboard. “In the year of 1989 to 1997 a poll was taken of 1500 people and it showed that skiers had more injuries than snowboarders”(657). The snowboarder injuries take place mainly in their upper body. “The types of snowboarding injuries included fractures, lacerations, dislocations, and contusions”(657). This occurs because Snowboarders have to stop themselves with their arms and upper chest area. The experts observed, “snowboarders tend to ride down the slope in a regular style (with the left side in front), so they tend to fall on their left shoulder”(659). The conditions are extremely harmful and dangerous for the body, which also attributes to the problem.
The tips of your skis are together at the front and in the back, the tails of the ski are speed apart. When you do
The first step to waxing your skis is choosing the right wax. There are a few different categories of waxes, for example, temperature-specific wax. Each wax in this category has a temperature range
Snowboarding is a new sport that is very challenging and exhilarating and is attracting new fans all around the world. Snowboarding has really changed since it was first invented. It has become one of the fastest growing sports in America and the world.
Skiing and snowboarding are two very different sports, that have evolved and morphed together to define an entire global industry and are now tantamount as salt and pepper. Skiing was popularized decades before the conception of snowboarding however, snowboarding was conceptualized in part, by skiing. Skiing became a mainstay when it was introduced to the Olympics, it quickly grew to dominate winter sports all over the world. The world was shocked when snowboarding made its way onto the Olympics roster and was perplexed by the influence it carried. The two sports were at war from the beginning, clashing in every possible way. As skiing and snowboarding grew and evolved, so did the winter sports industry. These sports spawned a new generation of athletes, with new trends and ideas, which have completely resuscitated the snow sports industry.
Reindeer racing usually takes place at a festival. One of the biggest festivals is in Jokkmokk, Sweden. This is called the Jokkmokk Winter Market. It happens every year during the first week of February. The Jokkmokk Winter Market is very old. It has taken place for over four hundred years. It draws tourists from around the world. Folk dancing and singing are popular events. There's even a reindeer
Speed Skating has been around for a while now. This specific sport has many different techniquies, and skills. There is a lot more to skating then putting on shoes that have wheels and going on a wood floor skating around in circles.
Challenge plays an essential role in defining a sport; it provides the individual with the feeling of achievement in success. Skiing poses challenge even in its simplest foundations. Skiing on a poor quality hill, with icy snow and poor upkeep can sometimes create more challenge than a well-groomed slope. Skiing in the backcountry away from lifts and other people in freshly fallen snow provides an opportunity for the best of skiers to test t...