Skiing is one of the things to do during the winter, here in Canada. It is also cheap and easy to start, since there are ski-tracks almost everywhere and it is possible to find used skis for less then $50. Skis are pretty simple in design. Originally they were designed just as the snow shoes, though today they are much more advanced. (Wikipedia) Skis can be used just after you bought them, without doing anything to them. However, if you want your skis to perform to their best, simple maintenance needs to be performed. One of the best and easiest way to do so is to apply wax. One can be confused at first by the variety of waxes available on the market. To see that, just check ski section in local Beaver Sports store. In reality, just one or couple waxes needed to get started. I'm going to explain how to wax your skis for the diagonal stride technique and what exactly waxing does to the skis.
Ski structure
Cross country skis are bent vertically. That allows for using different kind of wax depending whether person is sliding or kicking.
When buying skis, you should choose ones that are made for your mass. If they are for bigger person, skis will be less bendable, thus area of contact will be only on the ends. If they are for smaller person, skis will be unbent most of the time. That is not very good, because it would slow the person down. Ideally we want all the area of the ski to be in contact with the snow when pressure is applied and middle section off the snow when sliding.
Friction is force dependant, meaning it changes depending on force applied.
Ff = F * μ
Glide wax is applied to the front and the end of the skies, this way when person removes force from one leg, friction becomes less and ski slides.
The ski is unbent when force is applied to it. Friction between snow and wax in the midsection increases so that it grips enough for a kick. Coefficient of static friction of the kick wax is only big enough for "the snow irregularities dig into wax irregularities just enough to give a motionless ski bite, or grip." (Brady)
At the moment when ski gains velocity, it is not at rest anymore, and since μk is less then μs, friction is not big enough to hold the ski.
A few winters ago, some friends invited my family and me to go snow skiing at Paoli Peaks, Indiana. I did not know how to snow ski, and I leaped at the thought of trying this new sport. On the first morning we entered the pro shop to rent all the gear and make decisions about whether or not to take lessons or go it alone. We decided to be adventurous and go it alone—no lessons. Kent and Celeste, the friends who invited us, knew how to ski and snowboard. He assured us that he could show us the basics, and we would be on our way down the slopes. All of us, after a few minutes learning how to wedge our skis started down the family trail. Although the family trail had smaller hills and appeared safe, to me it seemed way
Ingredients and formula for super fast ,all temp, racing ski wax:(1) 5 lbs of paraffin wax(I use a 160 degree melt temperature wax)
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!
Once in the water, one should slip their feet into the boots and adjust them for a proper fit by tightening them securely around one’s ankles for support. After the boots are secure, the driver will hook one end of the ski rope to the boat and toss the handle to you. When you have the rope in your hands, bend your knees a little bit with the board at a ninety degree angle in front of you. As the driver slowly accelerates, the rope will tighten, pulling you forward a bit. At this point, it is your responsibility to signal to the driver that you are
Snowboarding and Skiing are common and different in the subjects of culture, technique, and equipment. There are similarities on and off the mountain as well as major differences. Snowboarding was influenced in the beginning by skiing and it is now growing rapidly. Skiing has been taking part in the boarding culture to regain some ground hey lost to the boarding craze. This culture will be shown through a comparison in a “Battle of the Mountain.”
Avoid Accidents. The excellent manner to save you a head damage from skiing or skiing is to keep away from accidents. Hitting the floor is the primary motive of snowsports-related loss (74% compared to ten-thirteen% from beating bushes, people or different stationary gadgets).
Snow is a concept that only a few people really know about. It seems like most people hate snow with a burning passion. However, the true northerners praise every day that it snows; mostly because it does not happen a lot. At one point everyone that participates in a snow sport has to hope that it will snow every winter. Unfortunately, our hopes and dreams do not always come true. That was why snowmaking was developed in the 1980s and has been upgraded every year so maximum snow production is possible. The first reason was to fill in the gaps that Mother Nature left out. However, now the amount of snow we receive is drastically less than what it used to be. Instead of making snow to fill in the gaps, we have to make most of the snow we ski
I was afraid at first; I had heard many over-exaggerated stories from people who had claimed foul play, on the part of gravity, while skiing. So naturally I was a bit skeptical, but Michael assured me that the best way to learn was to just go all out and try my luck on one of the many intermediate slopes. At the time it had sounded reasonable, so I did. I've heard it said before; "It's easier said than done." Whoever coined that one knew what he was talking about.
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.
From the figure above, it is also easy to see that the kinetic friction remains almost constant for a range of speeds. This kinetic friction is the force which slows the skiers down after they start moving.
Snowboarding can be quite pricy but not nearly as expensive as many people would assume. A bright colorful snowboard where the colors bounce off one another like fireworks on the 4th of July, is beautiful to have, but it is not a necessity. Consequently, the board or jacket with the brightest colors or the boldest patterns will cost a fortune. For an example, when I started snowboarding about ten years ago, my father picked me a lifeless grey snowboard from the ancient pawn store directly down the street. I was grateful nonetheless, I made the snowboard “pop” using simple stickers that were
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.
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).
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...
loved it too..." (2.1, 10-11). He is referring to the color of his ski n