ABSTRACT
As a snowboard may be considered similar to a short, wide ski in many ways, literature published on skis is relevant to this study. As an older sport on which more research has been conducted there is significantly more information available in this field. A summary of the testing procedures and studies on skis is available in the ‘‘Physics of Skiing’’ (Lind & Saunders 1996). Previous research on the mechanics of skis and skiing has concentrated on the measurement and characterisation of the mechanical properties of skis the measurement of forces involved in ski manoeuvres (Nordt & Springer 1999b). These mechanical tests have been complemented by using finite element analysis for static testing based around simple models for ski construction (Nordt & Springer 1999a, Deak et al 1975) to provide results that focus on the design of the ski. These simple models are based around basic laminate structures.
