Abstract des Autors

Testing the glide properties of ski equipment is an essential component in the development of ski equipment, base structure, and glide products as well as in race day equipment and glide product selection. Ideally, one would like to differentiate between skis by directly measuring the coefficient of friction between the ski and the snow; however, no direct method exists for real-world glide testing. In essence, glide testing involves the taking of one or a small number of measurements of one thing—time, average velocity, or distance — as a representation of another thing—the friction between the ski being tested and the snow. Common test methods include parallel, timed glide tests, glide-out tests, and feeling in a timed glide test, for example, the measurement is time, which corresponds to the average velocity in the test zone. Average velocity is indicative of average frictional forces as long as all other factors remain the same. The purposes of our paper are to 1) present a new measurement system for testing ski glide characteristics that produces high sample rate velocity vs. time measurements using image alignment techniques and Hall effect sensors, 2) validate the system in the laboratory, and 3) evaluate the system in real-world glide testing with professional glide testers.