2.

6 Physics JOURNAL
The Physics of Downhill Skiing
SKILLS
ABSTRACT HANDBOOK A3

Downhill skiing involves forces in a variety of different ways. Skiers race down the
mountain as the force of Earth’s gravity pulls them toward the bottom of the slope, while
air resistance and kinetic friction resist the motion. The skier’s stance and equipment
help the skier reach the bottom of the slope as quickly as possible by reducing the air
resistance on the skier as well as the friction between the skier and the snow. The skier
must also maintain control while going down the slope by taking advantage of the fric-
tion between the skis and the snow. Finally, the design of the skier’s safety equipment
must take into account the forces on the skier during a crash.

The Forces Acting on a Skier air resistance, Fair. To show this, we draw an FBD and we have
What are the forces acting on a downhill skier? Gravity acts the positive x-axis pointing downhill, as shown in Figure 2.
to accelerate the skier down the hill, while various frictional
y
forces oppose the skier’s motion (Figure 1).
FN

FK
Fair


Fgy
x

Fg Fgx

Figure 1  Downhill skiing is all about maximizing the forces  Figure 2

acting down the slope and minimizing the forces that oppose 
the skier’s motion.
Reducing friction is a significant element of downhill
skiing. Wax on the bottom of the skis helps reduce the
kinetic friction between the skis and the snow. This directly
increases the acceleration of a skier because any reduction
in the coefficient of kinetic friction between the skis and the
snow will decrease the frictional force accordingly.
Body position is also important for reducing friction in
the form of air resistance. The air resistance of an object is
proportional to the area of the object. By making herself as
small as possible, a skier can reduce the force of air resis-
tance. This is why skiers go into a crouching position, called
a tuck, as much as possible.
Having a large mass will not necessarily cause the skier to
go faster. The mass of an object does not affect its acceleration
due to gravity, but when air resistance becomes important, that
can change. The equation for the acceleration of a skier with
a mass of m at an angle u (the slope of the mountain) incor-
porates the coefficient of kinetic friction, mK, and the force of
Therefore, the forces of kinetic friction and air resistance both
point uphill and are negative. Taking components parallel to
the incline gives the following:
SFx 5 Fgx 1 12FK2 1 12Fair2
ma 5 mg sin u 2 mKmg cos u 2 Fair
Divide both sides of the equation by the mass, m:
Fair
a 5 g sin u 2 mK g cos u 2
m
Unlike the forces of gravity and kinetic friction, the force
of air resistance does not depend on the mass of an object.
So according to the above equation, a more massive skier
should have a slightly larger acceleration as the skier’s speed
increases. However, the ability to make sharp turns is also
important for a skier, and a heavier skier might have more
trouble making such turns.
Another important aspect of downhill skiing is main-
taining control going down the slope. This often requires
making many sharp turns during the descent. A skier turns
by using the friction between the skis and the snow to slow

NEL 2.6 Physics Journal: The Physics of Downhill Skiing 93

8160_CH02_p060-105.indd 93 4/27/12 7:31 AM

 down and to help make turns. When turning, the skier has
to angle the skis to dig into the snow, making use of the
normal force (Figure 3).  CAREER LINK
Figure 3  By angling his skis, a skier can change the relative
values of the components of friction in different directions,
causing him to turn.
The radius of curvature of these turns is important
for overall speed. The tighter the curve, the shorter the
overall distance the skier has to go and the faster he
reaches the bottom. Skis that are shorter and side-cut can
significantly reduce the radius of curvature (Figure 4).
radius
side-cut
(a) (b)
Figure 4  (a) The side-cut is the amount of curving at the sides of
a ski. (b) The side-cut radius is an imaginary oval that you could
draw if you followed the side-cut in the ski. The side-cut radius
affects the skier’s turning radius.
2.6 Questions
1. List four forces that act on a downhill skier.  K/U
2. How does equipment used by downhill skiers
reduce friction and resistance?  K/U
3. Does a large mass necessarily cause a skier to go
faster? Explain your answer.  K/U
4. Why is a helmet important for a downhill
skier?  K/U
94   Chapter 2 • Dynamics
8160_CH02_p060-105.indd 94
Leg strength is also important for making sharp, controlled
turns that increase overall speed down the slope. Skiers
train the muscles that allow them to make the purest pos-
sible carves (turns).
Skiers can also use poles to give a boost of extra force
when they start from rest. When a skier pushes on the
slope with the poles, the slope exerts a force on the skier
according to Newton’s third law. This force will have compo-
nents both parallel and perpendicular to the slope (surface
of the snow). The parallel force will directly increase accel-
eration down the slope. The perpendicular force will reduce
the normal force of the slope on the skier and thus reduce
the kinetic friction.
Finally, safety is a major issue in downhill skiing. During
a crash, a skier’s speed changes from a high speed to zero
almost instantly. Newton’s second law explains that this large
change causes a large force to act on the skier. Safety equip-
ment is intended to reduce the effect of the sudden slowing
felt by the skier and, thus, the force on the skier. Reducing the
force on the skier’s head is particularly important. A helmet
provides a cushion that allows the skier’s head to take more
time to slow down from full speed to zero during a crash.
Unit TASK BOOKMARK
You can apply what you have learned about the physics of skiing to the
Unit Task on page 146.
Further Reading
Lind, D., & Sanders, S.P. (2004). The physics of skiing
(2nd ed.). New York: Springer.
The physics of skiing. (2011). Real-world Physics
Problems. 
Swinson, D.B. (1992). Physics and skiing. Physics Teacher,
30 (8), 458–63.
Weinstock, M. (2004, February). The physics of . . . skiing.
Discover Magazine. 
WEB LINK
5. Research improvements in skiing equipment,
technology, and ski suits (clothing). Use search
terms such as side-cut (or parabolic) skis and
anti-drag suits.    K/U T/I A
(a) What is the relationship between improvements
in skiing technology and safety?
(b) Is there any evidence that supports the use of
the technology?
(c) Why do skiers wear special clothing?
WEB LINK
NEL
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