http://classic.mountainzone.com/ski/2000/worldcup/alpine/kvitfjell/graphics/photo19.html
TURNING
Turning is the concept of changing one's direction. Turning in ski racing is not just changing your direction. It is changing your direction in a limited amount of distance and trying to maintain the speed gained while gliding. To change a racers direction, a racer arcs/carves his ski. Arcing or carving involves the ski cutting through the snow and acting as a rail for the racer to ride on. Changing direction is an acceleration because one is changing their velocity. Velocity is a vector. Simply put, it is not just a speed; rather it is a speed with a given direction. Even if the speed of a racer remains constant their velocity is still changing because they are changing their direction. The acceleration to change direction is called the centripetal acceleration. The centripetal acceleration acts in towards the center of the circle where the arc of the ski is along this circle.
a=(velocity^2)/radius
The centripetal acceleration comes from force the snow exerts on the ski. This force can be called the centripetal force. The centripetal force comes from the snow pushing back against the ski as the ski edge cuts into the surface of the snow. The greater this turning force the greater the acceleration. The greater acceleration means one can take a corner faster or turn tighter. The centripetal force follows Merchants Metal Cutting Theory. There are a great number of variables that go into Merchants Theory but there are three main components: lean angle, edge angle, and resultant force.
http://ski.mountainzone.com/2001/worldcup/alpine/valdisere/html/photo35.html
HOME OR MORE SPEED?
TWO ASPECTS OF DOWNHILL RACING: