How Does Snow Change Skiing?
There are two types of snow skiers are
concerned with; wet and dry snow.
Wet snow occurs when temperatures are
above zero degrees celsius. When the temperatures are above
freezing the snow on the ground has liquid water in it. The
liquid water in the snow reduces the friction provided by the
snow. Friction, however, is required for a skier to move. Wax
and "structure" is used to compensate for wet snow, and
maximize efficiency of a ski on wet snow.
Cold snow occurs when the temperature of
the troposphere and the surface are below freezing. Cold
snow can be produced from water falling through freezing
temperatures the whole way to the ground, or by freezing more
after being on the ground. Cold snow has provides more
friction that wet snow due to larger crystal formation. In
order to maximize the efficiency of the skis wax can be used
to reduce the friction from the ski.
When a skier moves over snow some of the
kinetic energy is converted into thermal energy. The thermal
energy melts the snow slightly under the ski, allowing for the
ski to travel over with less friction. Glide wax is chosen for
the based off of how cold the snow is.
To learn more about wax
click here.
To learn more about structure click here.
Image from: http://cbavalanchecenter.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-is-surface-hoar.html
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