Wide skis were originally designed to be used in powder snow conditions where the design of the ski did not allow the skier to sink as deep into the snow as with narrow width skis. Wide skis are currently among the top sellers of ski types sold in the United States market (SIA, 2017). Due to being marketed as an all-around ski, these skis are now routinely being skied on groomed runs as well as in powder. However, there is not a standard definition o f what width constitutes a `wide` ski. Certainly, the overall width is greater with a wide ski than a narrow ski. Wide skis are typically lighter in weight and found with softer flex in the tip and tail than narrow skis, may possess rockered tip and tail, and may have a flat or inverted camber. Additionally, these skis generally possess less torsional stiffness than a traditional narrow ski. These ski characteristics may exert a significant influence on the biomechanics and physiological responses during skiing. Zorko et al. (2015) reported on knee joint kinematics of three different ski widths. Those authors noted significant differences between the skis for knee flexion, knee abduction, and timing of peak ground reaction force. Seifert et al. (2018) reported electromyographic (EMG) responses were different on wide skis than when skiing narrow skis in an elite skier in standardized and self-selected turns. However, both studies were performed only on groomed, packed snow. It is not known how ski width would affect muscular responses when wide and narrow skis were tested in powder snow conditions. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the electromyographic (EMG) responses between wide and narrow skis when skiing on groomed and in powder snow conditions.
© Copyright 2020 Science and Skiing VIII. Book of the 8th International Congress on Science and Skiing. Julkaistu Tekijä University of Jyväskylä; Vuokatti Sports Technology Unit of the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä. Kaikki oikeudet pidätetään. / Kääntänyt https://www.DeepL.com/Translator