Quantifying cross-country ski–snow friction using real-time kinematic positioning

In cross-country skiing, athletes expend large amounts of energy to overcome friction as their skis interact with snow. Even minor reductions in the friction can significantly influence race outcomes. Over the years, researchers have found many ways of quantifying ski–snow friction, but there are on...

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Main Authors: Kalle Kalliorinne, Joakim Sandberg, Gustav Hindér, Hans-Christer Holmberg, Matej Supej, Roland Larsson, Andreas Almqvist
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tsinghua University Press 2025-04-01
Series:Friction
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Online Access:https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441011
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author Kalle Kalliorinne
Joakim Sandberg
Gustav Hindér
Hans-Christer Holmberg
Matej Supej
Roland Larsson
Andreas Almqvist
author_facet Kalle Kalliorinne
Joakim Sandberg
Gustav Hindér
Hans-Christer Holmberg
Matej Supej
Roland Larsson
Andreas Almqvist
author_sort Kalle Kalliorinne
collection DOAJ
description In cross-country skiing, athletes expend large amounts of energy to overcome friction as their skis interact with snow. Even minor reductions in the friction can significantly influence race outcomes. Over the years, researchers have found many ways of quantifying ski–snow friction, but there are only a few methods that consider the glide of real-sized skis under natural conditions during both accelerating and decelerating movements. This study introduces a novel experimental setup, consisting of a sled equipped with authentic cross-country skis and a base station that uses satellite receivers to communicate via radio, constituting a real-time kinematic positioning system with centimetre accuracy. While the sled was running on a classic ski track with natural height variations, altitude and velocity data were recorded for quantification of the coefficient of friction (COF), both for accelerating and decelerating motion, employing a model based on Newton’s second law. The results show that the COF during acceleration was more than 20% higher than during deceleration, demonstrating dynamic changes in the frictional behaviour between these phases. This finding is crucial for the execution of all types of cross-country skiing techniques, where the athlete either accelerates or decelerates while moving forward. The ability of the current experimental set-up to distinguish between the COF during acceleration and deceleration has considerable implications for further developments.
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publishDate 2025-04-01
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spelling doaj-art-4f74181849d44e0fa1e63267b3a7e20e2025-08-20T01:47:54ZengTsinghua University PressFriction2223-76902223-77042025-04-01134944101110.26599/FRICT.2025.9441011Quantifying cross-country ski–snow friction using real-time kinematic positioningKalle Kalliorinne0Joakim Sandberg1Gustav Hindér2Hans-Christer Holmberg3Matej Supej4Roland Larsson5Andreas Almqvist6Division of Machine Elements, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå 97187, SwedenDivision of Machine Elements, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå 97187, SwedenDivision of Machine Elements, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå 97187, SwedenDivision of Health, Medicine and Rehabilitation, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå 97187, SwedenFaculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, SloveniaDivision of Machine Elements, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå 97187, SwedenDivision of Machine Elements, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå 97187, SwedenIn cross-country skiing, athletes expend large amounts of energy to overcome friction as their skis interact with snow. Even minor reductions in the friction can significantly influence race outcomes. Over the years, researchers have found many ways of quantifying ski–snow friction, but there are only a few methods that consider the glide of real-sized skis under natural conditions during both accelerating and decelerating movements. This study introduces a novel experimental setup, consisting of a sled equipped with authentic cross-country skis and a base station that uses satellite receivers to communicate via radio, constituting a real-time kinematic positioning system with centimetre accuracy. While the sled was running on a classic ski track with natural height variations, altitude and velocity data were recorded for quantification of the coefficient of friction (COF), both for accelerating and decelerating motion, employing a model based on Newton’s second law. The results show that the COF during acceleration was more than 20% higher than during deceleration, demonstrating dynamic changes in the frictional behaviour between these phases. This finding is crucial for the execution of all types of cross-country skiing techniques, where the athlete either accelerates or decelerates while moving forward. The ability of the current experimental set-up to distinguish between the COF during acceleration and deceleration has considerable implications for further developments.https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441011winter sportscross-country skisnowfrictionreal-time kinematic (rtk)–global navigation satellite system (gnss)tribometer
spellingShingle Kalle Kalliorinne
Joakim Sandberg
Gustav Hindér
Hans-Christer Holmberg
Matej Supej
Roland Larsson
Andreas Almqvist
Quantifying cross-country ski–snow friction using real-time kinematic positioning
Friction
winter sports
cross-country ski
snow
friction
real-time kinematic (rtk)–global navigation satellite system (gnss)
tribometer
title Quantifying cross-country ski–snow friction using real-time kinematic positioning
title_full Quantifying cross-country ski–snow friction using real-time kinematic positioning
title_fullStr Quantifying cross-country ski–snow friction using real-time kinematic positioning
title_full_unstemmed Quantifying cross-country ski–snow friction using real-time kinematic positioning
title_short Quantifying cross-country ski–snow friction using real-time kinematic positioning
title_sort quantifying cross country ski snow friction using real time kinematic positioning
topic winter sports
cross-country ski
snow
friction
real-time kinematic (rtk)–global navigation satellite system (gnss)
tribometer
url https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441011
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