Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc  It's simplified, but a decently accurate representation of the forces involved in a carved turn. One could look a little closer at the geometry of the ski but it wouldn't tell you anything about the input force from the skier, which is based on the centripetal force generated and the weight of the skier.
Well, the point I was trying to make is that the CM is not a static location for either skier. It could potentially be closer to the axis of rotation for a taller skier resulting in a smaller radius to the CM and smaller centripetal force, but to do so he would require some aid to keep him from rotating down to the snow, otherwise he must flex his legs and bring his weight closer to his skis to balance the torques acting on him. |
OK, say the critical angle, centripedal force is a wash for both tall and short skier. However, one still has to take into account that angular velocity does change as the com moves along the radius from the axis of rotation. Only way you can explain "pumping" in any angular movement to increase speed. The taller skier will have this advantage since he/she has more range.