RIT: Ave speed of inbounds skiers 27.6 mph....hmmmm

[Greg]

I can pretty much guarantee that I don't ski 30 MPH on average. My forward speed is probably pretty slow actually. That's fine with me. I'd rather turn more!

 

[catskills]

This may help. Here is a simlar scientific study by the ISSS Congress meeting at St Moritz, Switzerland in 2003.

To read you will have to hit the rotate button in adobe.

Mean for all observations in this 2003 study was 26.7 mph. Note the shape skis produced since 2003 provide even more stability for the 5 day per year skier, which probably increases the mean speed.

 

[ChileMass]

Looks like a solid study.

So if the fastest advanced skiers (top 16%) ski above 33 mph on average, the current standard for helmets doesn't provide a lot of protection. Hey Bob R - did you read this - ?? No need for that new helmet after all........

Interesting that another study says that as a group, skiers tend to underestimate how fast they think they ski. Better watch out on the blues.......

 

[hammer]

I can pretty much guarantee that I don't ski 30 MPH on average. My forward speed is probably pretty slow actually. That's fine with me. I'd rather turn more!

I'm with you on this one...

I'm not the slowest one on the slopes but I'm far from the fastest.

Not to go off of topic too much, but is it harder to ski faster or slower? I know that the risk is higher when you are going fast, but is it easier technically?

 

[from_the_NEK]

This may help. Here is a simlar scientific study by the ISSS Congress meeting at St Moritz, Switzerland in 2003.

On page 13 it states that: "The speed value chosen was the maximum speed observed during the period of time the person was under observation."

I can definitely see many skiers reaching an average "Max" speed of 27 mph on a open Blue groomer. However, for a lot of skiers this may be hitting their upper limit of comfortable speed and they immediately begin to slow down again.
This does appear to be a rather thorough study. Even though they say helmets don't make a difference I am still wearing mine, especially in the trees. :flame:
Just my thoughts.

 

[from_the_NEK]

Not to go off of topic too much, but is it harder to ski faster or slower? I know that the risk is higher when you are going fast, but is it easier technically?

It depends on the quality of the surface. I actually find that it is easier to ski icy-hard pack faster since I am not constantly trying to set an edge hard enough to decelerate. I tend to look for better areas of grip inbetween icy spots to check my speed. on rough surfaces it is much easier to ski slowly since it is easier to keep the skis from being "kicked around" by the surface.
I do find that I tire less when I ski fast.

 

[ski_adk]

The thing about helmets is that they're rated for the speed of impact...which is different than skier velocity. Unless you go head-first into a tree at 40 mph, your helmet will not receive a 40 mph blow. It's like watching a NASCAR wreck. Everyone is terrified when they see someone flip end over end over end. And nobody's really that worried to see a car nose into the wall. But, in the end, the guy who barrel-rolled is usually the one who gets out and waves to the crowd. Meanwhile, the guy who nosed into the wall is often quite banged up or worse (i.e. Dale Earnhardt).

In other words, it's not necessarily the speed at which the crash is occurring, but the rapid deceleration that hurts.

 

[KevinF]

On page 13 it states that: "The speed value chosen was the maximum speed observed during the period of time the person was under observation."

Ah! Ok. With that info, I can definitely believe that the "average max speed" would be in the mid-20 mph range. That "page 13" reference quoted above is a different study then the original RIT article that started this thread, but it wouldn't surprise me that the two testing methodolgies are similair. As NEK said, I imagine there was some serious braking going on shortly after hitting those speeds.

But anybody referring to "average max speed" as "average speed" needs to re-take logic and / or statistics classes.

 

[KevinF]

Not to go off of topic too much, but is it harder to ski faster or slower? I know that the risk is higher when you are going fast, but is it easier technically?

It depends what you're skiing. Skiing bumps at anything that resembles "speed" is really hard to do. Skiing deep powder on semi-skinny skis (so that you're sinking into the snow, not floating on it) slowly rates pretty high on the "impossible" scale. Carry some speed so that your skis float, and it gets a lot easier.

Fast skiing on groomers... You start to get a lot of forces building up as the speedometer climbs, and those forces give you something else to balance against, especially if you're really laying your skis over into a carved turn. At slow speeds, it's just your balance skills on the thin metal edges of your skis. Try skiing really slowly on the bunny hill at some point. No wedges or stemming allowed, no straightlining to build speed! It's a lot harder then you might think.

Slowing down from high speed on a groomer leads to other problems. If you slow down by twisting them sideways and sliding, then you're in for a painful crash at some point! As has been said on Epic -- the faster you go, the more you need to lay off the brakes! If "slow line fast" means something to you, then slowing down is no big deal.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Speed?

It depends on the quality of the surface. I actually find that it is easier to ski icy-hard pack faster since I am not constantly trying to set an edge hard enough to decelerate. I tend to look for better areas of grip inbetween icy spots to check my speed. on rough surfaces it is much easier to ski slowly since it is easier to keep the skis from being "kicked around" by the surface.
I do find that I tire less when I ski fast.

Good point. The less "noise" I hear from my skiis, the more likely I am to set an edge and turn.