Friction Between Ski and Snow

The first skis were developed to improve locomotion across the natural, wind packed snow surface in the European northern countries. The skis were made of flat planks with shovels at the tips. Under load, the tips and ends of the skis bended up causing resistance against forward movement. An improvement of the gliding of skis was the invention of the bow-shaped cambered ski, arched up towards his center. Under load, the ski lies flat on the snow surface and the load is more evenly distributed along the ski. With the appearance of downhill skiing, the turning properties of skis became more important. In 1928, Lettner (AT) invented steel edges to give the skis more grip. During the first half of the twentieth century, the technique was developed to produce laminated skis composed of a wooden core with different bottom and upper layers. In 1955, Kofler (AT) introduced the first ski with a polyethylene base, which remarkably improved the gliding properties. In addition, the repair of minor scratches was easily possible. In the recent past, the gliding properties of skis were further developed by special grinding techniques for the ski base and by the development of special waxes.