Look out... slippery science on board!
13 December 2007
Got the need for speed? UK scientists can get you down the mountain faster than ever with a gadget that keeps skis and snowboards waxed to perfection. Antenna gets the rundown on how it could thrill adrenalin junkies and put professional athletes in pole position...
Image: Stock.XCHNG/ Gary Cowles
Image: Steve Spotts
Even on soft snow, the undersides of skis and snowboards get scratched. Bad news - as scratches mean friction, which slows skiers down. At the moment, skis and snowboards need coating with hot wax on a regular basis to keep their surfaces smooth and slippery. |
Image: Peter Styring
But now scientists have designed a hi-tech fitting that keeps skis and boards waxed automatically. A hidden system of tubes and valves pushes the wax - a specially made biodegradable formula - onto the bottom of the board or ski. |
They hope their affordable and easy-to-fit gadget will hit shops - and slopes - soon. Tests show it could get amateurs and athletes alike plummeting down the pistes.
'The professional skiers who tested our technology told us their skis felt smoother and that the device made them go faster without changing their turning ability or control,' says Peter Styring, developer of the technology. 'It even made artificial slopes feel like the real thing.'
Peter Styring, engineer and developer of the smart ski technology, University of Sheffield.
Image: Peter Styring
So could the technology mean the difference between winning and losing?
Maybe... tests show it cuts race times by up to 2%. That doesn't sound much, but in big competitions it's the difference between winning gold and not getting a medal at all.
Image: Snowsport GB
Professional athletes such as top British snowboarder Zoe Gillings are keen to try it out.
'This new technology looks really interesting, ' says Zoe. 'At my level of sport, the race is won or lost by less than a second. So if it helps, bring it on!'
Zoe Gillings, top British snowboarder
Image: Snowsport GB
Will we see slicker skis hitting the Olympic slopes and breaking records? We'll have to wait and see...