Snowboarding fans - get pumped for some radical physics with
Shaun White and Sage Katsenberg.
Big air and shredding pristine powder isn't just about skill,
there's a whole lot of science in there too.
Planet Science presents some awesome videos to reveal the hard
science behind the world of winter extreme sports. From torque to
hydroplaning, ESPN Sport Science
and the Winter X Games have it
covered...
1. Big Air in the Superpipe
Winter Olympics gold-medalist Shaun White is famous
for getting big air - really big air - in the half-pipe. He
was the first ever snowboarder to land back-to-back double
corkscrews. ESPN Sport Science looks at the science that
helps him pull it off:
2. It's all about torque
Without torque (the force that causes rotation) there would be
no flips and spins, and snowboarding would start to look pretty
dull.
Find out how extreme boarders and skiers use torque for the big
tricks:
3. Picking up speed - how temperature and changes of
state can make all the difference
Find out how friction, cohesion and adhesion can affect the
speed as a boarder hits a kicker... Is it
better to ride at dawn, midday or midnight?
4. Pulling a triple cork -
unleasing acceleration
2012 Winter X Slopestyle silver medalist Sage Kotsenburg
demonstrates the science behind three rotations - and the key is
speed - lots and lots of speed!