It is no doubt, that the ski glide over the snow is a very complicated object of research. However, ski glide is just a one area of many other areas of human knowledge. As a rule, the scientists and practitioners, who work in these areas, operate with some publicly expressed more or less solid hypotheses. These researchers work with one hypothesis until another and a better one comes up. Our literature studies and our own observations regarding modern skis preparations, did not give us any solid hypotheses, which are able to explain the actual form and content of this procedure. The present work is an attempt to reveal such hypotheses. Conclusion: To achieve an optimal glide on skis with the base (the ski sole) made of some high hydrophobic durable polymer, e.g. UHMWPE, PTFE; we only have to create an adequate topography (texture) on the ski running surface, adequate to the actual snow conditions.

Cross-country skiing has developed to become one of the most competitive winter sports, where a skier can win by fractions of seconds. Joint efforts between ski technicians and scientist have allowed the development of methodologies to prepare the ski surface, yet much of the knowledge up to date is based on the experience of the technicians.  In this sense, much attention is focused on the ski base, given that the friction at the base is an important factor that will define how fast a ski can glide. Ski base preparation is an extensive procedure, due to the several parameters that have to be taken into account. Much disagreement has risen regarding the best way to optimize the base. Thus, a complete characterization of the ski base can help to provide some clarity on the factors that affect friction.   This work presents the results of the characterization of the ski base through the preparation process by observing and measuring different aspects, using characterization techniques such as LOM, optical profilometry, contact angle, DSC and XCT. The results suggest that the mechanical machining of the surface can influence wax retention and hydrophobicity. Furthermore, it is seen that wax is present after the first waxing step, despite the constant brushing and scraping. No major changes were observed for the crystallinity. Finally, the amount of graphite on the surface was quantified. This is hoped to be helpful for ski technicians and athletes alike to improve the performance of their skis.

Forskning och karakterisering av alpinskidors belag kräver mycket tid och resurser att utföra därav försvinner informationsmängd inom området, då de tester som görs inte delas offentligt. Idag användsuteslutningsmetoden mycket och inte mätvärden som testats fram. Idenna rapport undersöks varför den ena skidan är snabbare än den andra med hjälp av teknisk information i form av data.Arbetet kring studien introducerades med en förstudie. I förstudien identifierades problem, analys av artiklar samt förberedelse kring intervju. Under arbetet har större del av tiden arbetats kring glidtester och uppsikt av strukturen samt att undersöka strukturer på belaget med mikroskop på ett laboratorium i Uppsala.Resultatet omfattar teoretiskt bevis grundat på mätdata som arbetats fram vid Ångströms laboratorium. Med hjälp av tre skilda strukturer som syftar till varierande karaktär, visar resultaten hur olika strukturer ger utslag i glid mellan snö och belag. Strukturerna som användes var helbäddsstruktur, kryss-struktur med släppta kanter samt fiskbensstruktur.Slutsatser kring projektet är att det glidtest som utfördes inte höll tillräckligt hög standard. För att kunna styrka att någon av strukturerna var snabbare än den andra behöver man utveckla glidtestet. Tiderna indikerar på skillnad i strukturerna, men på grund av de brister i testet som uppkom kan man inte med säkerhet fastställa att det är enbart strukturen som gör att tiden påverkas.Det går inte hitta någon korrelation mellan mikroskopsbilderna och de resultat man fick från glidtesterna, vilket ledet till att målet inte uppnåttsmed att hitta de parametrar som påverkar friktionen mellan skida ochsnö / In this study, the characteristics of an alpine ski’s base structure arepresented. The goal is to identify which parameters on the surface control the friction between the ski and the snow. The project is based on selfstudies through laboratory experiments and tests has been completed with facts from scientific reports and articles. This thesis is written for Sports Technology - Bachelor of Science in Product Development at Mid Sweden University Spring term 2022.Research and characterization of the alpine ski base require a lot of time and resources. As a result, the amount of information in the area disappears, as the tests performed are not shared publicly. Exclusion methods is the most common method used today and not measured values that have been tested. This report examines why one ski is faster than the other using technical data.The pilot study identified problems-, analyzed articles, and made the necessary preparations for the interviews. During the rest of the study, the main part of the time has been put into glide testing, an inspection of the structure and also observing the base of the ski with a microscope at the laboratory in Uppsala.The result covers theoretical evidence based on the measurement data that has been subtracted at the Ångstöms laboratory. With the help of three different structures aiming for varying characters, the result shows how these different structured bases interact with the snow. The structures used were full bed Cross structure, Cross structure withshaped edges and fishbone structure.Conclusions about the project are that the ski test that was performed did not maintain a sufficiently high standard. To be able to prove that one of the structures was faster than the other you need to develop the ski test. The times indicate a difference in the structures, but due to the shortcomings in the test that arose, it cannot be established with certainty that it is only the structure that causes the time to be affected.Karakterisering av ytstrukturen på en alpinskidas belagMittuniversitetet2022-05-25Based on the Mid Sweden University template for technical reports, written by Magnus Eriksson, Kenneth Berg and MivIt is not possible to find any correlation between the microscope images and the results obtained from the tests, which led to the goal not being achieved by finding the parameters that affect the friction between skisand snow / <p>2022-07-01</p>