Abstract
On-slope pilot testing of snow tubes was conducted at two ski areas in the United States to examine the effects of deceleration mats. Snow tube and rider kinematics were measured using an instrumented bodysuit and a GPS system worn by the rider. For each test, the riders descended a tubing run with minimal input and stopped in the run-out area. Snow tube and rider speeds when entering the run-out area were controlled to be approximately 9.5 m/s. Test trials were conducted with and without deceleration mats. Four deceleration mat conditions were tested, including two raised surface protuberances (ribs and projections) and two mat geometry parameters (flat and folded). The deceleration and effective coefficient of friction (COF) were determined for each trial. Data were recorded for 75 test trials with a mean (± standard deviation) speed entering the run-out area of 9.5 (±1.8) m/s. There were no significant differences in the deceleration or effective coefficient of friction between the surface protuberance conditions. The peak deceleration and effective COF for the folded mats (5.1 ± 1.6 m/s2 and 0.26 ± 0.14) was greater than for the flat (3.3 ± 0.8 m/s2 and 0.10 ± 0.07) and no mat (0.06 ± 0.3 m/s2 and 0.08 ± 0.03) conditions (all p < 0.05). Deceleration mats in run-out areas slow snow tube riders faster than without deceleration mats. Folding the deceleration mats produced greater deceleration but did not produce significantly different kinematics for the riders.
Highlights
Though many people ride snow tubes on open, unmanaged land, a growing number of people in the USA are snow tubing at ski areas or dedicated snow tubing facilities where snow tube riders descend in lanes that are separated by berms
There were no significant differences between the ribs and projections conditions across all kinematic metrics and the effective coefficient of friction (COF); see Table 1
We found that deceleration mats were effective at slowing snow tubes and riders when compared to not having deceleration mats; the mats increased the peak deceleration by a factor of 5 for the flat condition and almost 8 for the folded condition compared to the no mat condition
Summary
Snow tubing is a recreational adventure sport in which a participant rides downhill over snow on an inflated tube. There are varying levels of sensation seeking amongst snowsports participants [1] and snow tubing allows individuals to participate in snowsports who may not otherwise be interested or capable. Though many people ride snow tubes on open, unmanaged land, a growing number of people in the USA are snow tubing at ski areas or dedicated snow tubing facilities where snow tube riders descend in lanes that are separated by berms. The lanes and berms are built and maintained using typical snow grooming equipment. According to the National Ski Areas Association Kottke report [2], there were more than 85 snow tubing hills operated by ski areas during the 2018/2019 season in the USA, with over 1.75 million customer visits
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