Measuring the Coefficient of Friction Between Snowboard Bases and Terrain-Park Rails Under Dry, Water-Lubricated, and Wax-Lubricated Conditions

Abstract

This study investigated the friction between a snowboard and a metal park rail under different surface conditions. While snowboard–snow friction has been widely studied, friction between snowboards and rails has received little attention. The mechanism of friction reduction likely to happen is waterlubrication. Waxing can also help by reducing the plowing effect. The experiment is conducted on static dry snow and consists of a snowboarder performing repeated rail slides on a dry rail, a rail sprayed with water, and a rail coated with wax. Motion was recorded on video, and acceleration along the rail was calculated to determine the coefficient of friction. The dry rail had the highest friction, the water-sprayed rail had lower friction, and the waxed rail had the lowest friction. The specific values are provided but are subject to the same number of systematic errors, so they are not emphasized. These results suggest that adding water or wax reduces friction between the snowboard and the rail, with wax having the greatest effect under the tested conditions.