Skier and snowboarder speeds at US ski areas

Objectives

To determine typical speeds of skiers and snowboarders on-piste groomed trails across the United States (US).

Design and methods

On-slope speeds of skiers and snowboarders were measured on trails of varying difficulty at 8 ski areas across the US. The trail difficulty designation and slope were documented for each location where speed measurements were taken. The equipment used (skis or snowboard), whether a helmet was worn, and the estimated ability (determined by the researchers) of snowsports participants were recorded. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the influence of these individual and environmental factors on the speeds of snowsports participants.

Results

4164 speed observations were made between 2004 and 2020 on groomed trails at 8 ski areas representing 5 geographic regions in the United States. Across all observations, the average speed was 34.9 ​± ​13.6 ​km/h. The ability of the snowsports participant had the largest effect on speed. Advanced snowsports participants traveled faster (44.5 ​± ​11.7 ​km/h) than intermediates (32.4 ​± ​9.9) and beginners (19.9 ​± ​7.2). Skiers on average were faster (35.8 ​± ​13.8 ​km/h) than snowboarders (33.0 ​± ​13.2 ​km/h) and beginner and intermediate snowboarders were slower on average than their skiing counterparts. While the average speeds increased with increasing trail difficulty and slope, the correlation was weak (R² ​= ​0.15).

Conclusions

The ability of the snowsports participant was found to be the most influential factor affecting speed.