BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSES OF SNOWBOARD JUMP LANDINGS

Abstract

Snowboard jump landings represent an important topic of study within the area of sports biomechanics. This is due to the high risk nature of this activity and the potential to modify this risk through equipment design and skill development. This paper presents a summary of a comprehensive series of experiments designed to quantify landing biomechanics and the influence of external factors on the measures taken. Data were collected on-snow from participants performing straight aerials over table top snow jumps. Ground reaction force as well as joint kinematics and kinetics were found to be sensitive to boot wear, binding angle and jump dimension changes. The data collected form a base on which equipment design and injury prevention strategies may be developed.