Andreas Amlqvist | Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology at the Gdańsk University of Technology

Professor at Luleå University of Technology 

Managing director of the Swedish Centre for Sports and Performance Technology (SPORTC)

Multi-Scale Analysis of Ski–Snow Friction in Cross-Country Skiing

This lecture examines how ski–snow friction in cross-country skiing is governed by interactions across length scales, from ski geometry and contact pressure distribution to ski-base texture, waxing/base preparation, and snow conditions. Drawing on recent work at the Ski & Snow Lab, Luleå University of Technology, I will show how field testing, RTK-GNSS-based tribometry, surface characterisation and contact modelling can be combined to analyse and predict glide performance. The results provide scientific insight into ski–snow contact mechanics and practical guidance for ski design, base preparation, and temperature-specific optimisation.

Prof. Andreas Almqvist is Professor in Machine Elements at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, and Managing Director of the Swedish Research Centre for Sports and Performance Technology, SPORTC. His research focuses on tribology, contact mechanics and computational modelling, with more than 20 years of experience in friction, wear, lubrication, and rough-surface contact. In recent years, he has led research in ski tribology at the Ski & Snow Lab, combining experiments, surface characterisation, and numerical modelling to study ski–snow friction and glide performance.