Alpine Skiing ‒ LMAM ‐ EPFL

3D KINEMATICS IN ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP FOR INJURY PREVENTION : FIS INJURY SERVEILLANCE SYSTEMS (ISS) PROJECT

Contact person: Kamiar Aminian
People involved: Benedikt Fasel
Partners: The Norwegian School of Sports Sciences – Oslo, Christian Doppler Laboratory – Salzburg, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research – Davos
Funding source:

The risk of injury in World Cup racing is very serious, but there is clearly a lack of knowledge and of scientific researches focusing on the interaction between equipment, course setting, snow conditions and injuries. A better biomechanical understanding of these risk factors (i.e., equipment, course setting, snow conditions) and their influence on the kinematics and dynamics of the athlete may help to adapt the safety regulations. Recently, the International Federation of Ski (FIS) decided to evaluate these risk factors in order to diminish the rate of injury by mandating different expert groups. We aim to provide a measurement tool to evaluate in alpine ski racing the risk factors equipment,course settings and snow, which have been demonstrated to be related to risk of injury.

Methods

To assess the equipment, the course setting and the snow conditions risk factors, different measurement systems have been selected and the LMAM laboratory isin charge of the design of the algorithms for the inertial measurement systems. The measurement systems were based on state of the art of wearable sensors, on advanced signal processing, on biomechanical modeling and on robust and reliable analysis tools.

The risk factors were evaluated in numerous GS, SG, and DH world cup races (e.g, Wengen, Kitzbuhel, Adelboden, Lake Louise, Montana) and in experimental conditions using a set of kinematic and dynamic extracted parameters.

Relevant results

The first preliminary results for the equipment evaluation allowed to propose safer skis constructions in GS and in DH which have more control, are less aggressive and dissipate energy.

Conference paper

B. Fasel, J. Spörri, J. Chardonnens, M. Gilgien and J. Kröll et al. 3D measurement of lower limb kinematics in alpine ski racing using inertial sensors. 6th International Congress on Science and Skiing, St. Christoph am Arlberg, Austria, December 14-19, 2013.

M. Gilgien, J. Spörri, J. Kröll, P. Crivelli and J. Chardonnens et al. Global navigation satellite systems in alpine skiing: method validity and applications. 6th International Congress on Science and Skiing, St. Christoph am Arlberg, Austria, December 14-19, 2013.

J. Chardonnens, J. Favre, G. Gremion and K. Aminian. Knee joint kinematics measurement in alpine skiing based on inertial sensors. 5th International Congress on Science and Skiing, St. Christoph, Austria, 2010.

J. Chardonnens, J. Favre, G. Gremion and K. Aminian. A new method for unconstrained measurement of knee joint angle and timing in alpine skiing : Comparison of crossover and crossunder turns. 28th Conference of the International Society on Biomechanics in Sports, Marquette, USA, 2010.

J. Chardonnens, J. Favre, S. Cattin, B. M. Jolles and G. Gremion et al. A Wearable System to Time Gate Crossing during Alpine Skiing Slalom. Congress of the European College of Sport Science, Oslo, Norway, 2009.

J. Chardonnens, J. Favre, S. Cattin, B. M. Jolles and G. Gremion et al. Evaluation of Errors in Alpine Skiing Video Analysis. Congress of the European College of Sport Science, Oslo, Norway, 2009.

Full papers

J. Kröll, J. Spörri, M. Gilgien, J. Chardonnens and E. Müller. The process of injury prevention within an international sport federation – Elite Alpine ski racing as an example, accepted in Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology, vol. In press, Corrected Proof, 2013.

M. Gilgien, J. Spörri, J. Chardonnens, J. Kröll and E. Müller. Determination of External Forces in Alpine Skiing Using a Differential Global Navigation Satellite System, accepted in Sensors, vol. 13, num. 8, p. 9821-9835, 2013.

J. Kroell, J. Spoerri, M. Gilgien, J. Chardonnens and E. Mueller. Biomechanics and injury prevention in elite alpine skiing. European College of Sport Science, Bruges, BE, 2012.

TV reports

9th January 2012 – SF Sport Lounge (sport program) presents the measurements and the methods to assess the course settings relative to the FIS ISS project in Adelboden World Cup Race.

28th November 2011 – SF Sport Lounge (sport program) reports the rules changes for the equipment thanks the FIS ISS project and interviews the athletes concerning these rules changes.