Fascinating to see the physics of something that skiers can all more or less intuitively calculate in a split second explained at length by an physics scholar.
Here’s the question, can a skier keep their momentum and make it up an opposing incline. Obviously, friction created by snow conditions is a massive factor to on hill calculations but even leaving this variable aside, this short physics lesson will give you a new perspective on something we do everyday:
“A skier starts from rest at the top of a hill. The skier coasts down the hill and up a second hill, as shown. The crest of the second hill is circular, with a radius of r = 36m. neglect friction and air resistance. What must be the height h of the first hill so that the skier just loses contact with the snow at the crest of the second hill?”