Extreme Sports and Physics: The Winning Flight of Zoe Atkin and Mia Brookes

At the recent X Games in Aspen, Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin defended her freeski title while Mia Brookes took gold in the women's snowboard slopestyle event. Their runs are breathtaking athletic displays—but they are also rich case studies in classical physics. This article breaks down the forces, motions, and energetic trade-offs that make medal-winning freeskiing and snowboarding possible, with classroom-friendly experiments and problems teachers and students can use to deepen understanding.

Why extreme sports are great for teaching physics

Extreme sports combine visible, high-energy motion with dramatic changes in body configuration, rotation, and contact forces. That makes them ideal for exploring:

• Newtonian forces (gravity, normal force, friction, air resistance)
• Kinematics of projectile motion and rotations
• Conservation laws (energy, angular momentum)
• Real-world applications of torque, moment of inertia, and stability

Teachers can use examples from freeskiing and snowboarding to connect equations on the board to athletes’ performance on the snow.

Key physics concepts visible in Atkin and Brookes’ runs

1. Projectile motion and airtime

When athletes launch off a kicker, the center of mass follows a ballistic trajectory. Ignoring air resistance, the vertical motion is governed by the standard projectile equations. Airtime (time in the air) depends primarily on the vertical component of takeoff velocity v_y and gravity g:

Time aloft ≈ 2 v_y / g

Longer airtime allows more rotations and tricks. Skiers and snowboarders manipulate takeoff speed, ramp geometry, and body position to maximize v_y while keeping horizontal speed for landing stability.

2. Conservation of angular momentum and rotation control

Once airborne and rotating, an athlete is effectively free from external torques about their center of mass (air-torque is small compared to internal forces). Angular momentum L = Iω is conserved. By changing the moment of inertia I (tucking arms and legs close to the body), the athlete increases angular velocity ω to spin faster. Extending limbs increases I and slows rotation for safer landings.

3. Torque and takeoff mechanics

To begin a corked spin or off-axis rotation, athletes apply torques at takeoff—using an asymmetric extension of limbs and edges against snow. The timing and direction of these torques determine the initial angular momentum vector, which dictates whether a spin is upright, corked (off-axis), or inverted.

4. Energy and work: converting horizontal speed into vertical launch

Work from the ramp and body movement converts translational kinetic energy into vertical kinetic energy. Effective ramp geometry and pop (rapid extension of legs) help convert some horizontal momentum into vertical components without losing too much forward speed required to reach the next feature.

5. Aerodynamics and stability

Air resistance and small aerodynamic forces from body posture affect deceleration and stability mid-air. Athletes use body and board/skis to produce small lift or damping effects that help control rotation and line in the air.

Numerical examples and classroom problems

Below are practical calculations that students can do with simple assumptions. Use g = 9.81 m/s^2.

1. Problem A — Calculate airtime

   Assume an athlete leaves the lip of a jump with vertical component v_y = 3.5 m/s. What is the total time in the air?

   Solution: t = 2 v_y / g = 2 × 3.5 / 9.81 ≈ 0.71 s.

   Interpretation: With ~0.71 s in the air, an athlete has limited time for rotations—maybe enough for a single or slightly more than single rotation depending on spin rate.

2. Problem B — Rotation rate needed for a 720° (two full spins)

   If airtime is 1.2 s and a snowboarder must complete 720° (2 rotations) before landing, what average angular speed is required?

   Rotations per second = 2 / 1.2 ≈ 1.667 rps. In degrees: ω = 720° / 1.2 ≈ 600°/s. In radians: ω ≈ 2 × 2π / 1.2 ≈ 10.47 rad/s.

   This helps coaches estimate required rotation speeds and design training targets (e.g., on trampolines or foam pits) to build the necessary rotational control.

3. Problem C — Effect of tucking on rotation

   Using conservation of angular momentum L = Iω, suppose an athlete starts with I_initial = 4.0 kg·m^2 and ω_initial = 6 rad/s. By tucking, they reduce I to 2.5 kg·m^2. What is the new angular speed?

   Solution: I_i ω_i = I_f ω_f → ω_f = (I_i ω_i) / I_f = (4.0 × 6) / 2.5 = 24 / 2.5 = 9.6 rad/s.

   Interpretation: A 40% drop in moment of inertia increases angular speed by 60%, a dramatic effect that makes tucking crucial to achieve multi-rotation tricks.

Practical classroom demonstrations and lab activities

Here are safe, low-cost activities that make these concepts tangible for students.

• Rotating stool or swivel chair demo

  Have a student sit on a swivel chair holding two identical weights at arm’s length. Start them rotating slowly. Ask them to pull the weights in and observe the increase in spin rate. Use a stopwatch or smartphone slow-motion to measure rotation before and after. Estimate relative change in moment of inertia and check conservation of angular momentum approximately.

• Ramp and projectile lab

  Build a small ramp and use a toy or model with a marked center of mass. Measure launch angle and speed (or estimate using distance traveled on a level surface). Predict landing distance and airtime using projectile equations, then compare with video measurements.

• Video analysis of runs

  Use smartphone video of ski or snowboard runs, measure frames for airtime and rotation counts, then estimate angular velocities and check if rotation rates match theoretical requirements from earlier problems.

Practical coaching and safety takeaways

Understanding the physics helps athletes and coaches make safer choices:

• Plan tricks within attainable airtime—don’t attempt rotations that require exceeding safe angular velocities.
• Control moment of inertia changes deliberately—abrupt changes can destabilize landings.
• Account for wind and air resistance—strong headwinds shorten distance and could affect rotation timing.
• Train incrementally using foam pits or airbags to learn new rotations before trying them on snow.

Connecting to broader physics and other sports

These same physics ideas appear in many contexts. For example, rotation control and projectile motion are relevant to football mechanics—see our piece on passing mechanics for more on rotational control in sports: The Next Generation of Passers: Physics in Football Mechanics. Aerodynamic thinking connects to aviation topics covered in The Art of Flight. For creative classroom projects inspired by athletes, try combining writing and physics in exercises from Building a Fanbase: Engaging Creative Writing Exercises Inspired by Sports.

Why the X Games performances matter for physics education

Zoe Atkin’s and Mia Brookes’ gold-medal runs at the X Games are not only athletic triumphs but also compelling teaching material. Analyzing real-world, high-level performances allows students to practice modeling, approximation, and the application of conservation laws in contexts that feel exciting and relevant. When students compute the airtime needed for a 720 or model how tucking changes rotation rate, abstract formulas become concrete tools for understanding human motion at its limits.

Further exercises and assessment ideas

1. Have students pick a recorded trick from an X Games event. Measure airtime from video and estimate the minimum angular speed required for the trick. Discuss uncertainties in measurement and assumptions.
2. Create a lab where students measure the effect of changing ramp angle on vertical launch speed using a small wheeled cart and motion sensor.
3. Ask students to model the trade-off between horizontal speed and vertical launch for a fixed approach speed—what ramp geometry maximizes airtime without losing too much forward momentum?

These tasks build quantitative reasoning, error analysis, and the ability to connect physics to real-world phenomena.

Conclusion

From Zoe Atkin’s precise aerial control to Mia Brookes’ stylish spins and landings, X Games performances showcase physics in action. By breaking down forces, energy transfers, and rotational mechanics, students can learn to predict and analyze the motions that win medals. Teachers can bring these ideas into the classroom with simple demonstrations and video-based problems, making the fundamentals of motion come alive.

Source: Report on X Games golds for Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin and Mia Brookes at Aspen, Colorado. For more on physics in sport and other applied contexts, visit our education articles and archives at studyphysics.online.