Now let us consider how the distribution of force along the ski edge changes as the ski moves through the three stages of the carved turn described above. In Fig. 6.7, the y axis represents the force on the ski and the x axis represents the length of the ski edge with the forebody and the afterbody of the ski extending to the right and left of the center point, designated by the 0.00 value. In Fig. 6.7(a) the ski is in the full skid stage as the turn is initiated. The forebody edge is heavily loaded by the skier's weight-forward attitude. During the transition from skidding to carving shown in Fig. 6.7(b), the load distribution remains dominant on the forebody edge, but it has begun to move back onto the afterbody edge. Finally, in the carving phase [Fig. 6.7(c)], the load is dominant at the center point and extends in a sharply smaller force over the complete afterbody edge all the way to the tail of the ski. In this final stage of the carved turn the forebody edge is still skidding. There is, however, relatively little or no loading on it because the ski flexes under the boot as it impinges into the snow to generate the carve groove, causing the forebody to be deflected upward, so it may make little or no contact with the snow and thus generates little or no edge force.
