Herzog, WalterKillick, Anthony2014-09-042014-11-172014-09-042014Killick, A. (2014). Metabolically Optimal Gait Transitions in Cross-Country Skate Skiing (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26883http://hdl.handle.net/11023/1727Animals change gait patterns to minimize metabolic cost. Horses walk at slow speeds, trot at intermediate speeds, and gallop at high speeds. Likewise, cross-country skiers use the 2-skate technique at slow speeds, the 1-skate technique at intermediate speeds, but then, in contrast to everything known about animal locomotion, they revert to the previously rejected 2-skate technique at high speeds. I determined the oxygen cost for the 1- and 2-skate technique while measuring forces in the skis and poles for eight athletes skiing at speeds ranging from 6-35km/h. I found that the oxygen cost curves for the two techniques intersected twice, and that propulsion comes primarily from the poles for the 1-skate and the skis for the 2-skate technique. Furthermore, the arm action becomes metabolically much more costly with increasing speeds of skiing than the leg action, thereby partly explaining the non-intuitive gait transitions in skiers.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.PhysiologyBiophysicsEngineering--BiomedicalBiomechanicsGaitCross-Country SkiingEconomySkatingmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/26883