Schussing for Science

Only at Dartmouth could an afternoon at the Skiway count as academic credit. The lab section for winter term's Technology of Skiing class required one afternoon a week cruising the white stuff.

Skidding, force balance, vectors, and acceleration are all physical factors involved in the sport. But can the class make you a better skier? "Sure," says course professor Christopher Brown. "Learning the mechanical essence of the techniques allows someone to separate the hype from what the real fundamentals of skiing are."

Formula racing: an engineering course could actually make you ski better.