NCN, I didn?t want to take on your reference to "Physics of Skiing: The Ideal?Carving Equation and Its Applications" U. D. Jentschura and F. Fahrbach; Universit?at Freiburg, Physikalisches Institut. As I had not seen it and because I needed a reason to discuss it. Here is what occurs to me when I think about the delay factor, which is not the same as the Carving physics, necessarily.
During the edge change the body can and has to make changes (that take time) to prepare for the delay of the edges change. This doesn?t make the delay factor of the edge change significant as the body changes require time to complete. The timing of the two compliment each other. If the edges could change without delay then we would have to find a new way to ski, as we would be out of balance.
A race car does not change it?s C-mass relative to it?s set direction or how that mass is attached to the car, when the car turns. And the CG doesn't move, in high G corners as linear momentum changes, the car's c-mass remains near the same place even in quick direction changes left to right, as in a chicane. But how and where mass lies will not change unless you move something on the car physically. In a human, c-mass can change position, as when you move an arm , upper body etc..
It becomes very interesting when teaching women compared to men. Most men have wider shoulders and more upper body size and therefore more upper-body mass then most women. For counter balance to have its greatest influence and benefit, you have to move your upper body to the opposite side, (conserving angular momentum) as the skis, boots and legs move to the new angles. If you have less mass near the top of the body, you have less counter balancing influence, less benefit (less ability to conserve angular momentum).
Skiers with smaller upper bodies have to move sooner, and farther to achieve the same edge engaging effect as the skiers with more upper body mass (especially if that mass is advantageously located). As we joked about with the PSIman, which has no upper body mass, in its case it?s hard to compare the toy to our skiing, or to the way we need to ski, therefore it has no relevance to how humans move on skis.