Physics of Snowboarding (G-forces during jumps)

This is a bit confusing. I'm not sure how much of it is due to them dumbing down the physics for the reader and how much of it is due to them not understanding the physics of what they're doing.<p>For instance, measuring the acceleration of the snowboarder upon landing. Which part of the snowboarder? If it's measured at the actual <i>board</i> you'll get a very high number. By the time it's transmitted up through the binding, through the padded boot and into the boarder's foot it's less, because all these things have elasticity and they bend, lengthening the shock time and decreasing the instantaneous acceleration. Then it's less and less as it gets transmitted through the foot, knee and hip joints (these being the body's big shock absorbers) as well as the rest of the body (which is somewhat compressible) until, by the time it gets to your head, the actual instantaneous acceleration is much less.<p>This is why a snowboard jump which ends with you landing on your feet is harmless while a snowboard jump which ends with you landing on your head is very very painful.

It always annoys me when people throw around numbers like 14g and start comparing themselves to fighter jets. If you jump a few inches into the air and land on a hard surface with your knees locked, the momentary acceleration would be pretty impressive. That doesn't make you an F-15. Fighter jets can maintain those accelerations for seconds on end.