<== Site Review (2005-05-22) ==>

Summit Energy

Summit Energy is a private energy corporation in Park City. They are listed in the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the United States.

The company's web site does not give a great deal of information on the company. So, for the pithy comment that accompanies the site of the day review, I thought I would mention that there is a great deal of pontential energy between the summit and the base. This is pretty much the reason that skiing works. Snow is a relatively friction free surface. Slap some boards on your feet and point yourself downhill. You use can use that potential energy for an interesting trip down the mountain. You can control the amount of friction by turning your skis. It is a remarkable example of physics in action. Changing your angle to the slope can cause your skis to turn and you can miss the tree.

Trees have a great deal of friction. When you are sliding from the top of the lift, you turn the potential energy from the summit into kinetic energy. If you fail to turn, the tree will absorb your kinetic energy, then release that energy in the form of a hospital bill.

Of course, this SoD is coming out in June. So, I probably shouldn't be talking about skiing. You can perform experiments with friction and potential energy with your bicycle, or even a skate board on main. The Olympic Park has ski jumps open in Summer with surfaces that mimic snow.