Answer:
1270 J
Step-by-step explanation:
Recall that the mechanical energy of a system is the addition of the Potential energy and the Kinetic energy at any given time.
As the skier descends, potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, but the total mechanical energy should remain the same.
We see that it is not the case, so that difference is what has gone into thermal energy; 19500 J - 18230 J = 1270 J