Olympic Alpine Skiing - Event Guide
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Alpine skiing has four different disciplines - downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom
Five thousand years on, it is one of the most popular pastimes in the world.
Alpine skiing has four different disciplines - downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom.
The downhill is for speed freaks, and the slalom for master turners.
The other two are somewhere in between, and a fifth event - the combined - provides an all-round test by putting downhill and slalom together.
Event Guide - Downhill
The vertical drop on downhill courses is 800-1100m for men and 500-800m for women
The downhill is alpine skiing's showpiece event, and the one with the longest course and the highest speeds.Each skier makes a single run down a course marked out with red gates, and the fastest time wins.
The course is steep and, with speeds reaching 85mph, crashes can be spectacular. Plastic netting lines the course to catch anyone who comes unstuck.
There are parts of the course where skiers have no choice but to go airborne, but they will try to keep as close to the ground as possible to maintain speed and control.
Competitors get to ski the course for three days before the event begins to enable them to get used to the conditions.
The skiers decide their own starting position on the eve of the event.
A complex formula using the skiers' world ranking points determines the order they choose to race in.
The top-ranked skier gets to decide first, with their choices being based on weather and course conditions.
Event Guide - Super-G
Super-G skiers have poles that are curved to fit around the body to reduce air resistance.
Super-G, or super giant slalom, combines the speed of downhill with the more frequent turns seen in giant slalom.The course is shorter than downhill, but longer than giant slalom.
Unlike in downhill, there are no training runs for super-G - and skiers have just one run to impress.
COURSE LAYOUT
Super-G gates are 6-8m wide
They are at least 25m apart for 'open' gates and 15m apart for 'closed' gates
The winner is the racer who passes through all course gates and crosses the finish line in the quickest time.
The absence of practice sessions makes the hour-and-a-half race-morning course inspection all the more crucial.
The competitors assess how the course is set and memorise every ripple, roll, and turn.
More super-G racers are disqualified for missing a gate than in downhill because of the speed and frequency of turns.
As in the downhill, the skiers decide their own starting position with a complex formula using the skiers' world ranking points determining the order they choose in.
The top-ranked skier gets to decide first, with their choices being based on weather and course conditions.
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Event Guide - Slalom
The slalom has the shortest course of the alpine skiing disciplines - but it also has the quickest turns.
The skiers decide their own starting position with a complex formula using the skiers' world ranking points.The top-ranked skier gets to decide first, with their choices being based on weather and course conditions.
Each skier has two runs down the course. They must pass through alternate red and blue gates, set along the course at intervals of between 0.75m and 15m.
There are approximately 55 and 75 gates for men and 45 to 65 for women on each run. Gate positions are changed after the first run.
Times from the two runs are added together and the fastest aggregate time wins.
The structure of each run is designed by two representatives from competing nations, usually one of the coaches. This is usually determined by a random draw from countries with skiers in the world's top 15 slalom rankings.
Competitors are not allowed any practice runs, although they can inspect the course on the morning of the event.
Missing any of the gates results in disqualification.
Total Skiing
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Event Guide - Giant Slalom
Alpine skiing made its Olympic debut at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936
There are usually about 50 sets of gates, but the exact number depends on the elevation and vertical drop of the selected terrain.
The distance between gates is shorter than in downhill and super-G.
The gates are between four and eight metres wide and are set at least 10m apart down the run.
Giant slalom races are contested in two runs on two separate courses, with the winner successfully finishing both courses with the lowest combined time.
The structure of each run is designed by two representatives from competing nations, usually one of the coaches.
The skiers decide their own starting position with a complex formula using the skiers' world ranking points determining the order they choose in.
The top-ranked skier gets to decide first, with their choices being based on weather and course conditions.
Competitors are not allowed any practice runs, although they can inspect the course on the morning of the event.
Missing any of the gates results in disqualification.
Event Guide - Combined
The combined consists of one downhill run, followed by two slalom runs.
All three runs are done in a single day, and the skier with the quickest aggregate time is the winner.The length of the courses used in the combined is shorter than in the individual downhill and slalom events.
The structure of the runs is designed by two representatives from competing nations, usually one of the coaches.
The skiers decide their own starting position with a complex formula using the skiers' world ranking points determining the order they choose in.
The top-ranked skier gets to decide first, with their choices being based on weather and course conditions.
Ultimate Skiing
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Equipment
Because of the sport's dangerous nature, there are strict equipment guidelines and if any item of a skier's gear does not pass an inspection after each run, the athlete is disqualified.
Men's alpine skis must be a minimum of 155 centimetres (about 5 feet) in length; women's skis must be at least 150cm.
At the bindings, the skis must be at least 60 millimetres (about 2.5 inches) wide.
In slalom and giant slalom, the minimum height of the ski's shovel tip is 50mm. In downhill and super-G, the minimum tip height is 30mm.
There are no restrictions on the maximum length, weight, camber, flexibility or composition of the skis.
The greater the height of the heel inside a ski boot, the more movement and control a skier has.
But the maximum distance between the ski boot sole and the base of the heel is 45mm for women and 50mm for men.
In the downhill and super-G, poles are curved to fit around the body to reduce air resistance.
In the slalom events, poles are straight and usually have plastic guards covering the knuckles to prevent any injuries which could occur when the skier knocks a gate while brushing past.
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