Alpine Skiing

I

Introduction

Alpine Skiing, sport and technique of traversing snow-covered descents, over man-made or natural terrain, with the feet attached to long, narrow runners known as skis. The skis distribute the wearer's weight over a larger area, thus preventing the skier from sinking into the snow. Various kinds of skiing have developed: cross-country skiing (also known as Nordic skiing), freestyle skiing, and alpine skiing, named after the fact it was first practised in the mountainous Alpine areas of Europe. Alpine skiing is a competitive sport with World Championships, World Cups, and Winter Olympics, and is also a recreational and tourist pastime. Competitive alpine skiing has four main disciplines for both men and women: the downhill, slalom, giant slalom, and super giant slalom or super-G. The combined event consists of one downhill run and two slalom runs with the scores combining to produce a winner.

II

Equipment and Clothing

Alpine skis are made from wood or synthetic materials and are attached to specially designed ski boots; the hard resistant surface of the skis, maintained by application of special ski waxes, produces high speeds in moving over packed snow. Skis are edged with metal and skiers are said to “carve” turns as they tilt the skis into the snow on descents. Skis vary in length according to the skier's height and can reach 1.8 to 2.1 m (6 ft 2 in to 7 ft 2 in) long. Ski width also varies, from 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) in the front, tapering slightly inward in the middle and widening at the rear; the front tip of the ski curves upwards. Downhill skis are longer than slalom skis as the turns on the downhill course are less severe. Skiers carry ski poles, commonly 1.2 to 1.5 m (4 to 5 ft) in length, which are used for balance and to facilitate movement; they are made of light metal tubing, with handgrips and straps and a small disc at the bottom that allows a firm hold in the snow. In the downhill and super-G event the poles are curved; straight poles are used in slalom and giant slalom events.

Flat-soled, generally shin-high boots are an important item of equipment; they are made of rigid leather or plastic and are attached to the ski by a binding that clips at the heel and toe and affords flexibility and safety in the event of a fall. Skiers wear all-in-one skintight ski suits, protective helmet, goggles, and gloves. Slalom skiers wear protection on their wrists and forearms, which frequently clash with the gates on the course.

III

Rules of the Sport

A

Downhill

The downhill is considered the blue riband event of the alpine skiing programme, and arguably the highlight of most winter skiing championships. The object is to move down a sharply descending slope in the fastest possible time in essentially a straight line; this requires balance and coordination of the arms and legs, because speeds of 140 km/hr (86 mph) can be achieved. The skier follows the packed and prepared course by travelling through a series of gates, made up of poles with marker flags, placed in pairs, through which the racer must pass; these gates vary in width and placement. Knocking down a pole does not matter provided the racer has passed through the gate, though doing so can severely slow down a skier. In major competitions skiers are allowed to practise on the course before the event takes place. The winner of the event is the fastest to negotiate the course. The skier sets off the electronic timing as he or she leaves the “start hut”. Most men’s downhill races descend about 1,000 m and take about 2 mins to complete; women’s races have a shorter drop and the fastest times are around 1 min 10 secs.

B

Slalom Racing

A second type of racing is the slalom (Norwegian, “sloping track”). Although this, too, is essentially a downhill course, it involves skiers performing zigzagging movements down and across the surface of a steep slope, negotiating red and blue gates in sequence. If a skier misses a gate he or she is disqualified. The average length of a slalom course is about 536 m (1,760 ft), with a drop of 140 to 220 m (460 to 722 ft). The skier must manoeuvre through 55 to 75 gates (45 to 65 for women), which involves tight, quick turns. For the second run of a slalom race the positions of the gates are moved to test the skiers’ abilities over two differing courses; whoever has the fastest combined time for the two runs is the winner. Skiers cannot therefore ski the course in advance. Quickness and agility are important in the slalom event, because a variety of irregular surfaces is encountered.