What are the 3 main types of Alpine skiing events?
The four disciplines of alpine skiing competition are slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom (super-G) and downhill. (A fifth event — the alpine combined — is, as its name suggests, a race that combines downhill and slalom.)
What is downhill skiing called?
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. It is also commonly known as downhill skiing, although that also incorporates different styles.
What are the types of downhill skiing?
Most types of skiing fall into three categories: alpine, extreme—which can include tricks or backcountry terrain—and Nordic.
How do the gates in slalom skiing work?
A course is constructed by laying out a series of gates, formed by alternating pairs of red and blue poles. The skier must pass between the two poles forming the gate, with the tips of both skis and the skier’s feet passing between the poles. A course has 55 to 75 gates for men and 40 to 60 for women.
What’s the difference between slalom and giant slalom skiing?
Slalom skiing. Slalom is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline, involving skiing between poles or gates. These are spaced more closely than those in giant slalom, super giant slalom and downhill, necessitating quicker and shorter turns. Internationally, the sport is contested at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships,…
Who is the inventor of the slalom ski race?
Mathias Zdarsky ‘s development of the Lilienfeld binding helped change hill races into a specialty of the Alps region. The rules for the modern slalom were developed by Arnold Lunn in 1922 for the British National Ski Championships, and adopted for alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics.
What do you call blocking in slalom skiing?
Because the offsets are relatively small in slalom, ski racers take a fairly direct line and often knock the poles out of the way as they pass, which is known as blocking.
Why are there hinged gates in slalom skiing?
The hinged gates require, according to FIS rules, only that the skis and boots of the skier go around each gate. The new gates allow a more direct path down a slalom course through the process of cross-blocking or shinning the gates.