Alpine skiing is one of the Winter Olympics’ signature competitions. Often referred to as downhill skiing, it involves competitors skiing down a snow-covered mountain slope as quickly as possible. It’s held in a time trial format, as opposed to skiers racing each other.
How long is a Winter Olympics downhill ski race? The downhill course for men's international championships is normally 2.4 to 5 km (1.5 to 3 miles) long, with a vertical fall of up to 1,000 m (3,281 feet) with terrain that is steep and demanding enough to test the participants' ability and stamina.
The simplest form of alpine skiing, downhill, was introduced to the Olympic programme in 1948 and has been a part of it ever since. As the name suggests, skiers have to ski down a predetermined slope, with minimal turns and maximum speeds to reach the finish line. Skiers can reach speeds of 130 km/h.
Overall, alpine skiing has five events - downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-G and combined. Medals are on offer for both men and women in each event. A mixed team event - a parallel slalom competition - was added for the 2018 Winter Olympics and will be a part of the 2022 Winter Olympics as well.
1.5 to 3 milesFor men's international championship events, the downhill course is typically 2.4 to 5 km (1.5 to 3 miles) long, with a vertical descent of up to 1,000 metres (3,281 feet) and terrain of a steepness and difficulty appropriate to the skill and endurance of the competitors.
The super-G course for the Beijing Olympics is 1,984 meters long and includes a vertical drop of 540 meters. While slalom and giant slalom are considered "technical" events, super-G is considered one of the "speed" events.
The alpine combined consists of one downhill run and one slalom run, both of which are completed on the same day.
The newly built 3,152m-long track was never tested in World Cup because all the events in China were cancelled over the last two years amid the pandemic. The course in Yanqing is created entirely out of artificial snow and features steep sections with a maximum gradient of 68 percent.
The Alpine skiing men's downhill event holds the distinction as the sport's fastest and most dangerous discipline.
Official world recordsMen-Ivan Origone (Italy) 254.958 km/h (158.424 mph).Women—Valentina Greggio (Italy), 247.083 km/h (153.530 mph).
In the combined alpine skiing event, skiers make one downhill run and one slalom run. The skier with the fastest aggregate time is declared the winner. Combined was the first alpine skiing event to be introduced to the Winter Olympics in 1936.
In speed events (downhill and super-G), athletes have one chance to ski down the slope as fast as possible. Slalom and giant slalom, which fall into the technical category, require Olympic skiers to glide down the mountain twice while navigating gates and sharp turns.
In one form or another, skiing has been a permanent feature on the Olympic Winter Games programme since 1924. The six current FIS disciplines are alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, freestyle skiing and snowboard.
Course. The vertical drop for a Super-G course must be between 350–650 m (1,150–2,130 ft) for men, 350–600 m (1,150–1,970 ft) for women, and 250–450 m (820–1,480 ft) for children. In the Olympic Winter Games, FIS World Ski Championships, and FIS World Cups, minimums are raised to 400 m (1,300 ft) for both men and women ...
Yanqing Alpine Skiing CenterAlpine skiing at the 2022 Beijing Olympics will take place at the Yanqing Alpine Skiing Center, located about 50 miles north of Beijing in the Xiaohaituo Mountain Area. The facility includes seven ski racing courses and has a maximum incline of 68 degrees, making it one of the steepest courses in the world.
The vertical drop for a super-G course in the Olympics must be a minimum of 400 meters. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games consists of a 540-meter drop and a 1,984-meter long race for the women's division. As for the men, their vertical drop is a steep 645 meters, with their course length measuring at 2,267 meters.
Medalists. Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936 , when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany . From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years, with separate competitions held in even-numbered non-Olympic years.
Following the reunification of 1990, they have competed at the Olympics as Germany, starting in 1992. Through 2018, Germany has a total of 40 medals in alpine skiing (17 gold, 13 silver, 10 bronze).
The giant slalom was introduced at the 1950 World Championships and at the Olympics in 1952; both programs dropped the combined event, but it returned in 1954 at the World Championships as a "paper" race, using the results of the slalom, giant slalom, and downhill. At the Olympics from 1956 through 1980, World Championship medals were awarded by ...