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Sofia Goggia performs during the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup in Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA on December 12, 2024.
© Gabriele Facciotti/Red Bull Content Pool
Alpine Skiing
Alpine ski races: These are the World Cup racing disciplines
Slalom, downhill, super-G: you might have heard the names of Alpine Ski World Cup disciplines, but which races are all about speed and in which races is technique the deciding factor? We explain!
Written by Sebastian Ring
7 min readPublished on
All ski racers have two planks under their feet and ski down a steep piste with gates, but that's pretty much all alpine skiing disciplines have in common. In the World Cup, World Championships and Winter Olympic Games, races are now held in six individual disciplines, which are divided into technical and speed disciplines. The former include the slalom and giant slalom, while the latter includes downhill and the super-G. There are also parallel competitions and the combined races.
Alpine skiing courses are marked with red and blue gates for all formats except slalom, where individual poles with tilting technology are used. A gate always consists of two poles joined by material. The racers have to ski around these gates in a specified order and on the correct side, otherwise they'll be disqualified.
Alice Robinson performs during the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2024-2025 in Killington, Vermont, USA on November 30, 2024.
Giant slalom requires perfect technique to go fast© Erich Spiess/Red Bull Content Pool
Franjo Von Allmen of Switzerland during the men Downhill of FIS Ski Alpine World Cup at the Saslong in St. Christina, Italy.
Downhill racing guarantees airtime and excitement © Erich Spiess/Red Bull Content Pool
We'll start with the two technical disciplines slalom and giant slalom - and get faster with each discipline!
01

Slalom

Technique plays the main role in the slalom. It is the slowest discipline in skiing and there's a simple reason for this: the gates are spaced much more closely than in any other format. This requires frequent and fast changes of direction, so athletes cannot simply let their skis run. Nevertheless, it is a spectacular and exciting discipline – especially at the annual night race in Schladming, Austria – where podiums are decided by split-seconds at almost every round.
Henrik Kristoffersen seen during the Ski World Cup in Alta Badia, Italy on December 23, 2024.
Henrik Kristoffersen shows exactly how to carve slalom turns in Alta Badia© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Characteristics of slalom
  • The racers ski very close to the poles and knock them away with their hands or shins in order to stay in the fastest 'fall line' as much as possible.
  • Spring-mounted tilting poles are used to minimise the risk of injury.
  • Skiers complete two runs in during each race and the course is set differently for the second run.
  • Only the top 30 fastest skiers from the first run qualify for the second run. They then start in reverse order; i.e. slowest goes first.
  • The rider with the fastest total time across both runs is the winner.
  • The distance from one pole to the next must be no less than 6m and no more than 13m.
  • The vertical drop is between 180m and 220m for men's races and between 140m and 200m for women's events.
  • The slope gradient should be between 33% and 45%.
  • Best-known races: Schladming and Kitzbühel in Austria.
02

Giant slalom

In giant slalom, skiers descend the mountain at a higher speed because there are fewer gates and they are placed further apart than in the slalom. This means that the skier has to make fewer turns. Nevertheless, perfect skiing and cornering technique is massively important: standing well on the edges and perfectly carving the turns is the be-all and end-all for staying ahead.
The venue of the Audi FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup seen in Val d’Isere, France on December 14, 2024
The Val d'Isere World Cup giant slalom course ready for racing© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Characteristics of giant slalom
  • Athletes ski further away from the gates than in slalom and, if at all, push them away with their shoulder rather than their hand.
  • The gates are stiffer and less forgiving than in slalom.
  • The racers complete two runs in one day, with the course set differently for the second run.
  • Only the top 30 from the first run qualify for the second run, when they start in reverse order.
  • The rider with the fastest total time in both heats is the winner.
  • The distance from one gate to the next must be at least 10m.
  • The altitude drop is between 250m and 450m for men, and between 250m and 400m for women.
  • No specific gradient is prescribed, but the terrain is normally undulating and the course should be around 40m wide.
  • Best-known races: Adelboden in Switzerland and Alta Badia in Italy.
03

Super-G

The Super-G is one of the newer World Cup disciplines straddles the gap between downhill and giant slalom. The first World Cup Super-G race took place in 1982 and the word is an abbreviation of Super Giant Slalom.
Marco Odermatt performs during FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2024-2025 in Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA on December 3, 2024.
Swiss star Marco Odermatt is a Super-G world-beater© Erich Spiess/Red Bull Content Pool
Characteristics of Super-G
  • Racers only complete one run.
  • There's no training on the course allowed beforehand, only one course inspection.
  • The distance from one gate to the next must be at least 25m.
  • The altitude drop is between 400m and 650m for the men and between 400m and 600m for the women.
  • The terrain should be undulating and hilly, and the course should be approximately 30m wide.
  • Best-known races: Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy and Beaver Creek in the United States.
04

Downhill

For many, downhill is the supreme discipline of alpine skiing. In addition to muscle-bound thighs, it really does take incredible courage to hurtle down the mountain at speeds of up to 160kph on the ultra-fast Lauberhorn in Wengen or down the frighteningly steep Strief. In addition, there are big jumps and compressions that make the races particularly spectacular. As the FIS itself so beautifully defines it: "A downhill run is determined by the six components of technique, courage, speed, risk, physical condition and judgement."
Cyprien Sarrazin of France seen during the Hahnenkamm Race in Kitzbühel, Austria on January 17, 2024.
The fearsome Strief course in Austria is downhill's wildest ride© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Marco Odermatt of Switzerland seen during the Hahnenkamm Race in Kitzbühel, Austria on January 20, 2024.
Huge crowds line the course each year in skiing's biggest race© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Characteristics of downhill
  • Riders only complete one run.
  • At least one training run is completed on the course beforehand.
  • The distance from one gate to the next must be at least 25m.
  • The altitude drop is between 750m and 1,100m for men's races and between 450m and 800m for women's events.
  • The course must be able to be skiedat different speeds from start to finish and be approximately 30m wide.
  • Best-known races: Kitzbühel's Strief in Austria, Wengen in Switzerland, Italy's Val Gardena and Bormio, Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany.
05

The combined

Who's the most versatile or most complete skier? That's a question decided in the combined competition, because both technique and speed are required here. In this format, the all-rounders complete two runs, the first a fast downhill or a Super-G run, the second on a technical slalom course. In the end, victory is decided by adding up the times from both runs.
Lara Colturi performs during the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2024-2025 in Killington, Vermont, USA on November 30, 2024.
The combined sees skiers race slalom and one other discipline© Erich Spiess/Red Bull Content Pool
Features of the combined
  • The racers do two runs: first on a downhill or Super-G course, then on a slalom course.
  • The technical rules of the slalom, downhill and Super-G apply.
  • The FIS provides for three formats: the Alpine Combined, the Classic Combined and special forms.
  • In the classic combined, the speed run is always a downhill, while in the alpine combined it's either a downhill or Super-G.
  • As part of the special forms, competitions are permitted that consist of combinations of either three or four competitions in the disciplines of slalom, giant slalom, Super-G and downhill.
  • The FIS can even authorise competitions that combine one or more of the four ski disciplines mentioned with competitions in Nordic skiing, swimming or sailing.
06

Parallel races

Alexis Piturault has already stood on the podium five times in parallel races.
Alexis Piturault is no stranger to parallel podiums© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
In parallel competitions, which can be held as a parallel slalom or parallel giant slalom, two skiers race simultaneously on side-by-side courses. The layout and preparation of the snow should match as closely as possible to ensure a fair competition and this is also ensured by the rule that the athletes complete two runs head-to-head and swap courses in the second run. So, if skier A competes on the blue course in the first run, he skis the red course for the second run.
Features of parallel competitions
  • The course drop should be between 80m and 100m.
  • The courses should have 20 to 30 gates.
  • The running time should be between 20 and 25 seconds.
  • A maximum of 32 riders compete against each other in the final round. If more are entered, qualifying runs against the clock will take place beforehand.
  • The knockout format applies: i.e. the rider with the faster overall time from both heats advances to the next round.
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