Alpine skiing Facts for Kids

A skier in a giant slalom race

Alpine skiing is an exciting winter sport where people slide down snowy hills on skis. The main goal is often to go down the fastest! This sport began around 1850 in Norway.

Today, lots of people enjoy alpine skiing. There are many ski resorts all over the world where you can try it. For the best athletes, there are big competitions like the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, which is very famous. Alpine skiing is also a sport in the Olympics!

You might also hear alpine skiing called downhill skiing. But remember, 'downhill skiing' can also include other styles, like freestyle skiing, which is different from the races we'll talk about here.

What are the Different Alpine Ski Races?
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What are the Different Alpine Ski Races?

Alpine skiing has four main types of races. In all of them, skiers start at the top of a slope and race to a finish line at the bottom. Along the way, they must ski between special poles called 'gates'. If an athlete misses a gate, they are disqualified.

Downhill: The Fastest Race

Downhill is the fastest and often the most thrilling race.
The course is very long and has only a few gates.
Skiers can reach incredible speeds, and the course might include big jumps and very fast turns.
Each skier only goes down the course one time.

Super-G: Fast with More Turns

Super-G (short for Super Giant Slalom) is a bit slower than downhill.
It has more turns than downhill, but there's still a good distance between the gates.
Like downhill, the course can have fast turns and jumps, and it's still quite long.
Each skier also goes down the course only once.

Giant Slalom: Tricky Turns and Two Runs

Giant slalom is much slower than downhill or Super-G.
It has many turns, but they are still fairly wide apart.
Skiers go down the course twice on the same day.
Their times from both runs are added together, and the skier with the fastest total time wins.

Slalom: Quick Rhythm and Tight Turns

Slalom is the slowest type of alpine ski race.
The course is usually very short, but it has a huge number of turns.
The gates are very close together, so skiers need to be super quick and have a great rhythm to get through them all.
In slalom, perfect technique is more important than just pure speed.

Combined Event: A Mix of Speed and Skill

There is also a combined event. This race mixes two different types of skiing:

It includes one downhill race.
It also includes two slalom races.
The courses for the combined event are usually a bit shorter than the normal ones.
The whole event happens on one day. The times from all three runs are added up, and the athlete with the fastest total time wins.

Images for kids

Alpine skiers
Alpine ski slope in the Zillertal valley, Austria
Marcel Hirscher competing in the combined slalom at the World Championships in 2017
Ski trails are measured by percent slope, not degree angle. (North America)