Giant slalom facts for kids

A skier attacks a gate in GS

Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles (gates) spaced at a greater distance from each other than in slalom but less than in Super-G.

Giant slalom and slalom make up the technical events in alpine ski racing. This category separates them from the speed events of Super-G and downhill. The technical events are normally composed of two runs, held on different courses on the same ski run.

Course

The vertical drop for a GS course must be 250–450 m (820–1,480 ft) for men, and 250–400 m (820–1,310 ft) for women. The number of gates in this event is 56–70 for men and 46–58 for women. The number of direction changes in a GS course equals 11–15% of the vertical drop of the course in metres, 13–18% for children. As an example, a course with a vertical drop of 300 m (984 ft) would have 33–45 direction changes for an adult race.

Speed

Olympian Lotte Smiseth Sejersted
in a GS race

Although giant slalom is not the fastest event in skiing, on average a well-trained racer may reach average speeds of 40 km/h (25 mph).

Equipment

Top: giant slalom skis from 2006,
bottom: slalom skis.

Giant slalom skis are shorter than super-G and downhill skis, and longer than slalom skis.

In an attempt to increase safety for the 2003–04 season, the International Ski Federation (FIS) increased the minimum sidecut radius for giant slalom skis to 21 m (69 ft) and for the first time imposed minimum ski lengths for GS: 185 cm (72.8 in) for men and 180 cm (70.9 in) for women. A maximum stand height (the distance from the snow to the sole of the boot) of 55 mm (2.17 in) was also established for all disciplines.

In May 2006, the FIS announced further changes to the rules governing equipment. Beginning with the 2007–08 season, the minimum radius for GS skis was increased to 27 m (89 ft) for men and 23 m (75 ft) for women. Additionally, the minimum ski width at the waist was increased from 60 to 65 mm (2.36 to 2.56 in), and the maximum stand height for all disciplines was reduced to 50 mm (1.97 in). The best skiers tended to use a bigger sidecut radius, like Ted Ligety at 29 m (95 ft), and Lindsey Vonn at 27 m (89 ft).

For the 2012–13 season, the FIS increased the sidecut radius to 35 m (115 ft) and the minimal length to 195 cm (76.8 in). Many athletes criticized this decision. Often David Dodge was cited. Dodge argues that FIS used studies which do not represent a scientific proof. He states that it is well known that if one tips the ski 7° more the 35 m ski will have the same turning radius as the 28 m ski. He states as well that knee injuries are decreasing since the 1990s, when carving skis started to be used.

History

The first giant slalom was set in 1935 on the Mottarone in Italy, over the Lake Maggiore, near Stresa, on January 20. After one month, the second giant slalom was set on the Marmolada in Italy's Dolomite mountains, by Guenther Langes.

The giant slalom was added to the world championships in 1950 at Aspen, Colorado, and debuted at the Winter Olympics in 1952 at Oslo, Norway, run at Norefjell. The GS has been run in every world championships and Olympics since. Originally a one-run event, a second run was added for men at the world championships in 1966, run on consecutive days, and at the Olympics in 1968. The second run for women was added at the world championships in 1978, and made its Olympic debut in 1980.

The world championships changed to a one-day format for the giant slalom in 1974, but the Olympics continued the GS as a two-day event through 1980. Also scheduled for two days in 1984, both giant slaloms became one-day events after repeated postponements of the downhills. Following the extra races added to the program in 1988, the GS has been scheduled as a one-day event at the Olympics.

Upon its introduction, giant slalom briefly displaced the combined event at the world championships; it was absent in 1950 and 1952. The combined returned in 1954 in Åre, Sweden, but as a "paper race," using the results of the three events (downhill, giant slalom, and slalom), a format used through 1980. The combined returned as a stand-alone event at the world championships in 1982 at Schladming, Austria, and at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. It was changed to the super-combined format (one run of slalom on same day as downhill) at the world championships in 2007 and the Olympics in 2010.

Men's World Cup podiums

In the following table men's giant slalom World Cup podiums from the World Cup first edition in 1967.

Season	1st	2nd	3rd
1967	Jean-Claude Killy	Georges Mauduit	Jimmy Heuga
1968	Jean-Claude Killy	Edmund Bruggmann	Herbert Huber
1969	Karl Schranz	Reinhard Tritscher	Jean-Noel Augert
1970	Gustav Thöni	Patrick Russel Dumeng Giovanoli
1971	Gustav Thöni Patrick Russel		Edmund Bruggmann
1972	Gustav Thöni	Edmund Bruggmann	Rogers Rossat-Mignod
1973	Hans Hinterseer	Erik Håker	Adolf Rösti
1974	Piero Gros	Hans Hinterseer	Gustav Thöni
1975	Ingemar Stenmark	Piero Gros	Erik Håker
1976	Ingemar Stenmark	Gustav Thöni	Piero Gros
1977	Ingemar Stenmark Heini Hemmi		Klaus Heidegger
1978	Ingemar Stenmark	Andreas Wenzel	Phil Mahre
1979	Ingemar Stenmark	Peter Lüscher	Bojan Križaj
1980	Ingemar Stenmark	Hans Enn	Jacques Lüthy
1981	Ingemar Stenmark	Alexander Zhirov	Phil Mahre
1982	Phil Mahre	Ingemar Stenmark	Marc Girardelli
1983	Phil Mahre	Ingemar Stenmark Max Julen
1984	Ingemar Stenmark Pirmin Zurbriggen		Hans Enn
1985	Marc Girardelli	Pirmin Zurbriggen	Thomas Bürgler
1986	Joël Gaspoz	Ingemar Stenmark	Hubert Strolz
1987	Pirmin Zurbriggen Joël Gaspoz		Richard Pramotton
1988	Alberto Tomba	Hubert Strolz	Helmut Mayer
1989	Ole Kristian Furuseth Pirmin Zurbriggen		Rudolf Nierlich
1990	Günther Mader Ole Kristian Furuseth		Hubert Strolz
1991	Alberto Tomba	Rudolf Nierlich	Marc Girardelli
1992	Alberto Tomba	Hans Pieren	Paul Accola
1993	Kjetil André Aamodt	Alberto Tomba	Marc Girardelli
1994	Christian Mayer	Kjetil André Aamodt	Franck Piccard
1995	Alberto Tomba	Jure Košir	Harald Strand Nilsen
1996	Michael von Grünigen	Urs Kälin	Lasse Kjus
1997	Michael von Grünigen	Kjetil André Aamodt	Hans Knauß
1998	Hermann Maier	Michael von Grünigen	Christian Mayer
1999	Michael von Grünigen	Stephan Eberharter	Hermann Maier
2000	Hermann Maier	Christian Mayer	Michael von Grünigen
2001	Hermann Maier	Michael von Grünigen	Erik Schlopy
2002	Frederic Covili	Benjamin Raich	Stephan Eberharter
2003	Michael von Grünigen	Bode Miller	Hans Knauß
2004	Bode Miller	Kalle Palander	Massimiliano Blardone
2005	Benjamin Raich	Bode Miller	Thomas Grandi
2006	Benjamin Raich	Massimiliano Blardone	Fredrik Nyberg
2007	Aksel Lund Svindal	Massimiliano Blardone	Benjamin Raich
2008	Ted Ligety	Benjamin Raich	Manfred Mölgg
2009	Didier Cuche	Benjamin Raich	Ted Ligety
2010	Ted Ligety	Carlo Janka	Benjamin Raich
2011	Ted Ligety	Aksel Lund Svindal	Cyprien Richard
2012	Marcel Hirscher	Ted Ligety	Massimiliano Blardone
2013	Ted Ligety	Marcel Hirscher	Alexis Pinturault
2014	Ted Ligety	Marcel Hirscher	Alexis Pinturault
2015	Marcel Hirscher	Alexis Pinturault	Ted Ligety
2016	Marcel Hirscher	Alexis Pinturault	Henrik Kristoffersen
2017	Marcel Hirscher	Mathieu Faivre	Alexis Pinturault
2018	Marcel Hirscher	Henrik Kristoffersen	Alexis Pinturault
2019	Marcel Hirscher	Henrik Kristoffersen	Alexis Pinturault
2020	Henrik Kristoffersen	Alexis Pinturault	Filip Zubčić

Men's most podiums in World Cup

Skiers having most podium in FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.      Still active Updated to 10 March 2021.

#	Skier	Total	Last
1	Ingemar Stenmark	72	19-02-1989
2	Marcel Hirscher	59	24-02-2019
3	Michael von Grünigen	46	15-03-2003
4	Ted Ligety	41	28-01-2018
5	Alexis Pinturault	36	28-02-2021
6	Benjamin Raich	35	01-03-2015
7	Alberto Tomba	31	06-01-1998
8	Hermann Maier	28	23-10-2005
9	Phil Mahre	26	05-03-1984
10	Gustav Thöni	26	02-01-1977
11	Marc Girardelli	26	27-03-1993
12	Massimiliano Blardone	25	13-02-2016
13	Bode Miller	21	08-12-2013
14	Fredrik Nyberg	20	17-03-2006

Women's World Cup podiums

In the following table women's giant slalom World Cup podiums from the World Cup first edition in 1967.

Season	1st	2nd	3rd
1967	Nancy Greene	Erika Schinegger	Annie Famose
1968	Nancy Greene	Fernande Bochatay	Florence Steurer
1969	Marilyn Cochran	Michèle Jacot	Gertrud Gabl
1970	Michèle Jacot Françoise Macchi		Annemarie Moser-Pröll
1971	Annemarie Moser-Pröll	Michèle Jacot	Françoise Macchi
1972	Annemarie Moser-Pröll	Monika Kaserer	Britt Lafforgue
1973	Monika Kaserer	Annemarie Moser-Pröll	Hanni Wenzel
1974	Hanni Wenzel	Fabienne Serrat	Monika Kaserer
1975	Annemarie Moser-Pröll	Fabienne Serrat	Monika Kaserer
1976	Lise-Marie Morerod	Monika Kaserer	Rosi Mittermaier
1977	Lise-Marie Morerod	Monika Kaserer	Annemarie Moser-Pröll
1978	Lise-Marie Morerod	Hanni Wenzel	Maria Epple
1979	Christa Kinshofer	Hanni Wenzel	Irene Epple
1980	Hanni Wenzel	Marie-Thérèse Nadig Perrine Pelen
1981	Tamara McKinney	Marie-Thérèse Nadig	Irene Epple Erika Hess Hanni Wenzel
1982	Irene Epple	Maria Epple	Erika Hess
1983	Tamara McKinney	Cindy Nelson	Maria Epple
1984	Erika Hess	Christin Cooper	Tamara McKinney
1985	Michela Figini Marina Kiehl		Vreni Schneider
1986	Vreni Schneider	Traudl Hächer	Mateja Svet
1987	Vreni Schneider Maria Walliser		Blanca Fernández Ochoa
1988	Mateja Svet	Catherine Quittet	Vreni Schneider
1989	Vreni Schneider	Mateja Svet	Maria Walliser
1990	Anita Wachter	Mateja Svet	Petra Kronberger
1991	Vreni Schneider	Anita Wachter	Pernilla Wiberg
1992	Carole Merle	Vreni Schneider	Diann Roffe
1993	Carole Merle	Anita Wachter	Martina Ertl
1994	Anita Wachter	Vreni Schneider	Deborah Compagnoni
1995	Vreni Schneider	Heidi Zeller-Bähler	Špela Pretnar
1996	Martina Ertl	Katja Seizinger	Anita Wachter
1997	Deborah Compagnoni	Katja Seizinger	Anita Wachter
1998	Martina Ertl	Deborah Compagnoni	Alexandra Meissnitzer
1999	Alexandra Meissnitzer	Anita Wachter	Andrine Flemmen
2000	Michaela Dorfmeister	Sonja Nef	Anita Wachter
2001	Sonja Nef	Anja Pärson	Michaela Dorfmeister
2002	Sonja Nef	Michaela Dorfmeister	Anja Pärson
2003	Anja Pärson	Karen Putzer	Janica Kostelić
2004	Anja Pärson	Denise Karbon	María José Rienda
2005	Tanja Poutiainen	Anja Pärson	María José Rienda
2006	Anja Pärson	María José Rienda	Janica Kostelić
2007	Nicole Hosp	Tanja Poutiainen	Michaela Kirchgasser
2008	Denise Karbon	Elisabeth Görgl	Manuela Mölgg
2009	Tanja Poutiainen	Kathrin Zettel	Tina Maze
2010	Kathrin Hölzl	Kathrin Zettel	Tina Maze
2011	Viktoria Rebensburg	Tessa Worley	Tanja Poutiainen
2012	Viktoria Rebensburg	Lindsey Vonn	Tessa Worley
2013	Tina Maze	Anna Fenninger	Viktoria Rebensburg
2014	Anna Fenninger	Jessica Lindell-Vikarby	Maria Pietilä Holmner
2015	Anna Fenninger	Eva-Maria Brem	Mikaela Shiffrin
2016	Eva-Maria Brem	Viktoria Rebensburg	Lara Gut-Behrami
2017	Tessa Worley	Mikaela Shiffrin	Sofia Goggia
2018	Viktoria Rebensburg	Tessa Worley	Mikaela Shiffrin
2019	Mikaela Shiffrin	Petra Vlhová	Tessa Worley
2020	Federica Brignone	Petra Vlhová	Mikaela Shiffrin

See also

In Spanish: Eslalon gigante para niños