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Alpine Skiing
Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing is an exciting winter sport that challenges the athlete's downhill racing ability and coordination. Alpine skiing goes far beyond any other winter sport in that it defines almost completely at least a hundred resort communities around the world and is a major factor in many more.
The Alpine skiing advanced from cross-country skiing when ski elevator infrastructure was developed at mountain resorts to tow skiers back to the top of slopes, thus making it possible to repeatedly enjoy skiing down steep, long slopes that would be otherwise too tiring to climb up. Thus, the sport is popular wherever the combination of snow, mountain slopes, and a sufficient tourist infrastructure can be built up, including much of all the world.
The main technical challenges faced by skiers are simply how to control and dominate the direction and speed of their descent. The novice skiers use a technique called the "snowplough" to turn and stop by pointing one or both skis inward, but more advanced skiers use more complicated but more artistic and speedier methods. These more advanced methods are known as carving. To carve, a skier rolls their knees but keeps the upper body and hips faced down the hill, so that only the knees and feet are turned (only in slalom do you keep your upper body pointing down the hill). This method is far faster and is used by downhill racers. As skiers gain confidence, they tackle steeper, longer and more uneven slopes at higher speeds.
Alpine Skiing Facts
- Alpine skiing was first introduced as an Official Special Olympics Sport in 1977 at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA.
- More than 300 athletes competed in Alpine skiing at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
- As of the 2005 Special Olympics Athlete Participation Report, 18,610 Special Olympics athletes compete in Alpine skiing.
Alpine Skiing Events
- Novice: Downhill, Giant Slalom and Slalom
- Intermediate: Downhill, Giant Slalom and Slalom
- Advanced: Downhill, Giant Slalom and Slalom
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