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Slalom skiing is a sport of the alpine skiing discipline that involves skiing through several poles called gates.

The length of the skis used varies amongst riders, but the minimum ski length currently required is 165cm for men and 155cm for women. The other equipment that athletes commonly use are helmets, shin pads, and hand and face guards.

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A slalom course consists of a series of alternating pairs of blue and red gates. The number of gates used is between 55 to 75 for men, and between 40 to 60 for women. The gates are set in different types of configurations to make the run more challenging. For the men's course, the vertical drop is between 180-220m, and it is slightly lower for the women's course.

The objective for the rider to go through the two poles which form the gate, with the feet and tip of both skis passing through the poles. A run is disqualified if a rider misses any of the gates. The skier with the fastest time through the course is the winner.

Slalom skiing is a medal event for both men and women in the Winter Olympics. It is also a part of the annual FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

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Similar Sports

• Alpine Skiing — including slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom and downhill.
  • Downhill Skiing — participants slide down a snow-covered hill using skis with fixed bindings.
  • Super Giant Slalom (better known as Super-G) — an alpine downhill skiing event like giant slalom but the gates to ski through are further apart.
  • Giant Slalom — downhill skiers have to navigate through a fixed set of gates, spaced farther apart than in Slalom though not as much as in Super-G, therefore medium-sized turns.
• Ski Cross — multiple downhill skiers race head-to-head on a course including big jumps, rollers and high-banked turns.
• Mogul Skiing — snow skiers compete on a specially designed downhill course, in which the primary focus is on the technique used for turns, aerial maneuvers, and speed.
• Canoe Slalom — a kayaking and canoeing sport in which athletes use a kayak or canoe to navigate through a course that consists of hanging gates on river rapids.

Related Pages

• Alpine Skiing at the Winter Olympics
• Wheelchair Slalom — navigating in a wheelchair through a course with challenging obstacles.
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports