Speed Skiing
Speed skiing is a skiing sport in which the objective is to ski downhill on a straight path as fast as possible. It is considered as one of the fastest sport where athletes reach speed in excess of 150mph. As of 2016 the highest speed ever recorded was 156.978 mph.
The skis used for speed skiing are specially designed, which are 94 inches long with maximum width of 10 cm. The skis have provisions to attach the athlete’s boots to it using bindings. The poles used are at least 1m long, and are bent to shape around the body.
The courses used for Speed skiing are specially designed steep slopes that are usually 1km long. Most of these courses used in competitions are at higher altitudes to minimize drag and enable faster speeds. At present, there are about 30 speed skiing courses around the world.
downhill speed skiingA course is split into three zones, the first 300 - 400m is the launching zone, which is used to gain speed. The next 100m is the timing zone, where the speed of the run is measured and is used for deciding the winner. The last 500m of the course, called the run-out zone, is used for slowing down before coming to a stop.
Similar Sports
- Downhill Skiing — the fastest, speed can reach up to 140 km/h, and it also has few turns. These courses have gates which are apart, and the skiers reach them at 100km/h.
- Super Giant Slalom — is a speed event and has few turns, there are also jumps provided for this type
- Alpine Skiing — general term including slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom and downhill skiing disciplines.
Related Pages
- Speed Skiing was a demonstration sport at the 1992 Olympics
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
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