Downhill Skiing

The downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships. more...

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\"Downhill skiing\" is also commonly a term synonymous with \"alpine skiing\" to denote the sport and recreational activity of alpine skiing in general.

More generally, the term may be used in any sport involving the speedy descent of a hillside. Examples include snowboarding, mountain biking, different skateboarding variants, such as street luge and longboarding, freebording and mountain boarding and even municycling.

The \"downhill\" discipline involves the highest speeds and therefore the greatest risks of all the alpine events. Racers on a typical international-level course will exceed speeds of 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph) and some courses, such as the famous Hahnenkamm course in Kitzbühel, Austria, speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph) in certain sections are expected. Competing in the downhill event requires of racers considerable strength and technical expertise.

The course

A typical downhill course begins at or near the top of the mountain on a piste that is closed off to the public and groomed specially for the race. Water or salt are often spread throughout the course to ensure that it gets icy, which inhibits dangerous rutting of the course, but also increases speed. Gates (which are always the same color in downhill, in contrast to the other alpine skiing disciplines) are spaced great distances apart, but not out of sight from each other. The courses in the world's most famous ski areas are well-established and do not change much from year to year.

The course is designed to challenge the best skiers in a variety of tasks: skiing at high speeds over ice, through difficult turns, extreme steeps, flats, and huge airs(jumps). A good course will have all these elements in it, as well as some jumps intended to challenge matters and thrill both the racer and the spectators.

Equipment

Equipment for the downhill is a little bit different from the lower-speed alpine events. Skis are 30% longer than those used in slalom, to provide added stability at high speed and often have rounded, low-profile tips rather than pointed tips. Ski poles are bent so as to curve around the body as the racer stays in a \"tuck position\" and may have aerodynamic, cone-shaped baskets. As in other alpine disciplines, downhill racers wear skin-tight suits to minimize drag, and helmets are mandatory.

In an attempt to increase safety, the 2003-2004 season saw the FIS increased the minimum sidecut radius for downhill skis to 45 meters (from 40 m) and impose minimum ski lengths for the first time: 215 cm for men and 210 cm for women.

Read more at Wikipedia.org