What is slalom in skiing?
The term slalom comes from the Morgedal/Seljord dialect of the Norwegian word slalåm: sla, meaning slightly inclining hillside, and låm, meaning track after skis.Norwegian slalam skiing race, literally sloping track, from sla slope + lam track (related to Norwegian laan a row of houses; compare lane).
What is a slalom competition?
The object of Slalom Skiing is to ski a course of 6 buoys between going through starting and exiting gates. Once run, the speed is increased up to a maximum of 34 or 36 mph and the rope is shortened. Slalom skiing rules Competitors are required to ski down a slope that has a vertical descent of 180m to 220m for men or 140m to 180m for women. Skiers are supposed to pass through ‘gates’ – which refer to two plastic poles, alternating between red and blue through an earmarked course.A slalom ski course is 850ft long. The length of the course for the skier is 1145ft , give or take, travelling through the entry gate and going from buoy to buoy and leaving the exit gate.The object of Slalom Skiing is to ski a course of 6 buoys between going through starting and exiting gates. Once run, the speed is increased up to a maximum of 34 or 36 mph and the rope is shortened.Slalom skiers race through gates, each of which is a pair of flags or poles. The first gate is always red, so the skier must go between the red poles and then navigate to the next gate shown in blue on my diagram below. If he doesn’t pass between the two poles which make up each gate, he will be disqualified.Many people wonder ‘Why do slalom skiers hit the gates? And touching the gates is permitted in the slalom skiing rules. Only missing them will bring about disqualification.
How fast do skiers go in slalom?
Downhill skiers can reach up to 130 kilometres per hour, with Frenchman Johan Clarey holding the downhill World Cup speed record of 161. That’s over 100 miles an hour! The slowest discipline of slalom sees athletes still reach speeds of around 60-70k/ph. Most slalom skis are optimized for 28 to 36 mph. In addition, most “ski” boats will have a much more manageable wake at 32-36 mph than at 22 mph. In fact, tournament boats are designed to toss a larger, trick wake at speeds of 16-20 mph.However, for the first time in the slalom course, many people should ski the course at the slowest speed that he or she can comfortably cross the wakes and make turns without sinking. For average size men, this speed ranges from 26 MPH to 32 MPH. For average size women, the best speeds are between 24 MPH to 28 MPH.Slalom skiing rules Competitors are required to ski down a slope that has a vertical descent of 180m to 220m for men or 140m to 180m for women. Skiers are supposed to pass through ‘gates’ – which refer to two plastic poles, alternating between red and blue through an earmarked course.The slalom is the most technical event in Alpine skiing with gates set very close together. Skiers need to perform fast turns and rapid changes of direction. Slalom has the shortest course and the quickest turns in Alpine skiing but skiers still reach around 60-70 kph.When skiing downhill, you typically hold your body in a flexed position, meaning you’re leaning forward from the hips. This requires great strength from your hamstrings and glutes as they help stabilise your body.