Alpine Skiing 101: Downhill to slalom and everything in between

If someone asked you to picture a sport at the Olympic Winter Games, there’s a good chance that alpine skiing would come to mind.

It’s been part of the Winter Games program since Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 and its intense athleticism feels perfectly Olympic. After all, it’s got top-tier skiers flying down a hill at ridiculous speeds while making perilous turns.

It seems like a sport we can all understand—even if very few of us could ever actually do it.

But there’s all sorts of nuance and technicality within the 10—yes, 10—alpine skiing events that will be contested at Milano Cortina 2026. 

To help get you ready, we’ve talked to some of Canada’s kings and queens of the hill. They’ll explain the different events, the athlete’s mindset, and more in the world of alpine skiing.

What are the different alpine skiing events?

There are men’s and women’s competitions in four individual events: slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom (usually known as super-G) and downhill. There are also the women’s and men’s team combined events, new to the Olympic program in 2026.

All events feature skiers maneuvering around “gates” (a series of plastic poles set on the hill), racing to the bottom as fast as possible.

But the placement of those gates, the size of the hill’s vertical drop, and the number of runs done differentiate the “speed events” (downhill and super-G) from the “technical events” (slalom and giant slalom).  

What are the speed events all about?

Firstly, “speed event” is a bit of a misnomer, as every alpine skier goes really fast.

But compared to the technical events, the speed events feature steeper drops and greater distances between gates. That allows downhill and super-G racers to gain tremendous speed.

“They’re both fast; downhill’s faster and super-G just has more turns,” says Jack Crawford, who won bronze in the men’s alpine combined at Beijing 2022 and became super-G world champion in 2023.

READ: Jack Crawford is the world champion in the men’s super-G

“Downhill flows with the mountain and it’s supposed to be a sense of what it would be like to go from top to bottom, while super-G is a more controlled, more technical event that’s based around the same speeds.”

Crawford says skiers can reach 150 km/h for a split second, but that speeds tend to hover around 120 km/h. How can the average person even wrap their head around that speed?

“When you’re taking off in a plane, go look out the window,” suggests Jeffrey Read, looking to make his Olympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026. “If you’re a daredevil, if you’re good to go on a race car track, then you can kind of see the type of speeds that we’re dealing with.

“But [imagine that] you don’t have the metal casing around you, and you’re just going down the track as your bare body.”

How does the approach differ from downhill to super-G?

In both events, skiers get one chance to complete the run. But while downhill racers can do a training run beforehand, that isn’t allowed in the super-G.   

“Super-G, you only get to look at the course one time, day of, and then you race it that day,” says Cameron Alexander, the 2023 World bronze medallist in the downhill who is also aiming for an Olympic debut in 2026. “In super-G you have to kind of be able to nail it in one run; in downhill, you have a couple more days to dial in what you want to do, but so does everybody else.

“You kind of need to execute more perfectly in downhill, whereas in super-G, more people are going to make mistakes. So, if you can get closer to the spots you want to be and not make a big mistake, you usually end up doing pretty well.”

READ: “Best buds” continuing Canada’s legacy in alpine speed events

What kinds of vertical drops are we talking about?

In downhill, the maximum vertical drop is 1100 m for men and 800m for women. In super-G, it’s 650m for men and 600m for women.

Over in the technical events, the drops are less severe. In giant slalom, the maximum is 450m for men and 400m for women, while the maximum in slalom is 220m.

What about the gates?

Technical events have more gates, set closer together, though the exact number varies by course.

Cassidy Gray, who competed in the women’s giant slalom at Beijing 2022, estimates there are about 40 gates on an average giant slalom course, and 65 on a slalom course.

A gate consists of either two pairs of poles, holding up a piece of material between them (usually seen in downhill, super-G, and giant slalom), or simply a pair of turning poles (usually seen in slalom). They’ll alternate between red and blue, directing skiers on where to take the turn.

There are also different types of gates: horizontal (or “open”) gates are generally found in downhill, super-G, and giant slalom. They run perpendicular to the “fall line” (that is, the skier’s most direct route down the hill).

Technical events, especially slalom, also feature vertical (“closed” or “delay”) gates. They run parallel to the fall line and can be set in challenging combinations such as hairpins (a combo of two vertical gates) and flushes (a combo of three).

“Slalom, the gates are very close together, and it’s one single gate that you’re actually hitting, kind of going through the gate with your pole,” says Britt Richardson, who has her eye on Milano Cortina 2026.

“GS, there’s a little bit more distance, a little bit more speed, and the courses are typically longer with less gates, but bigger turns. They’re both very technical, where you have to be very disciplined with each movement.”

How else are technical events different than speed events?

Unlike in speed events, racers in slalom and giant slalom get two runs apiece. But only the top 30 finishers from the first run get to compete in the second run, in reverse order.

Aside from order, there can be other important differences from one run to the next.

“[The course] can be completely different,” says Gray. “It really depends on who’s setting and each set is set by a different country. It’s decided [very far] in advance, but it totally depends on the coach setting the course.

“Even in training, you can train on the same hill and have like five to 10 seconds difference of length just based on if they set it to go faster, if they set it to go slower and more turny.”

What is the team combined event?

Making its Olympic debut in 2026, the team combined event essentially replaces the team parallel and individual combined events, like the one in which Crawford won his Olympic medal.

This event features two runs, one speed (which will be the downhill at Milano Cortina 2026) and one slalom. Each team consists of two racers: one who does the downhill and one who does the slalom, meaning that countries can pair up their top speed and technical specialists of each gender.

Assuming that both finish their respective races, those two times are added together and the lowest total wins.

At Milano Cortina 2026, alpine skiing events take place at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre (women’s events) and the Stelvio Skiing Centre (men’s events). The actions runs on Days 1-6, 8-10 and 12.