Racing drives innovation, and we all benefit from it, better skis, safer equipment, and technology built to handle real speed. And just like F1, most of us won’t ski at the sport’s highest level, but when you’re carving faster than you ever have before, you can still imagine you’re dropping into Bormio’s famed Stelvio Downhill.
FROM GATES TO GLORY
YOUR GUIDE
TO SKI RACING
We know that ski racing is a rather niche sport, and watching it is usually reserved for die-hard sickos like ourselves. It makes sense, though.
The races are primarily held in Europe and aired at odd early hours of the morning, so tuning in requires effort. But when the sport hits the global spotlight, it’s easy to see why fans get hooked. Every turn, jump, and finish line tells a story of skill, speed, and sheer focus.
Some of the most memorable moments in American ski racing history have happened on the world’s biggest stages. Tommy Moe. Picabo Street. Bode Miller. Names that became iconic because they delivered when it mattered most.
With alpine racing front and center this winter, we wanted to share a quick, high-level cheat sheet to help you understand the nuances of each event and what makes each one unique.
The Basics
Ski racing started as simply as you can imagine: who can get down the hill in the shortest amount of time. As the years progressed, the specifics of how you get from top to bottom were tweaked and refined to create modern-day alpine ski racing.
Unlike some other events, racing isn’t subjective. You either win or you don’t. No judges or scores, just you vs. the clock. Racers are sent down the course one at a time, with their order determined by a complex seeding system based on rankings. As more racers go down the course, the rougher it gets, so there is an advantage to starting early.
The Course
In concept, it’s simple: pass through the gates all the way down the course. In practice, it becomes a little more difficult. Gates will alternate from left to right to force the skier to turn side to side. The tightness of that turn is what dictates the skier's speed.
The spacing and arrangement of the gates are what separate the different disciplines.
Courses are set on steep, icy terrain designed to test edge control, strength, and line choice. Depending on the event, racers may take one or two timed runs, with the lowest total time deciding the winner.
The Events
There are 5 disciplines grouped into two categories: speed (downhill and super-G) and tech (giant slalom and slalom), and each demands something different of the athlete. Most skiers specialize in one or two events, though the best skiers race in both speed and tech events.
Downhill (DH)
Downhill is reserved for a special breed of ski racer. It’s the fastest of all the disciplines, which also makes it the most dangerous. Racers will reach top speeds of 80+ mph, catch air and fly 200+ feet, and sustain g-forces that would flatten most people. With that speed comes danger and some of the most spectacular crashes, but if you can make it down in one piece faster than everyone else, your life will be changed forever.
Super-G (SG)
Super-G (short for Super Giant Slalom) is one step below downhill in speed. It’s considered by some to be the most technically demanding of all the events because it combines speed and precision. The gates are set closer together than downhill, requiring quicker reactions and sometimes greater forces.
Downhill (DH)
Alice Merryweather. Photo: Ian Fohrman
Super-G (SG)
Giant Slalom (GS)
River Radamus. Photo: US Ski Team
Slalom (SL)
AJ Ginnis. Photo: Amarcster
Giant Slalom (GS)
Giant Slalom is the event that most mimics recreational skiing. It blends technical precision and agility with power, making it one of the most common alpine ski racing disciplines at all levels. Giant Slalom is also a combination of two runs to find a winner. Only the top 30 skiers earn a second run, though, with their running order being flipped. So 30th place goes first, and the first-place skier goes last. This leads to the greatest drama as the racers get better and better as they run.
Slalom (SL)
The most technical discipline and the most identifiable. In slalom the gates are more like poles and are set close together, forcing quick, rapid-fire turns. Skiers don hand and shin guards as they “cross block” each gate to take the tightest line possible. You’ll also notice racers chin guards as slalom gates have been known to bite back and knock out a tooth or split a lip. Slalom racing is all about agility, timing, and fast edge transitions.
Alpine Combined
Alpine combined was the original version of ski racing, combining downhill and slalom, tech and speed, to determine who was the best all-around skier. It’s an intriguing event because you get different competition than usual as the slalom skiers are forced to race a downhill and the speed skiers hop back in the slalom course. Everyone is slightly out of their element, which creates unpredictable results.
The Gear
Because alpine ski racing happens at high speeds on firm snow, the gear matters, for safety and for speed. Races come down to hundredths of a second, so every piece matters:
Suits
We would be remiss not to mention our bread and butter, speed suits. Other than skis, your suit is critical to shaving “hundies” off your time. Race suit fabrics are highly developed with years of R&D to unlock as much speed as possible for racers. Spyder suits are some of the fastest, and we have the medals to prove it.
Skis
Each discipline features a different length ski. Slalom skis are short for agility (165 cm) while downhillers need length for stability at speed (215 cm).
Wax
You won’t win any race without well-tuned skis. Every athlete has a ski tech who meticulously preps multiple sets of skis at each races dependent that races on the snow conditions.
Poles
Speed skiers use poles bent to their body shape to maximize aerodynamics at high speeds.
Safety
Helmets have come a long way, and racers are wearing the most advanced tech on the market, often utilizing carbon fiber. One of the newest safety measures being implemented are cut proof baselayers. Race skis are sharp, and falling on your ski can end your career and potentially your life, so these advanced garments have become mandatory on the World Cup with good reason.
Now You Know
Similar to Formula 1, ski racing seems on its face to be a distant, niche sport with little in common with recreational skiers, but upon closer inspection, we see there are deep connections and influence.
Racing drives innovation, and we all benefit from it, better skis, safer equipment, and technology built to handle real speed. And just like F1, most of us won’t ski at the sport’s highest level, but when you’re carving faster than you ever have before, you can still imagine you’re dropping into Bormio’s famed Stelvio Downhill.
FROM GATES TO GLORY
YOUR GUIDE
TO SKI RACING
We know that ski racing is a rather niche sport, and watching it is usually reserved for die-hard sickos like ourselves. It makes sense, though.
The races are primarily held in Europe and aired at odd early hours of the morning, so tuning in requires effort. But when the sport hits the global spotlight, it’s easy to see why fans get hooked. Every turn, jump, and finish line tells a story of skill, speed, and sheer focus.
Some of the most memorable moments in American ski racing history have happened on the world’s biggest stages. Tommy Moe. Picabo Street. Bode Miller. Names that became iconic because they delivered when it mattered most.
With alpine racing front and center this winter, we wanted to share a quick, high-level cheat sheet to help you understand the nuances of each event and what makes each one unique.
The Basics
Ski racing started as simply as you can imagine: who can get down the hill in the shortest amount of time. As the years progressed, the specifics of how you get from top to bottom were tweaked and refined to create modern-day alpine ski racing.
Unlike some other events, racing isn’t subjective. You either win or you don’t. No judges or scores, just you vs. the clock. Racers are sent down the course one at a time, with their order determined by a complex seeding system based on rankings. As more racers go down the course, the rougher it gets, so there is an advantage to starting early.
The Course
In concept, it’s simple: pass through the gates all the way down the course. In practice, it becomes a little more difficult. Gates will alternate from left to right to force the skier to turn side to side. The tightness of that turn is what dictates the skier's speed.
The spacing and arrangement of the gates are what separate the different disciplines.
Courses are set on steep, icy terrain designed to test edge control, strength, and line choice. Depending on the event, racers may take one or two timed runs, with the lowest total time deciding the winner.
The Events
There are 5 disciplines grouped into two categories: speed (downhill and super-G) and tech (giant slalom and slalom), and each demands something different of the athlete. Most skiers specialize in one or two events, though the best skiers race in both speed and tech events.
Downhill (DH)
Downhill is reserved for a special breed of ski racer. It’s the fastest of all the disciplines, which also makes it the most dangerous. Racers will reach top speeds of 80+ mph, catch air and fly 200+ feet, and sustain g-forces that would flatten most people. With that speed comes danger and some of the most spectacular crashes, but if you can make it down in one piece faster than everyone else, your life will be changed forever.
Alice Merryweather. Photo: Ian Fohrman
Super-G (SG)
Super-G (short for Super Giant Slalom) is one step below downhill in speed. It’s considered by some to be the most technically demanding of all the events because it combines speed and precision. The gates are set closer together than downhill, requiring quicker reactions and sometimes greater forces.
Downhill (DH)
Alice Merryweather. Photo: Ian Fohrman
Super-G (SG)
Giant Slalom (GS)
River Radamus. Photo: US Ski Team
Slalom (SL)
AJ Ginnis. Photo: Amarcster
Giant Slalom (GS)
Giant Slalom is the event that most mimics recreational skiing. It blends technical precision and agility with power, making it one of the most common alpine ski racing disciplines at all levels. Giant Slalom is also a combination of two runs to find a winner. Only the top 30 skiers earn a second run, though, with their running order being flipped. So 30th place goes first, and the first-place skier goes last. This leads to the greatest drama as the racers get better and better as they run.
River Radamus. Photo: US Ski Team
Slalom (SL)
The most technical discipline and the most identifiable. In slalom the gates are more like poles and are set close together, forcing quick, rapid-fire turns. Skiers don hand and shin guards as they “cross block” each gate to take the tightest line possible. You’ll also notice racers chin guards as slalom gates have been known to bite back and knock out a tooth or split a lip. Slalom racing is all about agility, timing, and fast edge transitions.
AJ Ginnis. Photo: Amarcster
Alpine Combined
Alpine combined was the original version of ski racing, combining downhill and slalom, tech and speed, to determine who was the best all-around skier. It’s an intriguing event because you get different competition than usual as the slalom skiers are forced to race a downhill and the speed skiers hop back in the slalom course. Everyone is slightly out of their element, which creates unpredictable results.
The Gear
Because alpine ski racing happens at high speeds on firm snow, the gear matters, for safety and for speed. Races come down to hundredths of a second, so every piece matters:
Suits
We would be remiss not to mention our bread and butter, speed suits. Other than skis, your suit is critical to shaving “hundies” off your time. Race suit fabrics are highly developed with years of R&D to unlock as much speed as possible for racers. Spyder suits are some of the fastest, and we have the medals to prove it.
Skis
Each discipline features a different length ski. Slalom skis are short for agility (165 cm) while downhillers need length for stability at speed (215 cm).
Wax
You won’t win any race without well-tuned skis. Every athlete has a ski tech who meticulously preps multiple sets of skis at each races dependent that races on the snow conditions.
Poles
Speed skiers use poles bent to their body shape to maximize aerodynamics at high speeds.
Safety
Helmets have come a long way, and racers are wearing the most advanced tech on the market, often utilizing carbon fiber. One of the newest safety measures being implemented are cut proof baselayers. Race skis are sharp, and falling on your ski can end your career and potentially your life, so these advanced garments have become mandatory on the World Cup with good reason.
Now You Know
Similar to Formula 1, ski racing seems on its face to be a distant, niche sport with little in common with recreational skiers, but upon closer inspection, we see there are deep connections and influence.
Racing drives innovation, and we all benefit from it, better skis, safer equipment, and technology built to handle real speed. And just like F1, most of us won’t ski at the sport’s highest level, but when you’re carving faster than you ever have before, you can still imagine you’re dropping into Bormio’s famed Stelvio Downhill.
What started as a simple need for racers transformed into an obsession with innovation. In forty years, we have provided revolutionary products that enhance each skier's unique on-snow experience from professionals to beginners. While we don't all kick out of start gates, launch backcountry cliffs, or toss explosives before the sun rises, we can all identify under one common banner:
We Are Skiers.
What started as a simple need for racers transformed into an obsession with innovation. In forty years, we have provided revolutionary products that enhance each skier's unique on-snow experience from professionals to beginners. While we don't all kick out of start gates, launch backcountry cliffs, or toss explosives before the sun rises, we can all identify under one common banner:
We Are Skiers.