Super Giant Slalom skiing

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"Super G" redirects here. For , see .

The Super Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is considered a "speed" discipline along with Downhill (the "technical" disciplines are Giant Slalom and Slalom).

Definition

Super G incorporates aspects of both Downhill and Giant Slalom racing. It involves skiing between widely spaced gates as in Giant Slalom, but with fewer turns over a longer course and with higher speeds approaching those achieved in Downhill. The minimum number of gates is 35 for men and 30 for women. Super G skiers will often assume the "tuck" position as in Downhill, but will continue turning constantly as in Giant Slalom, rarely encountering the periodic straight "gliding" sections of a Downhill course. Super G courses in international competition must be at least one minute in length and can be as long as one minute and 45 seconds. Speeds at the Alpine Skiing World Cup level generally average from 88-96 km (55-60 miles) per hour.

Super G is unique in that it is conducted over one run, like Downhill, but racers are not permitted to train the course at full speed before the race. As in Giant Slalom and Slalom, they are allowed only a one hour visual inspection of the course on the morning of the race. This distinction adds to the unpredictable nature of the event and requires ski racing abilities that are different from the other three disciplines.

History

The discipline is relatively new and was created in the early 1980s in an effort to offset specialization in World Cup events caused by widely different technique and physical demands of technical and speed disciplines. It was first introduced on the World Cup level in 1982 and was added to the FIS Alpine World Championships at Crans-Montana in 1987, where Swiss skiers Pirmin Zurbriggen and Maria Walliser won gold medals. The first Olympic Super G competition occurred at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary where Franck Piccard of France and Sigrid Wolf of Austria took gold.

Hermann Maier of Austria is widely regarded as the greatest Super G skier with 23 World Cup victories, five World Cup titles, a World Championship, and an Olympic gold medal. His proficiency in Super G is attributed to his thorough course inspection and his aggressive course tactics wherein he opted for the most direct and dangerous line down the hill. Other notable specialists are Kjetil André Aamodt, who won three gold medals in Olympic Super G races in 1992, 2002, and 2006, and Bode Miller, who won the Super G at the 2005 World Championships.

Equipment

In an attempt to increase safety, the 2003-2004 season saw the FIS impose minimum ski lengths for the Super Giant Slalom for the first time; to 205cm for men, 200cm for women. A minimum turning radius of 33m continues to apply.

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