GIANT
SLALOM
involves skiing between sets of poles ("gates")
spaced at a greater distance to each other
than in slalom but not as great as in super
G. Giant slalom and slalom make up the "technical
events" in alpine ski racing. This
category separates them from the "speed
events" like super G and downhill.
A
course is constructed by laying out a series
of gates. Gates are formed by alternating
pairs of red and blue poles. The skier must
pass between the two poles forming the gate.
(Strictly speaking, the tips of both skis
and the skier's feet must pass between the
poles.) A course has 55 to 75 gates for men
and 40 to 60 gates for women.
For
SLALOM
the vertical offset between gates is around
9 meters and the horizontal offset around
2 meters (6.5 feet), although these figures
have changed in recent times because of significant
technical developments in ski equipment (namely,
increased sidecut) which have revolutionized
the sport. The gates are arranged in a variety
of different configurations to challenge the
competitor, including delay gates and vertical
combinations known as hairpins and flushes.
The worldwide governing body, FIS (Federation
Internationale de Ski) has a set of regulations
detailing what configurations are allowed
or mandated for an official course.
Because
the offsets are relatively small in slalom,
skiers take a fairly direct line and often
knock the poles out of the way as they pass,
which is known as blocking. (The main blocking
technique in modern slalom is cross-blocking,
in which the skier takes such a tight line
and angulates so strongly that he or she is
able to block the gate with the outside hand.)
In modern slalom, a variety of protective
equipment is used such as shin pads, hand
guards, helmets and face guards.
