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Difference Between Super G And Downhill Skiing

There are two main categories of alpine skiing events at Beijing 2022: technical and speed.

What You Want to Know?

Difference Between Super G And Downhill Skiing

Downhill

The downhill is the most simple type of alpine skiing race there is: skiers simply point their skis in the direction they want to travel and start moving. Winner is the fastest.

Depending on the terrain, average speeds might exceed 130 kph. In a World Cup event in Wengen, Switzerland, in 2013, French skier Johan Clarey became the first to exceed 160 kilometres per hour.

During the same weekend when Clarey set the record, British former professional alpine ski racer Graham Bell took a point-of-view video of the same downhill run. Keep your caps on.

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Also included are leaps of tens of metres. It’s not a good sign if the commentator says the skier is “rolling down the windows” as he or she hurtles over the jump in question.

The skier should strive for an aerodynamic tuck position rather than flailing their arms wildly in an effort to maintain their equilibrium.

Athletes must navigate through gates, although their purpose is primarily to prevent them from cutting corners on a route that is otherwise determined mostly by the terrain.

Extreme leg strength is required for downhill skiing, which is why downhill skiers tend to be larger and heavier than technical skiers.

Skiers who have just completed the downhill’s longest and fastest course are often doubled over in exhaustion and doing whatever they can to relieve the burning lactic acid in their thighs. They haven’t tried hard enough if they aren’t.

Prior to the actual race, competitors are given multiple opportunities to “get a feel” for the course and their fitness level. Since Beijing’s mountains are less well-known than those on the usual World Cup ski circuit, this is of particular importance there.

Although it may seem like common sense to practise on the course before a race, this is not always the case in alpine skiing. For an explanation of what “super-G” is, scroll down.

Super-G

Super gigantic slalom (super-G) is a type of downhill skiing competition that also involves the tighter turns typical of giant slalom.

Here, gates are spaced more closely together and the vertical drop is less severe than on the downhill. There is only one run down the mountain, and the winner is determined by who finishes first.

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The killer punch? There is no practise run for skiers. Instead, they have just 90 minutes to scout the course and go through its intricacies with their coaches on race day. The catch? They have to remember it all!

This results in the bizarre image of skiers waiting at the top of the track with their eyes closed, visualising the run, and swerving backwards and forwards in mental imitation of the course.