Skiing Equipment and Events

Skis are flat runners, strapped to the feet of the skier enabling them to glide over snow whilst skiing. The original purpose of skiing, similar to “snowshoeing”, the activity from which it evolved, was to allow ease movement to and from places where there is deep snow. Following on from this the 20th century saw skiing develop into an extremely popular sport and recreational activity.

Early day skis were made of highly polished wood but in more recent times they are manufactured from materials such as plastic, metal, polyurethane foam, and fibreglass. Skis come in different sizes and styles with varying types of bindings fastening the ski to the boot. Poles are typical skiing equipment, used by the skier in pairs to improve their balance and speed. There are wrist straps at the top and the poles taper off to a pointed tip at the bottom. There is a ring a few inches above the tip preventing the pole from sinking into the snow.

The ski equipment you will need depends on the type of skiing you intend to do. Skiing as a sport has several categories divided into Alpine and Nordic skiing events. Traditional competitive alpine skiing, includes downhill skiing, a race involving fast and steep descent of the side of a slope and then there is slalom, another a race event, where skiers move down a winding course of obstacles marked off by flags and poles.

In traditional competitive Nordic skiing, there is the ski jump, which uses a specially prepared take-off ramp from which skiers start their downward ride with a jump into the air. Points are given for the distance the skiers are able to complete as well as for their overall style. Another event is cross-country skiing where skiers race and manoeuvre over a long course of challenging terrain littered with obstacles. Not surprisingly, stamina and fitness are very important in order to compete in this event.

Alpine skiing competitions of today include a combination of slalom events and downhill skiing. Giant Slalom and Super Giant Slalom (or Super G as it is known), are variations of the slalom race where skiers must travel over longer courses with less twists and wider spaces to enable the skier to move at faster speeds. There are also freestyle skiing events such as Mogul skiing, where the skiers have to pass large bumps in the slopes whilst skiing downhill. Aerials, another freestyle skiing event, incorporate acrobatic aerial movements such as flips and twists. In the Olympic Games, the Nordic Combined events, which is a men-only contest, consists of both cross-country racing and ski jumping.