Alpine Sports Explained

Author: Matthew Christ
Staff Writer

Skiing: Skiing developed over 4000 years ago in Scandnavia for military transportation purposes. The rise of skiing in the United States is mostly attributed to the Winter Olympics of 1932, which were held in Lake Placid, NY. Technology has greatly aided the modern spread of the sport: faster ski tows and lifts place skiers on the tops of mountains more quickly, and artificial snow and more challenging trails extend the season and make the experience much more exciting. The two basic types of skiing are alpine (downhill) and nordic (crosscountry) although recently snowboarding, telemarking and even monoboarding have all gained popularity. Skiing has become an significant winter industry involving extensive, often very expensive, equipment and gear with entire resorts that cater to the vacationing skier.

Alpine Skiing:
Alpine skiing takes place on more steep and challenging terrain. It involves the use of two long, fairly thin skis with snap-in bindings that are designed to release the skis when a skier falls, stiff boots and two metal poles. Skiers turn down a hill by shifting their weight downhill from one ski to the other. There are four different types of alpine races categorized by the distance between gates that the skier turns around. They are, in order of closest gates to farthest, slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom and downhill.

Nordic skiing:
Performed on flat surfaces, using a diagonal stride with the heals of boots detaching from the skis. Nordic skis are lighter and narrower than alpine skis and without the metal edges. There are two types of nordic skiing: classic and skating. The classic method is traditional crosscountry skiing and includes the use of both glide wax and kick wax. Skating was invented much more recently by Vermonter Bill Coke. It is a quicker motion and skaters only use glide wax, like alpine skiers. Both types of nordic skiing are excellent aerobic workouts.

Telemarking:
The downhill component of crosscountry skiing which employs narrower skis with metal edges. It is the ski type most used for backcountry skiing because telemark skis can be used for both hiking uphill and skiing downhill. Telemark skiers are easily seen on the slopes because their heels detach from their skis.

Monoboarding:
A type of skiing with a single board that is shorter than normal skis in length to allow for greater maneuverability. The boots are bound to the monoboard with both toes facing the front tip of the board making a monoboarder look like an alpine skier with his or her skis fused together.

Snowboarding:
Established in the 1960s as a way to surf on snow. Snowboarding involves standing sideways on a lightweight board and carving turns down the mountain by shifting the boarders weight from the front long edge to the back long edge. It is performed on steeper trails and able boarders search out bumps, jumps, gaps, and kickers with the goal of attaining air.