Speed skiing is the
sport
Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
of
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
downhill in a straight line at as high a speed as possible, as timed over a fixed stretch of ski slope. There are two types of contest: breaking an existing speed record or having the fastest run at a given competition. Speed skiers regularly exceed
History
Speed skiing dates from 1898 with a run by
American Tommy Todd, reported at . Official records began with an run by Leo Gasperl in 1932. While training for the
1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( or ), were a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956.
Cortina, which ...
, American downhiller
Ralph Miller is credited with being the first to break , at nearly in August 1955 at
Portillo, Chile
Portillo is a ski resort in South America, located in the Andes mountains of Chile. In the Valparaíso Region, it is from Los Andes, Chile, Los Andes, the nearest city, and by vehicle from Santiago, Chile, Santiago. Its hotel sits at an elevatio ...
, a record which held up for fifteen years.
In 1978, also at Portillo, American
Steve McKinney's record-breaking run of made him the first to break the barrier.
[ It was a ]demonstration sport
A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games but may also occur at other sporting events.
Demonstration sport ...
at the Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Albertville '92 (Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile '92''), were a winter multi-sport event held from 8 to 23 February 1992 in and aroun ...
on the Les Arcs speed skiing course, but was deemed too dangerous after several recorded deaths.[
]
Description
Speed skiing is practiced on steep, specially designed courses in length. There are approximately thirty of these courses worldwide, many of them at high altitudes to minimize air resistance. The first of the course (the launching area) is used to gain speed, the top speed is measured in the next (the timing zone) and the last (the run-out area) is used for slowing down and coming to a stop. The start point in FIS races is chosen so that, in theory, skiers should not exceed , hence competition is aimed at winning a particular event, not breaking world speed records. At pro races, there is no maximum speed and the speed attained is determined by conditions and safety.[
In theory, speeds could continue to increase by using even longer and steeper slopes; this would eventually change speed skiing into something closer to ]skydiving
Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes.
For hu ...
except with skis rather than a parachute. Since a slight bump or gentle turn can easily prove fatal at such speeds, there is little appetite for this.
Equipment
Speed skiers wear dense foam fairings on their lower legs and aerodynamic
Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...
helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...
s to increase streamlining. Their ski suits are made from air-tight latex
Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well.
In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...
or have a polyurethane
Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...
coating to reduce wind resistance, with only a minimal (but mandatory) back protector to give some protection in the case of a crash.[
]
The special skis used must be in length and at most wide, with a maximum weight of for the pair. Ski boot
Ski boots are footwear used in skiing to provide a way to attach the skier to skis using ski bindings. The ski/boot/binding combination is used to effectively transmit control inputs from the skier's legs to the snow.
History
Ski boots were leat ...
s are attached to the skis by bindings. The ski pole
Ski poles, also referred to as poles (in North America), sticks (UK), or stocks (Australia), are used by skiing, skiers for balance and propulsion. Modern ski poles are most commonly made from Aluminium, aluminum and Carbon fibers, carbon fiber, ...
s are bent to shape around the body, with a minimum length of .[
]
Official world records
The following records were set under FSV ( France Ski de Vitesse) rules at Vars, France:
*''Men'' – Simon Billy (France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
) on March 22, 2023.[
]
*''Women'' – Valentina Greggio (Italy) 247.083 km/h (153.530 mph) on 26 March 2016.
See also
* Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...
* Ski cross
* Snowboard cross
Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...
* Speed skating
Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, and marathon speed skat ...
* Speed skydiving
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Speed Skiing
Former Winter Olympic sports
1898 introductions