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Downhill and Super G: What's the Difference?
The two speed events of alpine skiing-- the Downhill and the Super G-- may look similar, but they are very different. Shelley Osterloh explains the difference.
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(Feb. 2, 2002)------It is, without a doubt, the attention-getter of the Olympics. Not too many of us will forget Austrian Herman Meier's wreck in Nagano.
Right after this horrendous wreck, Meier went on to prove what ski racing is all about by winning two gold medals.
Tom Kelly/Vice President, USSA: "THERE'S AN INCREDIBLE MENTAL ASPECT TO DOWNHILL SKI RACING. YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE, LITERALLY, AND YOU'RE TRUSTING YOUR LIFE ON HOW YOUR EDGES SET IN THE SNOW. YOU NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU'RE PUTTING THAT EDGE OF THE SKI AND EXACTLY WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO ON THE SNOW. AND THAT TAKES A LOT OF MENTAL STRENGTH AND PREPARATION."
And although they're similar mentally, the way they're run is very, very different.
TOM: "WELL, THEY'RE PRETTY SIMILAR EVENTS, IN THAT BOTH EVENTS SKIERS ARE CARRYING TREMENDOUS SPEED. THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT IN THE DOWNHILL THE COURSE IS SET A LITTLE BIT MORE OPEN, THE SKIERS ARE ABE TO CARRY THEIR SPEED A LITTLE BIT MORE DOWN THE HILL. THEY STILL NEED TO MAKE TURNS BUT NOT AS MANY AS IN THE SUPER G WHERE THERE'S AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF TECHNICAL TURNING THAT IS REQUIRED."
So in the Downhill, less turning is key. You could almost say the idea is to get to the bottom of the mountain as fast a humanly possible.
But there are more subtle differences in these two sports which spectators may not realize.
TOM: "ONE OTHER BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DOWNHILL AND THE SUPER G, THE SKIERS ALL GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SKI THE COURSE IN RACE CONDITIONS. IN THE SUPER G THEY JUST GET TO LOOK AT IT, RACE MORNING AND THAT'S THE ONLY CHANCE THEY'VE SEEN THAT COURSE BEFORE THEY GET TO SKI ON IT."
And come next month, some of the world's best will do so, right here at Snowbasin where the Downhill and the Super G will take place.
And if you've ever heard of the "combined" event, well it's the skier's ability to ski both the slalom and downhill, testing the skiers speed and technical abilties. In short, a combination of the two.
In the Olympics, "the Combined" is two separate races--One downhill, and one slalom. The slalom usually on a shorter course than the regular slalom event.
The Combined will be held here at Snowbasin.
Now you know the difference between the two speed events in alpine skiing.
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