Alpine and cross-country skiing words · Intermediate

The words that make the commentary make sense. They build on the beginner words.

I · Intermediate · 52 words · Step 2 of 2

General terms

Course homologation

FIS certification of a course. Alpine courses are homologated with a protection plan in the report. Cross-country courses are homologated by norms for height difference, maximum climb and total climb. Competitions on the FIS calendar should use homologated courses.

See also: Course

Snowmaking

Artificial snow, used to prepare a course. The rules require the course to be prepared to the same conditions for all competitors and allow artificial snow or ice for the in-run tracks of ski jumping. Snowmaking is not defined as a term.

See also: Course

Team event

Alpine: a team is five competitors, with the three best times counting, unless otherwise agreed; there are also team combined (two same-gender competitors) and mixed team parallel. Cross-country: team sprint and relay.

Alpine skiing events

Parallel

Two competitors race side by side down two courses (red and blue). The fastest 32 in a qualification run advance to elimination heats of two runs, swapping courses for the second. A competitor disqualified or not finishing in the first run starts the second run with a 0.50 second penalty time; one who is disqualified or does not finish in the second run, while the opponent does, is eliminated.

KO system

A qualification run on course 1, then the 30 fastest in an elimination run (30th against the 1st), then 15 qualified plus lucky losers in a second elimination run, and a final run of nine. The final result is the sum of the second and third runs.

See also: Course

Mixed team parallel

A team event run on giant slalom gates and panels. A nation enters up to six competitors, two women and two men race in each heat, and each leg between two opponents is one run that wins one point for its nation.

See also: Team event, Giant slalom, Slalom

The ruleHow does a parallel ski race work?

Team combined

A combined team of two competitors of the same gender, each starting in one run only. Run times are added, and a competitor cannot start the second run if the teammate was DSQ, DNS, NPS or DNF in the first.

Alpine course and equipment

Turning pole

The inside pole of a gate, which the competitor turns around. The gate line is the shortest imaginary line between the turning pole and the outside pole at snow level.

Gate panel

A rectangular panel, about 75 cm wide and 50 cm high, fastened between the poles of a downhill, super-G or giant slalom gate about 1 m above the snow, which can tear or break away. Panels are red or blue.

See also: Poles, Gate, Downhill, Super-G, Giant slalom

Direction changes

The number of turns set in a course, as a percentage of the vertical drop: 30 to 35 per cent in slalom, 11 to 15 in giant slalom and at least 6 to 7 in super-G.

Hairpin and vertical combinations

Slalom gate combinations: a hairpin is two gates, a vertical combination is three or four gates set in a straight line, 0.75 to 1 m apart. A slalom must have at least three hairpins and one to three vertical combinations.

Delayed gate

A slalom gate set 13 to 18 m after the previous turning pole, so the skier passes it without changing edges. A slalom has one to three delay gate combinations.

Single pole slalom

A slalom (or giant slalom) with no outside pole except at the first and last gate, delayed gates and combinations. Both feet and ski tips must pass the turning pole on the same side.

See also: Gate, Giant slalom, Slalom, Turning pole

Slalom gate colours

Consecutive gates must alternate blue and red.

Forerunner

A skier who runs the course before the competition to test it. Forerunners wear forerunner bibs and a helmet.

See also: Course

Course setter

The official who sets the course. In slalom the course should correspond to the average ability of the first 30 competitors, and the poles must be fixed (screwed in) immediately after setting.

Alpine rules and officials

Start procedure

Competitors plant poles in front of the start line and may not use start posts or other aids. A start clock or a 10-second and 5-4-3-2-1 countdown is used. At fixed intervals a start is valid within 5 seconds before or after the start time, otherwise the competitor is disqualified.

Inspection

Competitors inspect the course by skiing down at its side at low speed or side-slipping through the gates, never skiing through gates or making practice turns parallel to them (a penalty). They must carry their bibs and be off the course by the end of the time.

Loss of one ski

A competitor who loses a ski without a gate fault or coming to a complete stop may continue if they do not interfere with the next competitor and are not passed by them.

Yellow flag

In downhill and super-G, a flag waved to stop the next competitor. Competitors waved down must stop immediately and have a right to a re-run if the Jury considers it possible.

See also: Downhill, Super-G, Re-run, Jury

Re-run

A competitor obstructed by a blocked racing line, a fallen competitor, a pole, an object, first aid or a missing gate may ask for a re-run, which stays valid even if slower. A competitor already disqualified before the incident has no right to one.

Official training

In downhill, part of the competition: three days should be scheduled, times are taken on at least one of the last two days, and every competitor must take part in at least one timed run or is not permitted to start.

Not permitted to start

A competitor is not permitted to start for obscene names or symbols, breaking the equipment specification, refusing a medical examination, training on a closed course, missing the downhill timed training, or wearing no conforming helmet, ski brakes or bib.

Also called: NPS
See also: Course, Downhill

Penalties (alpine)

The Jury assesses a penalty for, among other things, skiing through set gates or practising parallel turns, a late or false start, continuing after a gate fault or a stop, crossing the finish incorrectly and receiving outside help.

Jury

The body that inspects the course and decides on interruptions, penalties and protests. It accepts a protest only on physical evidence and may re-evaluate a decision only on new evidence; its decisions are final except those that may be protested.

Protest

Protests are made in writing with a CHF 100 deposit (verbal protests are allowed for competitor, disqualification and timekeeping protests). Deadlines: before the draw for admittance, 60 minutes before the race against the course, and 15 minutes after the last finisher, a disqualification posting or the unofficial results.

See also: Course

Interruption and termination

The Jury can interrupt for course maintenance or weather, and terminate if the competition is significantly affected or the fairness of the race is no longer guaranteed. A downhill, super-G, or one run of slalom or giant slalom may not last longer than four hours.

See also: Course, Downhill, Super-G, Giant slalom, Slalom

Alpine skiing terms

Edging

Tilting the skis onto their edges to grip the snow. The rules do not define it.

Line

The path a skier takes through a course. In alpine events the gates must be set to delineate the desired racing line and not only down the fall line.

Also called: race line
See also: Course

Fall line

The most direct line downhill. The rules say gates should never be set only down it in slalom, super-G and giant slalom, but with full turns and traverses.

Wax

A substance applied to ski bases. In cross-country, waxing, structuring or cleaning ski bases during a competition is forbidden, except scraping and adding kick wax in classical distance races, and fluorinated wax is controlled. The rules do not describe wax types.

Gate judge

An official who controls passage through assigned gates. They record the bib and gate of any fault with a drawing, and must declare a fault only when convinced. A competitor may ask the gate judge if a fault was committed.

See also: Course

Combined time

The sum of the run times in slalom, giant slalom and combined events. The Combined results are calculated by adding the race times of the single events or runs.

Cross-Country skiing events

Team sprint

A qualification round (each athlete skis one round, as an interval start) then a final organised as a relay with two athletes alternately skiing three to six legs each.

Sprint heats

Quarterfinals, semi-finals and the A-final, six competitors per heat, with the top two and the fastest next finishers advancing. Competitors choose their starting positions by qualification result, and no waxing is allowed from the quarterfinals.

Pit box

An equipment exchange box in the stadium for ski changes in skiathlon and long races. Only the competitor may change equipment, without help, and the skis must have passed the fluorinated wax control.

Cross-country courses and rules

Height difference

The difference in height between the lowest and highest points of a competition course.

Also called: HD
See also: Course

Maximum climb

The biggest uphill on the course, which may be interrupted by up to 150 m of undulating terrain or a downhill of no more than 10 m.

Also called: MC
See also: Course, Downhill

Total climb

The total of all climbs on the course.

Also called: TC
See also: Course

Stadium

The start and finish area. The first 50 m are the start zone and the last straight 50 m or more the finish zone, and team events have an exchange zone at least 30 m long and 9 m wide.

Set tracks

The classical ski tracks cut into the snow along the ideal line, with at least 1.20 m between two tracks. Repeatedly changing or stepping in and out of tracks is not allowed.

Passing

In interval starts the skier being passed must give way on first demand. In other races the skier in front chooses the line without obstructing those behind, the passing skier must not obstruct, and when alongside both have mutual duties. Passing is complete when the passer's body is ahead of the other's ski tips.

Lapped skier

In pursuit, skiathlon, mass start, team sprint and relay competitions, a competitor or team that is lapped, or told by officials to stop, must abandon and is ranked by the last intermediate time. Applies at the Olympic Winter Games, World Championships and World Cups.

Also called: overlapping
See also: Sprint, Mass start, Relay, Skiathlon, Pursuit

Equipment exchange

Poles can be exchanged only if broken or damaged. Skis may be changed if broken, in a pit box or in classical sprint finals when several pairs have passed the fluorinated wax control. A competitor must do it without help and outside the track.

False start (cross-country)

Starting more than 3 seconds before the start signal in an interval start. It brings a time penalty of at least 15 seconds in an interval start or sprint qualification, and in a pursuit the time gained plus at least 30 seconds.

See also: Sprint, Interval start, Pursuit

Sanctions (cross-country)

Disqualification for infractions with a clear impact on the result, competition suspension in sprint and team sprint heats, time penalties (relay exchange infractions at least 30 seconds, team sprint 15), written reprimand and monetary fines. A second written reprimand in a season is a disqualification.

See also: Sprint, Relay, Team sprint, Sprint heats

Control points

Competitors must follow the marked course in correct sequence and pass all control points, covering the whole distance on skis with only their own propulsion and without outside pacemakers. A mistake may be corrected by returning to where it was made.

See also: Course

Cross-Country skiing terms

Double poling

Poling with both poles at once, part of the classical technique with or without a diagonal kick.

Herringbone

Climbing with skis angled out in a V. Herringbone or half herringbone without a gliding phase counts as classical technique.

Glide wax

Wax for glide. The rules forbid adjusting the glide zones of the skis during a competition, and control fluorinated wax. They allow kick wax in classical technique to be added during distance races.

Also called: kick wax

Pursuit start gap

In a pursuit competition the starting order and intervals are set by the result of an earlier race or the stage standing, with tenths of seconds deleted. The finish order of the pursuit decides the ranking.

Rolling terrain

A course profile of repeated small climbs and descents. Homologation measures height difference (HD), maximum climb (MC) and total climb (TC), not terrain type.

See also: Course

All Alpine and cross-country skiing words