Skiing is one of the most awaited events in the winter Olympics. There are three major skiing events in the Olympics – ski jumping, alpine skiing and freestyle skiing. Each skiing event have their own histories in the Olympics.
Ski Jumping
Ski jumping was first introduced in the Winter Olympics in 1924, first as a large-hill event, then as a normal-hill event in 1964. This skiing variation was developed in Norway and was brought to America by the turn of the 20th century.
With Olympic ski jumping, an athletes makes two jump attempts whose landings are caught on video for accurate measuring. Points are garnered based on the jump lengths with longer jumps gaining more points. Five judges rate an athlete’s jumping style on a 0-20 scale, dropping the highest and lowest scores. The skier or the team that garners the largest total distance and style points is awarded the much coveted gold medal.
Most ski jumping medals are won by Norway, Finland and then Austria. Only one American, Anders Haugen, ever won the gold in 1924.
Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing was first introduced in the Winter Olympics at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Games in 1936. The event featured one downhill and then two slalom courses. The giant slalom made its debut at the Oslo Games in 1952, while the super giant slalom event was introduced in 1988 at the Calgary Games.
This event is frequently won by Austria and other Western European countries that are situated at the foot of the Alps.
Freestyle Skiing
Freestyle skiing made its way into the Winter Olympics at the Calgary Games in 1988 but only for demonstration. It became an official event at the Albertville Games in 1992. Two disciplines are played – moguls and aerials.
Aerials are known to be the most astounding disciplines of freestyle skiing. Athletes choose a spot where they begin and they ski down the mountain to a concaved jump that throws them up in the air, where they perform various somersaults and twists before landing with both skis on the ground. They are rated according to form, air and landing.
The moguls competition on the other hand involves skiers that race down the mountain individually, going through big bumps of up to 4 feet. There are two jumps through the course and athletes try to impress the judges with creative jumps. They are rated according to their turns, air and speed.
Skiing is indeed exciting not only as a pastime but as a sporting event as well.
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