Events and Specialities
Val d'Isère is to host a total of 11 events in six different specialities. The world's top male and female skiers will compete in Downhills, Super G, Slaloms, Giant Slaloms, Super Combined and the mixed team Nations Cup events. The skier completing his race is the fastest time will be awarded the title of World Champion in that particular speciality.
Technical events
Slalom
This is one of the oldest alpine events along with the downhill. It's the technical aspect of the course that makes it difficult. The competitors must ski through gates set at a width of 4 to 6 metres. Poles set in a ball-and-socket base mark the gates. These poles are unique as they are able to rotate on their base as the skiers passes as in slalom races the skiers passes extremely close the gate in order to ski in a straighter line as possible. The distance between each gate varies between 0.75 and 15 metres. Slaloms consist of two runs and the winner is the racer with the best aggregate time.
Race bib allocation: the starting order of the first 15 races for the first run is determined by a draw. The order for the 2nd run is determined by the 15 best times in reverse order (slowest first).
A Giant Slalom (GS) differs mainly from the slalom in two ways with a longer race slope and wider spacing of the gates, the minimum distance between gates being 10 metres. Wider turns and a steeper slope mean that the competitors must be capable of combining technical skills and an ability to handle higher speeds.The Giant Slalom consists of two runs and the winner is the racer with the best aggregate time.Race bib allocation: the starting order of the first 15 races for the first run is determined by a draw. The order for the 2nd run is determined by the 15 best times in reverse order (slowest first).
Speed events
Super G
Midway between the Giant Slalom and a Downhill, the Super G event requires a vertical drop of 500 to 650 metres for men and 400 to 600 metres for women.. The gates are set wider apart and their number is calculated according to the vertical drop of the slope. As in a Downhill, the racer is in a tuck position for most of the descent but the competitor must find the best line through the course that demands a greater number of tighter turns over a more varied terrain.The Super G consists of one run only. There is no training run on the racecourse.
The speed event "par excellence". It is the longest race with a vertical drop of between 800 and 1100 metres for men and 500 and 800 metres for women. The gates are at least 8 metres wide. Skiers reach speeds of over 120 km/h and the jumps are often quite spectacular. Depending on the race slope, some of them being legends in their own right, this discipline demands level headedness, strength and experience. For this reason, timed training runs are compulsory to inspect the terrain. The Downhill consists of one run only.
The Super Combined replaces the Combined event (a two-day event including a Downhill and 2 Slalom runs). The new event will include one Downhill run and one Slalom run. The Downhill is shorter than a traditional Downhill race. This competition is a one-day-event and the winner is the racer with the best aggregate time of the two events.
The distinctive feature of this new event is that it is run in mixed teams of the 6 best men and women skiers of the same nationality. The competition consists of 4 sets of Super G events and 4 sets of Slaloms consisting of one run only. The winning team is the one having gained the best results over the series of races.
