# Slalom skiing

Slalom is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline, involving skiing between poles or gates. These are spaced more closely than those in giant slalom, super giant slalom and downhill, necessitating quicker and shorter turns. Internationally, the sport is contested at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, and at the Olympic Winter Games.

## History

The term slalom comes from the Morgedal/Seljord dialect of the Norwegian word "slalåm": "sla", meaning "slightly inclining hillside", and "låm", meaning "track after skis". The inventors of modern skiing classified their trails according to their difficulty:
* Slalåm was a trail used in Telemark by boys and girls not yet able to try themselves on the more challenging runs.
* Ufsilåm was a trail with one obstacle (ufse) like a jump, a fence, a difficult turn, a gorge, a cliff (often more than 10 metres (33 ft) high), et cetera.
* Uvyrdslåm was a trail with several obstacles.
A Norwegian military downhill competition in 1767 included racing downhill among trees "without falling or breaking skis". Sondre Norheim and other skiers from Telemark practiced uvyrdslåm or "disrespectful/reckless downhill" where they raced downhill in difficult and untested terrain (i.e., off piste). The 1866 "ski race" in Oslo was a combined cross-country, jumping and slalom competition. In the slalom participants were allowed use poles for braking and steering, and they were given points for style (appropriate skier posture). During the late 19th century Norwegian skiers participated in all branches (jumping, slalom, and cross-country) often with the same pair of skis. Slalom and variants of slalom were often referred to as hill races. Around 1900 hill races were abandoned in the Oslo championships at Huseby and Holmenkollen. Mathias Zdarsky's development of the Lilienfeld binding helped change hill races into a specialty of the Alps region.
The rules for the modern slalom were developed by Arnold Lunn in 1922 for the British National Ski Championships, and adopted for alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics. Under these rules gates were marked by pairs of flags rather than single ones, were arranged so that the racers had to use a variety of turn lengths to negotiate them, and scoring was on the basis of time alone, rather than on both time and style.

## Course

A course is constructed by laying out a series of gates, formed by alternating pairs of red and blue poles. The skier must pass between the two poles forming the gate, with the tips of both skis and the skier's feet passing between the poles. A course has 55 to 75 gates for men and 40 to 60 for women. The vertical drop for a men's course is 180 to 220 m (591 to 722 ft) and measures slightly less for women. The gates are arranged in a variety of configurations to challenge the competitor.

## Clearing the gates

Traditionally, bamboo poles were used for gates, the rigidity of which forced skiers to maneuver their entire body around each gate. In the early 1980s, rigid poles were replaced by hard plastic poles, hinged at the base. The hinged gates require, according to FIS rules, only that the skis and boots of the skier go around each gate.
The new gates allow a more direct path down a slalom course through the process of cross-blocking or shinning the gates. Cross-blocking is a technique in which the legs go around the gate with the upper body inclined toward, or even across, the gate; in this case the racer's outside pole and shinguards hit the gate, knocking it down and out of the way. Cross-blocking is done by pushing the gate down with the arms, hands, or shins. By 1989, most of the top technical skiers in the world had adopted the cross-block technique.

## Equipment

With the innovation of shaped skis around the turn of the 21st century, equipment used for slalom in international competition changed drastically. World Cup skiers commonly skied on slalom skis at a length of 203–207 centimetres (79.9–81.5 in) in the 1980s and 1990s but by the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, the majority of competitors were using skis measuring 160 cm (63.0 in) or less.
The downside of the shorter skis was that athletes found that recoveries were more difficult with a smaller platform underfoot. Out of concern for the safety of athletes, the FIS began to set minimum ski lengths for international slalom competition. The minimum was initially set at 155 cm (61.0 in) for men and 150 cm (59.1 in) for women, but was increased to 165 cm (65.0 in) for men and 155 cm (61.0 in) for women for the 2003–2004 season.
The equipment minimums and maximums imposed by the International Ski Federation (FIS) have created a backlash from skiers, suppliers, and fans. The main objection is that the federation is regressing the equipment, and hence the sport, by two decades.
American Bode Miller hastened the shift to the shorter, more radical sidecut skis when he achieved unexpected success after becoming the first Junior Olympic athlete to adopt the equipment in giant slalom and super-G in 1996. A few years later, the technology was adapted to slalom skis as well.

## Men's slalom World Cup podiums

In the following table men's slalom World Cup podiums in the World Cup since first season in 1967.
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 1967 | Jean-Claude Killy | Guy Perillat | Heinrich Messner |
| 1968 | Dumeng Giovanoli | Jean-Claude Killy | Patrick Russel |
| 1969 | Alain Penz Alfred Matt Jean-Noel Augert Patrick Russel | | |
| 1970 | Alain Penz | Jean-Noël Augert Patrick Russel | |
| 1971 | Jean-Noël Augert | Gustav Thöni | Tyler Palmer |
| 1972 | Jean-Noël Augert | Andrzej Bachleda | Roland Thöni |
| 1973 | Gustav Thöni | Christian Neureuther | Jean-Noël Augert |
| 1974 | Gustav Thöni | Christian Neureuther | Johann Kniewasser |
| 1975 | Ingemar Stenmark | Gustav Thöni | Piero Gros |
| 1976 | Ingemar Stenmark | Piero Gros | Gustav Thöni Hans Hinterseer |
| 1977 | Ingemar Stenmark | Klaus Heidegger | Paul Frommelt |
| 1978 | Ingemar Stenmark | Klaus Heidegger | Phil Mahre |
| 1979 | Ingemar Stenmark | Phil Mahre | Christian Neureuther |
| 1980 | Ingemar Stenmark | Bojan Križaj | Christian Neureuther |
| 1981 | Ingemar Stenmark | Phil Mahre | Bojan Križaj Steve Mahre |
| 1982 | Phil Mahre | Ingemar Stenmark | Steve Mahre |
| 1983 | Ingemar Stenmark | Stig Strand | Andreas Wenzel |
| 1984 | Marc Girardelli | Ingemar Stenmark | Franz Gruber |
| 1985 | Marc Girardelli | Paul Frommelt | Ingemar Stenmark |
| 1986 | Rok Petrovič | Bojan Križaj Ingemar Stenmark Paul Frommelt | |
| 1987 | Bojan Križaj | Ingemar Stenmark | Armin Bittner |
| 1988 | Alberto Tomba | Günther Mader | Felix McGrath |
| 1989 | Armin Bittner | Alberto Tomba | Marc Girardelli Ole Kristian Furuseth |
| 1990 | Armin Bittner | Alberto Tomba Ole Kristian Furuseth | |
| 1991 | Marc Girardelli | Ole Kristian Furuseth | Rudolf Nierlich |
| 1992 | Alberto Tomba | Paul Accola | Finn Christian Jagge |
| 1993 | Thomas Fogdö | Alberto Tomba | Thomas Stangassinger |
| 1994 | Alberto Tomba | Thomas Stangassinger | Jure Košir |
| 1995 | Alberto Tomba | Michael Tritscher | Jure Košir |
| 1996 | Sebastien Amiez | Alberto Tomba | Thomas Sykora |
| 1997 | Thomas Sykora | Thomas Stangassinger | Finn Christian Jagge |
| 1998 | Thomas Sykora | Thomas Stangassinger | Hans Petter Buraas |
| 1999 | Thomas Stangassinger | Jure Košir | Finn Christian Jagge |
| 2000 | Kjetil André Aamodt | Ole Kristian Furuseth | Matjaž Vrhovnik |
| 2001 | Benjamin Raich | Heinz Schilchegger | Mario Matt |
| 2002 | Ivica Kostelić | Bode Miller | Jean-Pierre Vidal |
| 2003 | Kalle Palander | Ivica Kostelić | Rainer Schönfelder |
| 2004 | Rainer Schönfelder | Kalle Palander | Benjamin Raich |
| 2005 | Benjamin Raich | Rainer Schönfelder | Manfred Pranger |
| 2006 | Giorgio Rocca | Kalle Palander | Benjamin Raich |
| 2007 | Benjamin Raich | Mario Matt | Jens Byggmark |
| 2008 | Manfred Mölgg | Jean-Baptiste Grange | Reinfried Herbst |
| 2009 | Jean-Baptiste Grange | Ivica Kostelić | Julien Lizeroux |
| 2010 | Reinfried Herbst | Julien Lizeroux | Silvan Zurbriggen |
| 2011 | Ivica Kostelić | Jean-Baptiste Grange | André Myhrer |
| 2012 | André Myhrer | Ivica Kostelić | Marcel Hirscher |
| 2013 | Marcel Hirscher | Felix Neureuther | Ivica Kostelić |
| 2014 | Marcel Hirscher | Felix Neureuther | Henrik Kristoffersen |
| 2015 | Marcel Hirscher | Felix Neureuther | Alexander Khoroshilov |
| 2016 | Henrik Kristoffersen | Marcel Hirscher | Felix Neureuther |
| 2017 | Marcel Hirscher | Henrik Kristoffersen | Manfred Mölgg |
| 2018 | Marcel Hirscher | Henrik Kristoffersen | André Myhrer |
| 2019 | Marcel Hirscher | Clément Noël | Daniel Yule |
| 2020 | Henrik Kristoffersen | Clément Noël | Daniel Yule |
| 2021 | Marco Schwarz | Clément Noël | Ramon Zenhäusern |
| 2022 | Henrik Kristoffersen | Manuel Feller | Atle Lie McGrath |
| 2023 | Lucas Braathen | Henrik Kristoffersen | Ramon Zenhäusern |
| 2024 | Manuel Feller | Linus Straßer | Timon Haugan |

## Women's slalom World Cup podiums

In the following table women's slalom World Cup podiums in the World Cup since first season in 1967.
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 1967 | Annie Famose | Marielle Goitschel | Nancy Greene |
| 1968 | Marielle Goitschel | Gertrud Gabl Florence Steurer |
| 1969 | Gertrud Gabl | Kiki Cutter | Ingrid Lafforgue |
| 1970 | Ingrid Lafforgue | Barbara Cochran Michèle Jacot |
| 1971 | Betsy Clifford | Britt Lafforgue | Barbara Cochran Annemarie Moser-Pröll |
| 1972 | Britt Lafforgue | Françoise Macchi Florence Steurer |
| 1973 | Patricia Emonet | Rosi Mittermaier | Monika Kaserer |
| 1974 | Christa Zechmeister | Rosi Mittermaier | Fabienne Serrat |
| 1975 | Lise-Marie Morerod | Hanni Wenzel | Christa Zechmeister |
| 1976 | Rosi Mittermaier | Lise-Marie Morerod | Danièle Debernard |
| 1977 | Lise-Marie Morerod | Perrine Pelen | Claudia Giordani |
| 1978 | Hanni Wenzel | Perrine Pelen | Fabienne Serrat |
| 1979 | Regina Sackl | Annemarie Moser-Pröll | Lea Sölkner |
| 1980 | Perrine Pelen | Hanni Wenzel | Annemarie Moser-Pröll |
| 1981 | Erika Hess | Christin Cooper | Daniela Zini |
| 1982 | Erika Hess | Ursula Konzett | Christin Cooper |
| 1983 | Erika Hess | Roswitha Steiner | Maria Rosa Quario |
| 1984 | Tamara McKinney | Roswitha Steiner | Perrine Pelen |
| 1985 | Erika Hess | Tamara McKinney | Perrine Pelen |
| 1986 | Roswitha Steiner | Erika Hess | Perrine Pelen |
| 1987 | Corinne Schmidhauser | Tamara McKinney | Erika Hess |
| 1988 | Roswitha Steiner | Vreni Schneider | Anita Wachter |
| 1989 | Vreni Schneider | Monika Maierhofer | Tamara McKinney |
| 1990 | Vreni Schneider | Claudia Strobl | Ida Ladstätter |
| 1991 | Petra Kronberger | Pernilla Wiberg | Blanca Fernández Ochoa |
| 1992 | Vreni Schneider | Pernilla Wiberg | Blanca Fernández Ochoa |
| 1993 | Vreni Schneider | Annelise Coberger | Patricia Chauvet |
| 1994 | Vreni Schneider | Pernilla Wiberg | Urska Hrovat |
| 1995 | Vreni Schneider | Pernilla Wiberg | Martina Ertl |
| 1996 | Elfi Eder | Urska Hrovat | Pernilla Wiberg |
| 1997 | Pernilla Wiberg | Claudia Riegler | Deborah Compagnoni |
| 1998 | Ylva Nowén | Kristina Koznick | Hilde Gerg |
| 1999 | Sabine Egger | Pernilla Wiberg | Anja Pärson |
| 2000 | Špela Pretnar | Christel Pascal | Anja Pärson |
| 2001 | Janica Kostelić | Sonja Nef | Martina Ertl |
| 2002 | Laure Pequegnot | Kristina Koznick | Anja Pärson |
| 2003 | Janica Kostelić | Anja Pärson | Tanja Poutiainen |
| 2004 | Anja Pärson | Marlies Schild | Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer |
| 2005 | Tanja Poutiainen | Janica Kostelić | Marlies Schild |
| 2006 | Janica Kostelić | Marlies Schild | Anja Pärson |
| 2007 | Marlies Schild | Nicole Hosp | Veronika Zuzulová |
| 2008 | Marlies Schild | Nicole Hosp | Veronika Zuzulová |
| 2009 | Maria Riesch | Šárka Záhrobská | Lindsey Vonn |
| 2010 | Maria Riesch | Kathrin Zettel | Marlies Schild |
| 2011 | Marlies Schild | Tanja Poutiainen | Maria Riesch |
| 2012 | Marlies Schild | Michaela Kirchgasser | Tina Maze |
| 2013 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Tina Maze | Veronika Velez-Zuzulová |
| 2014 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Frida Hansdotter | Marlies Schild |
| 2015 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Frida Hansdotter | Tina Maze |
| 2016 | Frida Hansdotter | Veronika Velez-Zuzulová | Wendy Holdener |
| 2017 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Veronika Velez-Zuzulová | Wendy Holdener |
| 2018 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Wendy Holdener | Frida Hansdotter |
| 2019 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Petra Vlhová | Wendy Holdener |
| 2020 | Petra Vlhová | Mikaela Shiffrin | Katharina Liensberger |
| 2021 | Katharina Liensberger | Mikaela Shiffrin | Petra Vlhová |
| 2022 | Petra Vlhová | Mikaela Shiffrin | Lena Dürr |
| 2023 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Wendy Holdener | Petra Vlhová |
| 2024 | Mikaela Shiffrin | Lena Dürr | Petra Vlhová |