Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and sport involving sliding down snow-covered hills with long, thin skis attached to each foot.
Alpine skiing evolved from cross-country skiing when ski lift infrastructure was developed at mountain resorts to tow skiers back to the top of slopes, thus making it possible to repeatedly enjoy skiing down steep, long slopes that would be otherwise too tiring to climb up. The sport is popular wherever the combination of snow, mountain slopes, and a sufficient tourist infrastructure can be built up, including parts of Europe, North America, East Asia (mainly South Korea and Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and the South America Andes.
The main technical challenges faced by skiers are simply how to control the direction and speed of their descent. Typically, novice skiers use a technique called the "snowplough" to turn and stop by pointing one or both skis inward, but more advanced skiers use more difficult but more elegant and speedier methods. Modern advanced skiing technique is dominated by "carving." To carve, a skier rolls his or her knees from side to side while keeping the upper body and hips facing down the hill, so that only the knees and feet are turned. This method of turning allows modern skis to turn without skidding or slowing down, creating a smooth arc.
More on [ Alpine skiing ]
Winter Games :: Olympics
Competition and Racing :: Alpine

International Olympic Committee - Alpine Skiing - Includes history, equipment, events, glossary, and photographs.
Meta Description: [ Olympic Sports - The current Olympic Games program includes 35 sports and nearly 400 events. There are also past Olympic sports and sports recognised by the Olympic Movement. ]
Olympic Alpine Skiing Links - Offers links to news and websites about the winter Olympic Games event.
Meta Description: [ This site has links to information about Alpine Skiing at the Olympic Games ]
United States Ski Team Alpine - Features U.S. athletes, with biographies, rankings, and news from the Olympics and event results.
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