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Getting Prepared for Slalom Downhill Skiing
from: Maxx Adventure TravelDownhill skiing has become a major recreational sport after many centuries of simply being a necessary mode of transport in areas of the world where winter weather conditions made most other modes of transportation impossible. Downhill skiing, also called alpine skiing in European, has been popular as a recreational activity ever the 1920s.
Skiing is easy to understand since it's simply gliding down a mountain slope that's covered with snow, which makes it a potentially dangerous activitiy if a skier isn't properly prepared with the right equipment, training and physical strength.
Over the years, this activity has become more than just a recreational activity, since downhill skiing fanatics have devised many different variations of the sport using the skills required for downhill skiing. These variations include slalom racing and giant slalom racing, which are basically downhill skiing that integrate a number of twists and turns.
Slalom Racing
Slalom racing is designed to tests a skier's overall agility, balance and speed. Of course, just skiing down a slope is challenging enough, so why not throw in a few more challenges along the way?
With slalom racing, a skier's expertise is challenged by adding zigzags and quick turns to their run down the slope. That means, of course, if you're not proficient at downhill skiing, chances are you're not going to survive a slalom race for very long. Slalom racing is definitely not for downhill skiing newbies.
Slalom racing usually requires two courses. The first course has gates that each skier must rapidly go through back and forth and once completed, they're ready to take on the second course.
This phase of slalom racing is a sprint race, which provides the ultimate test of skill and agility. The winner of a slalom racing is the skier who records the fastest time completing the two courses.
You might have the impression that slalom racing is a lot like weaving through an obstacle course -- and you'd be absolutely correct.
Giant Slalom Racing
With the success of slalom racing, another downhill skiing event has also gained popularity among extreme sport enthusiasts. Giant slalom racing is a larger version of slalom racing and a major test of a skier's techniques, strength and ability to correctly choose the best options for completing the course in the shortest possible time.
Both Slalom Racing and Giant Slalom Racing requires skiers to take specific measures to prepare for their event.
Preparing for a Downhill Racing Event
If you're planning to compete in either race, it's recommend that you enroll in off snow training, which is downhill skiing training that doesn't necessarily take place in real snow.
Downhill skiing centers teach beginners at improvised sites that are made of synthetic snow or snow-similar materials, and this helps a beginner acquire necessary downhill skiing skills.
Once this step is completed, the trainee can move on to snow training, which is the second level of the downhill skiing training. Beginner's will need to do extremely well during the first stage before advancing to snow trainings.
Of course, as with other sport that use special equipment, downhill racing athletes need to make sure their ski poles and skis are in tip top condition, which means prepping their skis several hours before their downhill racing event by using coats and waxes on the skis and by cleaning their tools with care.
Once this is done, you're ready to race! Best of luck!
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