Slalom vs giant slalom vs super-G vs downhill
Alpine ski racing has four events. Slalom and giant slalom are the technical events: tighter turns, lower speeds and two runs, with the times added. Super-G and downhill are the speed events: fewer gates set further apart, speeds past 60 mph and a single run.
| Men’s World Cup | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Technical | Technical | Speed | Speed |
| Runs | Two, times added | Two, times added | One | One |
| Training runs | No | No | No: inspection only | Yes |
| Vertical drop | 180–220 m | 250–450 m | 350–650 m | 450–1,100 m |
| Gates | 55–75, closest together | 56–70, further apart | Fewer: at least 25 m apart | Fewest, furthest apart |
| Average speed | Roughly 25 mph | About 41 mph (66 km/h) | About 53 mph (86 km/h) | About 60 mph (96 km/h) |
| Fastest points | — | Near 60 mph | About 75 mph | About 90 mph; record 100.6 mph |
| CarveMania top speed | 34 mph | 64 mph | 79 mph | 96 mph |
Real-world figures are for men’s World Cup races. The last row is the Course Setter’s fastest run in CarveMania.
Slalom vs giant slalom
Slalom gates are set much closer together, so the turns are shorter and quicker and the speeds lower, roughly 25 mph against about 40 mph in giant slalom. Giant slalom courses are longer, with a bigger vertical drop and wider, rounder turns on longer skis. Both are two-run technical events.
Super-G vs downhill
Downhill is longer and faster, with fewer turns, bigger jumps and training runs on the days before the race. Super-G has more gates and more turning, a shorter course and no training runs. Both are one-run speed events: super-G averages about 53 mph (86 km/h) in men’s World Cup races, downhill about 60 mph (96 km/h).
Giant slalom vs super-G
Super-G is giant slalom stretched out and sped up: its gates are at least 25 m apart and the course drops further, so racers carry speeds around 53 mph against about 41 mph in GS. GS is raced in two runs; super-G in one, with no training run.
Which is the fastest?
Downhill racers average about 60 mph (96 km/h) over a men’s World Cup course, and 80 mph (130 km/h) is common at the fast points; on the fastest courses they pass 90 mph. The fastest speed recorded in a World Cup downhill is 100.6 mph (161.9 km/h), by France’s Johan Clarey at Wengen in 2013.
Race all four
CarveMania has a green, blue and black course in each event, free in your browser. Every finished run is replayed on our server before it counts, so the world records are real.
- SlalomRace slalom free in your browser: hairpins, flushes and delays on three courses, green to black.
- Giant SlalomRace giant slalom free in your browser: round, carved turns on three courses, green to black, with world records to set.
- Super-GRace super-G free in your browser at up to 79 mph: big turns, jumps and ice on three courses.
- DownhillRace downhill free in your browser at up to 96 mph: tucks, jumps and ice on three courses.
Sources: Slalom skiing (Wikipedia), Giant slalom (Wikipedia), Super-G (Wikipedia), Downhill (Wikipedia), Speed in World Cup alpine ski racing, Gilgien et al., Fastest World Cup downhill skiing speed (Guinness World Records).