Alpine skiing combined
Encyclopedia
Combined is an alpine skiing
event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill
, super G
, giant slalom
, and slalom
.
(FIS) introduced the super combined (or "super combi"), consisting of a single run of slalom (which may be run first, but is usually not) and normally a shortened downhill run (or a super G run). This new format (SC) lessened the advantage of the slalom specialists in the event. In either type of combined event, the winner is the skier with the fastest aggregate time. (Until the 1990s, a complicated point system was used to determine placings in the combined event.)
debuted at the Winter Olympics in 1936
held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, Bavaria
, Germany
; the combined was the only event. The combined was one of three medal events included in the next Olympics in 1948
, along with downhill and slalom. The combined used the results of the only downhill race (02-Feb) with two runs of combined slalom (04-Feb). The regular "special" slalom (two runs) was held the following day. With the introduction of the giant slalom
in 1952
, the combined event disappeared from the Olympics for four decades, until re-introduced in 1988
. Through 1980
, the Winter Olympics also served as the world championships. The world champion in the combined was determined by the results of the Olympic downhill and slalom races, as the combined event was not run separately and was determined "on paper". The top three finishers in the combined event were awarded world championship medals by the FIS, but not Olympic medals from the IOC
. The world championships were held in even-numbered years from 1948-82
, then skipped the 1984 Olympics
. The world championships resumed in 1985
, and have since been scheduled for odd-numbered years (1995 was postponed to 1996
, due to lack of snow in southeastern Spain
).
In the Winter Olympics and world championships, the slalom and downhill portions of a combined event are run separately from the regular downhill and slalom events on shorter, and often less demanding, race courses. On the World Cup
circuit, normal combined events have been "paper races", combining skiers' times from a separately scheduled downhill race and slalom race, generally held at the same location over two days. Since 2005, the FIS has begun to replace these "calculated" combineds with super combined events held all on one day, which administrators hope will convince more skiers from more nations to compete in all disciplines.
in Wengen
, Switzerland
, on January 14th; Benjamin Raich
of Austria
was the winner. The first women's race in the new format was run six weeks later in San Sicario
, Italy
; won by Croatia
's Janica Kostelić
on February 27th. The 2006
World Cup calendar included three super combis and just one traditional combined race on the men's side, while the women raced two super combis and no traditional combineds. Kostelić won the first three women's World Cup super combis.
Beginning with the 2007
season, the FIS began awarding a fifth discipline-champion "crystal globe" to the points winner of combined races; the 2007 season included five combined races for each gender. Nine out of the ten scheduled combineds use the new super-combined format, the only exception was Kitzbühel
, Austria
, which continued with the traditional three-run format (K), albeit in a "paper race".
The change to super combined resulted in major disapproval in the slalom-oriented part of the skiing community, the loudest critic being Ivica Kostelić
.
, Sweden
, and debuted at the Winter Olympics
in 2010
at Whistler
, B.C.
, Canada
.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
, super G
Super Giant Slalom skiing
The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:...
, giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
, and slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
.
Traditional & Super-Combined
A traditional combined (K) consists of one run of downhill and two runs of slalom, in that order. In 2005, the International Ski FederationInternational Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
(FIS) introduced the super combined (or "super combi"), consisting of a single run of slalom (which may be run first, but is usually not) and normally a shortened downhill run (or a super G run). This new format (SC) lessened the advantage of the slalom specialists in the event. In either type of combined event, the winner is the skier with the fastest aggregate time. (Until the 1990s, a complicated point system was used to determine placings in the combined event.)
History
Alpine skiingAlpine skiing at the Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. From 1948–80, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years...
debuted at the Winter Olympics in 1936
Alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics
At the 1936 Winter Olympics at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, alpine skiing was arranged for the first time in the Olympics, a combined event for men and women....
held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; the combined was the only event. The combined was one of three medal events included in the next Olympics in 1948
Alpine skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics
At the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the six alpine skiing events were held from Monday, February 2 to Thursday February 5, 1948.After these games, the combined event was dropped as an Olympic medal event for four decades, until 1988...
, along with downhill and slalom. The combined used the results of the only downhill race (02-Feb) with two runs of combined slalom (04-Feb). The regular "special" slalom (two runs) was held the following day. With the introduction of the giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
in 1952
Alpine skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics
At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, the six alpine skiing events were held from Thursday, February 14 to Wednesday, February 20, 1952.The giant slalom made its Olympic debut, and the combined event was dropped as an Olympic medal event for four decades, until 1988...
, the combined event disappeared from the Olympics for four decades, until re-introduced in 1988
Alpine skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events, held near Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten events were held at the Nakiska ski area in Kananaskis from February 15-27, 1988....
. Through 1980
Alpine skiing at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1980 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held near Lake Placid, New York, U.S.A.. The races were held at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington from February 14–23, 1980....
, the Winter Olympics also served as the world championships. The world champion in the combined was determined by the results of the Olympic downhill and slalom races, as the combined event was not run separately and was determined "on paper". The top three finishers in the combined event were awarded world championship medals by the FIS, but not Olympic medals from the IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
. The world championships were held in even-numbered years from 1948-82
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 were held in Schladming, Austria, between January 31 and February 7, 1982. The women's races were held in Haus im Ennstal....
, then skipped the 1984 Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held near Sarajevo, Yugoslavia .The men's races were held at Bjelašnica, the women's at Jahorina from February 13-19, 1984....
. The world championships resumed in 1985
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985 were held in Bormio, northern Italy between January 31 and February 10, 1985.These were the first world championships held in an odd-numbered year, and the last without the Super-G event....
, and have since been scheduled for odd-numbered years (1995 was postponed to 1996
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996 were held at Sierra Nevada near Granada city in southeastern Spain, February 12-25, 1996. The championships were to be held in 1995, but were postponed due to lack of snow.-Medals table:...
, due to lack of snow in southeastern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
).
In the Winter Olympics and world championships, the slalom and downhill portions of a combined event are run separately from the regular downhill and slalom events on shorter, and often less demanding, race courses. On the World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
circuit, normal combined events have been "paper races", combining skiers' times from a separately scheduled downhill race and slalom race, generally held at the same location over two days. Since 2005, the FIS has begun to replace these "calculated" combineds with super combined events held all on one day, which administrators hope will convince more skiers from more nations to compete in all disciplines.
World Cup Super Combined
The first super combined was a World Cup race held in 20052005 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 39th World Cup season began in October 2004 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in March 2005 at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. The overall winners were Bode Miller of the U.S. and Anja Pärson of Sweden....
in Wengen
Lauberhorn
The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, on January 14th; Benjamin Raich
Benjamin Raich
Benjamin Raich is a champion alpine ski racer who won gold medals in the giant slalom and slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics of Turin, Italy...
of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
was the winner. The first women's race in the new format was run six weeks later in San Sicario
San Sicario Fraiteve
San Sicario Fraiteve is a venue built for the 2006 Winter Olympic. It seated 6,160 spectators, including 5,660 seated and 500 standing, for the women's alpine skiing downhill, super-G, and combined. The course has an overall length of ....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; won by Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
's Janica Kostelić
Janica Kostelic
Janica Kostelić is a retired alpine ski racer from Croatia. She is the only woman to win four gold medals in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics , and the only woman to win three alpine skiing gold medals in one Olympics ....
on February 27th. The 2006
2006 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 40th World Cup season began in October 2005 and concluded at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden, in March 2006. The schedule included a nearly month-long break in February for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy....
World Cup calendar included three super combis and just one traditional combined race on the men's side, while the women raced two super combis and no traditional combineds. Kostelić won the first three women's World Cup super combis.
Beginning with the 2007
2007 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 41st World Cup season was scheduled to begin on October 28, 2006, but cancellation of the opening races in Sölden delayed the season's start by two weeks. A very poor snowpack in the Alps, along with stormy weather in January, caused numerous races to be moved and rescheduled throughout the...
season, the FIS began awarding a fifth discipline-champion "crystal globe" to the points winner of combined races; the 2007 season included five combined races for each gender. Nine out of the ten scheduled combineds use the new super-combined format, the only exception was Kitzbühel
Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel
The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, which continued with the traditional three-run format (K), albeit in a "paper race".
The change to super combined resulted in major disapproval in the slalom-oriented part of the skiing community, the loudest critic being Ivica Kostelić
Ivica Kostelic
Ivica Kostelić is an alpine ski racer from Zagreb, Croatia. He won the world championship in slalom in 2003 and three Olympic silver medals in slalom and combined , along with the overall World Cup title in 2011 and 18 World Cup races during his career...
.
World Championships & Winter Olympics
The super combined format was used for the first time at the world championships in 2007 in ÅreÅre (ski area)
Åre is an alpine ski area in Sweden, founded in 1909. It is located in Åre Municipality, Jämtland, just outside and above the village of Åre, approximately 80 km from the city of Östersund. The ski lift system is on the Åreskutan mountain, at an elevation of 1420 meters ; its absolute summit...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and debuted at the Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. From 1948–80, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years...
in 2010
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The ten events were scheduled for February 13–27, 2010; weather delayed the first event, the men's downhill, two days until Monday, February 15....
at Whistler
Whistler-Blackcomb
Whistler Blackcomb is a major ski resort located 125 km north of Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada. By many measures it is the largest ski resort in North America; it is 50% larger than its nearest competitor in terms of size, has the greatest uphill lift capacity, and until 2009, had...
, B.C.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
See also
- List of Olympic medalists in alpine skiing
- List of Paralympic medalists in alpine skiing
- List of World Champions in alpine skiing