Zones & positions
Alpine Slalom Course Diagram
A gated alpine race course from above: paired poles forming gates set alternately across the fall line, and the curving line a racer takes through them.
SVG · accessible · responsive
Questions
- Why are the gates set across the slope rather than straight down it?
- Setting gates across the fall line is what forces turns. Turning across the slope is also how a skier controls speed, so gate placement is how a course setter decides both the rhythm and the pace of a run.
- What makes one alpine discipline different from another?
- Mostly gate spacing. Tightly spaced gates force short, frequent turns; gates set far apart allow long, fast arcs. The same slope can host very different events depending on how the course is set.