The beauty of Downhill Skiing

The wonderful fact is that this sport is accessible to everyone. Downhill skiing is a sport enjoyed by millions of skiers across the globe.

Downhill skiing or alpine skiing as it is sometimes referred to was pioneered as a sport in the early 1900's by British born Sir Arnold Lunn. Sir Arnold traveled to Switzerland and used the existing railway lines around Interlaken as upward access to the mountains, thus negating the need for cross country or telemark skis to ascend the slopes. The equipment used for downhill skiing has progressed enormously from these early days when skis were made purely of wood, ski boots were leather and held to the skis with cables. One of the biggest changes came with metal edges, which allowed the skier to grip on harder snow. The advent of plastic ski boots further enhanced the control a skier had, giving a quicker response and more stability when downhill skiing in any snow conditions.

Today skis consist of many different materials including carbon, resin and wood. The most popular ski development in recent times is the carving ski which has a wider tip and tail and is narrow in the middle. This allows the skier to turn with a smaller radius and with less effort than a traditional straight ski. Some would claim it has revolutionised the sport of downhill skiing for recreational skiers and racers alike.

These ski's have their limitations of use. People learn downhill skiing at all stages in life. Although fairly demanding physically it is possible to learn downhill skiing with a moderate fitness level. There is a typical progression that is taught by all ski schools and ski instructors around the world and the emphasis is always on safety, enjoyment and learning. Once beginners master the art of stopping and changing direction they can progress quickly to longer and more challenging downhill skiing slopes. In Europe, the most popular place to go downhill skiing is in the major premier alpine regions.

Downhill skiing is the number one winter sport in mountain areas. The pinnacle of the sport being the World Cup and Olympic downhill skiing events. Downhill ski racers compete against each other in timed descents of a marked course typically lasting up to 2 minutes for the men and a little less for the women. Downhill ski racers reach speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour that places enormous physical pressure on their bodies. The downhill ski racer will try and stay in a low position as much as possible. This is often referred to as a tuck position and is used to increase speed, as it is an effective aerodynamic shape. Learning to downhill ski from scratch is fun and easy.

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