Alpine skiing at the 2018 Winter Paralympics

Events and disciplines

The Paralympic alpine programme included five primary race types:

• Downhill — a single high-speed run with long, sweeping turns and the highest velocities.
• Super-G — a speed event with a greater emphasis on turning technique than downhill.
• Super Combined — a combined result from one speed run (downhill or Super-G) and one slalom run.
• Giant slalom — technical event with two runs on a course set with widely spaced gates.
• Slalom — the most technical discipline, featuring two runs on a course with closely spaced gates requiring rapid, short-radius turns.

Classification and equipment

To ensure fair competition, athletes are grouped by functional ability into broad sport classes: sitting, standing and visually impaired. Within these groups, time-adjustment factors may be applied so that athletes with different impairments can compete together. Visually impaired skiers race with a sighted guide and communicate by voice or radio; both athlete and guide are recognized when medals are awarded. Athletes in sitting classes typically use a sit-ski or mono-ski and outriggers, while standing skiers may use prostheses, orthoses or adapted poles.

Format, scoring and significance

Most technical events (slalom and giant slalom) use two-run formats with combined times determining the outcome; speed events are usually decided by a single run. The Super Combined aggregates a speed run and a technical run into a single combined time. Alpine skiing at the Paralympics showcases high levels of athleticism and technological adaptation and remains one of the central and most spectator-visible winter para-sports.

Notable aspects

The Paralympic alpine programme highlights teamwork in visually impaired events and innovation in adaptive equipment. Results contribute to national medal tallies and to athletes’ international rankings. The sport has evolved with improvements in classification, course-setting and equipment, increasing both safety and competitiveness at each Winter Paralympics.