Alpine Skiing Rules, Scoring & Competition Format — A Complete Guide

The basics

Fastest time wins. In slalom and giant slalom, skiers complete two runs and their combined time determines the ranking. A missed gate means disqualification.

How Alpine Skiing Is Judged and Won at the Winter Olympics

At first glance, alpine skiing looks simple: point downhill and go fast. But beneath that straightforward premise sits a layered rulebook maintained by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) that governs everything from the shape of the course to the thousandths-of-a-second timing splits that separate gold from silver.

The Six Olympic Disciplines

Alpine skiing at the Winter Games features six events for both men and women:

  • Downhill — the pure speed event, with courses dropping 800–1,100 meters vertically for men (450–800 m for women). Speeds regularly exceed 130 km/h.
  • Super-G (Super Giant Slalom) — a blend of speed and technical turning. Gates are farther apart than in giant slalom but closer than in downhill.
  • Giant Slalom (GS) — two runs on two different course sets. The combined time determines the winner.
  • Slalom — the most technical discipline, with gates set as close as 0.75 meters apart. Also decided over two runs.
  • Combined — one downhill run and one slalom run; the lowest aggregate time wins.
  • Team Parallel — introduced at PyeongChang 2018, nations of four skiers race head-to-head in a bracket format on side-by-side parallel courses.

Course Rules and Gate Requirements

Every course must meet strict FIS specifications. In downhill, the course must include at least one section where the racer is airborne and one significant change in direction. Gate panels in slalom are alternating red and blue, each consisting of two poles connected by a panel. Crucially, racers only need to pass both feet and both ski tips between the gate poles — they are allowed (and expected) to smash the panels aside with their shins and hands.

In giant slalom, gates are set at least 10 meters apart, while slalom gates can be as tight as 0.75 meters. The course-setter, chosen by the FIS technical delegate, designs each run, which is why Run 1 and Run 2 in GS or slalom often feel like completely different races.

Timing and Scoring

Alpine skiing uses electronic timing accurate to 1/100th of a second. Photocells at the start and finish lines record the exact moment a racer’s legs break the beam. In the event of a timing malfunction, hand timing (accurate to 1/10th of a second) serves as backup.

For two-run events (slalom, GS, combined), the times from both runs are added together. The starting order for Run 2 is typically the reverse of Run 1 standings — meaning the leader after Run 1 goes last, often onto a more torn-up course. When Petra Vlhová edged Mikaela Shiffrin in the Beijing 2022 slalom by just 0.08 seconds, that Run 2 inversion played a crucial role.

Disqualification (DNF vs. DSQ vs. DNS)

Three codes define a racer who doesn’t finish with a valid time:

  • DNS (Did Not Start) — the racer never left the gate.
  • DNF (Did Not Finish) — the racer started but failed to cross the finish line, usually after crashing or missing a gate they couldn’t correct.
  • DSQ (Disqualified) — the racer finished but was judged to have missed a gate or committed a rule violation. Video review is used extensively; gate judges on the hill carry flags and can report infractions immediately.

A straddled gate — where one ski passes on each side of a pole — is an automatic DSQ. Missing a gate entirely is also a DSQ unless the racer climbs back up and re-enters the course correctly, which almost never happens competitively.

The Bib System and Seeding

Starting position matters enormously. In speed events, a smooth early course gives an advantage. FIS uses world ranking points to seed the top 30 athletes; in downhill, the top seeds draw bibs 1–15 and choose their starting position. In technical events, the top 15 by ranking ski first in Run 1, with positions 16–30 going next.

Equipment Regulations

FIS mandates minimum ski lengths (e.g., 218 cm for men’s downhill, 165 cm for men’s slalom) and maximum boot height. Ski suits must meet air permeability tests to prevent aero-suit advantages. Helmets meeting FIS safety standards are mandatory in all events — a rule tightened after several high-profile crashes in the 2000s.

Olympic-Specific Rules

Unlike the World Cup circuit, the Olympics allow only four entries per country per event (with a maximum quota of 22 total alpine athletes per nation). This means dominant ski nations like Austria and Switzerland must make hard selection choices. The Olympic course must be homologated (certified) by FIS at least one season before the Games.

Rules topics

Common confusion

Why do slalom skiers smash into the gates instead of going around them?
The rules only require both ski tips and both feet to pass between the two gate poles. The rest of the body can hit or push the panel aside. Racers deliberately knock gates down with their shins and hands to take a tighter, faster line. Specialized shin guards and hand protectors are worn for exactly this purpose.
What's the difference between a DNF and a DSQ?
A DNF (Did Not Finish) means the racer failed to reach the finish line, usually due to a crash or skiing off-course. A DSQ (Disqualified) means the racer crossed the finish line but was ruled to have missed a gate or broken a rule — their time is thrown out. A DSQ typically comes from video review after the run.
Why do the same racers sometimes compete in slalom but not downhill (and vice versa)?
Alpine skiing's six disciplines require very different skill sets. Downhill and super-G reward raw speed and aerodynamic tuck; slalom and GS demand rapid edge-to-edge turning. While a few athletes cross over (Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, for instance, raced both speed and technical events), most specialize. The combined event is the one discipline designed for versatile skiers.
How do they decide the starting order in the second run?
In two-run events (slalom and GS), the top 30 finishers from Run 1 start in reverse order for Run 2 — the 30th-place skier goes first, and the Run 1 leader goes 30th. This creates drama but also a disadvantage for the leader, since the course deteriorates with each racer. Skiers outside the top 30 go before the reversed group, in their Run 1 finishing order.
Can a disqualified skier protest or appeal?
Yes. The racer's team can file a protest with the FIS jury within a set time window after the result is posted. The jury reviews video evidence from multiple angles. If the evidence is inconclusive, the DSQ may be overturned and the time reinstated. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, several gate-straddling calls were reviewed via video before being confirmed.
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