Alpine Skiing at Milan-Cortina 2026

Over 300 athletes from more than 70 nations will compete across 10 alpine skiing events at the 2026 Winter Games. Competition venues include the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio for men’s events and Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre for women’s races, scheduled from February 7-18.

Discipline Breakdown

Downhill: The Ultimate Speed Test

Considered alpine skiing’s premier event, downhill features athletes reaching speeds exceeding 140 km/h (89 mph) on courses with vertical drops of 500-1,100 meters. Competitors wear specialized bodysuits and protective gear while navigating steep, icy slopes during a single high-stakes run. Historical records show downhill first appeared at the 1936 Winter Games as part of the combined event before becoming a standalone Olympic discipline in 1948.

Super-G: Hybrid Challenge

This speed-technical hybrid combines downhill velocity with giant slalom gate navigation. Athletes face vertical drops of 400-650 meters while negotiating 30-35 gates at near-downhill speeds. Unlike other events, competitors receive only a one-hour visual inspection before their single-run race. Super-G debuted at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

Slalom: Technical Precision

The most technically demanding discipline features tight, rapid turns through 40-75 closely spaced gates during two runs on the same slope. With approximately 10% of competitors typically failing to complete courses, athletes must execute precise movements while avoiding disqualification for missed gates. No practice runs are permitted – only pre-race visual inspections.

Giant Slalom: Balanced Challenge

Debuting at the 1952 Oslo Games, this discipline strikes a balance between slalom’s technical demands and super-G’s speed. Athletes complete two runs through 46-70 gates on courses with 300-450 meter vertical drops. Second-run starting positions reverse the first-run rankings, with the initial leader skiing last.

Team Combined: Nation vs Nation

This unique team event requires two athletes from the same country to compete in both downhill and slalom on the same day. The winning nation is determined by combining both competitors’ times, with athletes benefiting from pre-race downhill course access.

Competition Essentials

All speed events (downhill and super-G) feature single-run formats, while technical disciplines (slalom and giant slalom) utilize two-run cumulative timing. Course safety protocols allow multiple training runs for downhill events but limit other disciplines to visual inspections. Officials emphasize that these measures balance competitive fairness with athlete safety in high-risk disciplines.