The sports term "slalom" is a designation of movement at a speed along a specific route, usually very winding. Translated from the Norwegian language, it means "trace on the slope." Slalom is a sport that can be:
- mountainous;
- by air;
- water;
- by car.
History of slalom
For the first time in 1767, competitions were held in Norway for skiers on an unusual route. It was laid along a forest slope overgrown with bushes. Separately, the first start for the slalomists was organized in 1879 (also in Norway). The venue for the competition was Mount Gubsi, located not far from present-day Oslo.
But still, the first full-scale skiing competitions (since 1905) were held by the Austrians in the Alps. The program of the World Ski Championships in 1931 already included slalom, and since 1936 skiing became an Olympic kind. At the Olympic Games, awards are played separately for men and women alpine skiers.
Water Slalom
Rowing slalom will help you to feel the speed of descent and the danger of adventure in the summer. Athletes began to compete in water on kayaks or canoes at the Olympics not so long ago, since 1992. Moreover, this discipline was included in the list of Olympic sports again. The first time the Olympic awards were played in 1972.
Competitions are held on sections of natural rivers or artificial waterways with a water flow rate of at least 2 meters per second. This sport has its own subtleties and nuances. The athlete controls the boat by tilting his hull in a variety of planes in combination with oar jewelry.
Trails are divided into 5 difficulty levels. It depends on the speed of the current, the length of the route, the number and level of difficulty of the obstacles. Some of them are built in such a way that participants need to overcome them, swimming against the tide.
Basically, the length of the route is from 250 to 400 meters, the number of obstacles varies from 18 to 25 with difficulty up to the 3rd category. The maximum distance in slalom is 800 meters (25-30 obstacles).
By type of boat, they are divided into kayaks and canoes. They are mainly made of plastic. Boats should be fast and easy to steer. To manage them, athletes need:
- excellent coordination;
- courage;
- lightning fast reaction;
- developed tactical thinking;
- physical stamina.
Mountains and slalom
The most spectacular slalom is the mountain. It, in turn, is divided into several independent species:
- parallel;
- single;
- super giant;
- giant slalom;
- parallel giant.
All of the above disciplines apply to skiing. In addition, mountain slalom can be carried out on snowboards. This is a fairly young sport. Snowboarders, unlike skiers, stand on a monopoly sideways to the track. Snowboard slalom became the Olympic discipline only by the end of the 90s.
Slalom Track Requirements
All tracks correspond to certain requirements that are mandatory for a particular type of competition. As for the slalom discipline, it is:
- track length (the largest - in the giant slalom, up to 1000 meters);
- elevation difference (maximum indicator - 300 meters);
- the number of turns on the highway is at least 11%, maximum - 15% of the height difference;
- gate width - not less than 4 and not more than 8 meters.
The average speed on the route of descent is 40 km / h, and on a super giant a snowboarder can accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour. For comparison - skiing speed can be 150 km / h.
Slalom competitions are also held at the Paralympics. Since 2014, there have been six such disciplines. In addition to the usual ones (slalom, giant slalom, super giant, super combination, downhill), slalom on snowboards was added. Despite the complexity of its development and the risk of injury, the popularity of slalom in all its manifestations does not decrease.