Slalom skiing

Internationally, the sport is contested at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, and at the Olympic Winter Games.

Ufsilåm was a trail with one obstacle (ufse) like a jump, a fence, a difficult turn, a gorge, a cliff (often more than 10 metres (33 ft) high), et cetera.

During the late 19th century Norwegian skiers participated in all branches (jumping, slalom, and cross-country) often with the same pair of skis.

Mathias Zdarsky's development of the Lilienfeld binding helped change hill races into a specialty of the Alps region.

Because the offsets are relatively small in slalom, ski racers take a fairly direct line and often knock the poles out of the way as they pass, which is known as blocking.

[10] With the innovation of shaped skis around the turn of the 21st century, equipment used for slalom in international competition changed drastically.

Out of concern for the safety of athletes, the FIS began to set minimum ski lengths for international slalom competition.

The equipment minimums and maximums imposed by the International Ski Federation (FIS) have created a backlash from skiers, suppliers, and fans.

[11] American Bode Miller hastened the shift to the shorter, more radical sidecut skis when he achieved unexpected success after becoming the first Junior Olympic athlete to adopt the equipment in giant slalom and super-G in 1996.