why do skiers hit the flags

Skiers “hit the flags” (really the flexible poles and gate flags) in slalom and giant slalom because it’s actually the fastest way down the course, not a mistake.

Quick Scoop

In modern alpine racing, the goal is to ski the tightest possible line through each gate so you travel a shorter distance and keep more speed. That ideal line is so close to the gate that racers’ boots, shins, and hands naturally knock the poles and flags out of the way, which is why you see them smacking into them on TV.

What the flags (gates) do

• Gates mark the legal corridor the racer must pass through; missing one usually means disqualification.

• The flags visually highlight the gate so racers can read the rhythm of the course at high speed.

• In technical events (slalom, GS), gates are set in patterns that force quick, precise turns around them.

Think of the flags as “checkpoints” in a 3D slalom puzzle. The skier wants the straightest line that still clips every checkpoint.

Why racers hit them on purpose

Racers are not trying to avoid the poles; they are trying to ski so close that they barely clear them.

• Shortest path: The fastest route is the straightest line that still passes correctly through each gate, and that path often runs essentially through the gate.

• Blocking, not dodging: Instead of turning wider to go neatly around the pole, racers block it with their shins, knees, or hands and let it slap out of the way while their skis stay on the tight racing line.

• Maintaining speed: A wider, more “respectful” arc around every gate means more turning, more edging, and more snow pushed aside—this costs time. Hitting the flags lets them cut the turn shorter and keep more speed.

From the side, it looks chaotic. In reality, the contact is calculated: they plan which body part will take each hit and in what order.

Does hitting the flags slow them down?

A single pole impact does absorb a bit of energy, but it’s outweighed by the time gained from skiing a tighter line.

• If you ski wide to avoid all contact, you travel extra distance and spend longer in each turn.
• If you ski tight and “block” the gates, you lose a tiny bit to impact, but you save more by travelling the shorter path and carrying higher speed.

At the World Cup or Olympic level, hundredths of a second matter, so almost everyone skis this aggressive, gate-bashing style.

Gear and technique for hitting flags

Because gate contact is expected, racers and equipment are set up for it.

• Protection: Shin guards, pole guards on the hands, padded suits, and sometimes face or arm protection are standard to handle repeated hits.

• Technique:
  1. Line up the skis to pass just on the correct side of the gate.
  2. Use the outside hand or shin to smack the pole out of the way at the last moment.
  3. Immediately set up for the next gate in the rhythm.
• Flexible poles: Modern slalom poles are hinged and spring back, designed to bend when struck rather than stand rigid like old wooden gates.

A typical run for a top slalom racer involves dozens of such planned impacts in under a minute.

Forum-style angle & “trending topic”

If you look at recent forum and Q&A threads about “why do skiers hit the flags,” you’ll see the same confusion: many casual viewers think racers are being sloppy or “missing” the ideal line. Experienced racers in those discussions explain that if you’re not hitting at least some gates in modern slalom, you’re probably skiing too conservatively. As ski tech and course setting have evolved over the last couple of decades, this ultra-tight, gate- bashing style has just become the norm.

“It looks like they’re crashing into stuff on the way down, but that’s actually good technique now.” — a common sentiment in ski forums when this comes up.

Bottom line (TL;DR)

Skiers hit the flags because:

1. The gates define the course and must be passed correctly.

2. The fastest, shortest line runs so close that the racer’s body naturally smacks the poles out of the way.

3. Protective gear and flexible poles make this aggressive style both viable and standard at the top level.

So those loud “whacks” you hear aren’t mistakes; they’re the sound of racers squeezing every fraction of a second out of the course.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.