Super-G in skiing is a high-speed alpine racing event called Super Giant Slalom , which blends the speed of downhill with the tighter turns of giant slalom.

What Super-G Actually Is

  • Super-G is one of the main alpine ski racing disciplines, alongside downhill, giant slalom, and slalom.
  • It’s considered a speed event, meaning racers reach very high velocities, but still have to make more turns than in downhill.
  • The name “Super-G” is short for “Super Giant Slalom,” though people almost never say the full term.

Think of Super-G as the “sweet spot” between all-out straight-line speed and tight, technical turning.

How the Race Works

  • Racers ski down a marked course and must pass through gates (pairs of poles with a panel between them) set widely apart.
  • Each skier gets one run only ; the fastest time wins.
  • The course forces more direction changes than downhill, but at much higher speeds than giant slalom.

Course Features

  • Gates are widely spaced, typically 6–8 m wide for open gates and 8–12 m for vertical gates.
  • The vertical drop is big: for elite men roughly 350–650 m, for elite women about 350–600 m, with slightly higher minimums at Olympics and World Championships.
  • Courses are usually about 30 m wide, with occasional narrower sections depending on the terrain.

How Super-G Differs from Other Events

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Event Main Characteristic Speed Turns & Gates
Downhill Pure speed, longest course.Fastest Fewest, very wide, gentle turns.
Super-G Mix of downhill speed and giant slalom turning.Very fast More gates than downhill, fewer than giant slalom.
Giant slalom More technical, medium-radius turns.Slower than Super-G Many gates, tighter spacing.
Slalom Most technical, very short turns. Slowest Most and tightest gates.
An easy way to picture it: if downhill is like a highway and slalom is like a tight city street, **Super-G** is a fast, winding mountain road.

Gear and Style

  • Racers use long, stiff skis (around 200–205 cm for top men) with a large turn radius for stability at speed.
  • They wear aerodynamic, skin-tight speed suits instead of loose outerwear to cut wind resistance.
  • Helmets and other protective gear are mandatory, and timing is precise to hundredths of a second.

Super-G in Big Events & Today

  • Super-G became an official World Cup event in 1983 and joined the World Championships in 1987 and the Winter Olympics in 1988.
  • It’s now one of the most popular and exciting alpine disciplines to watch, especially at Olympic and World Cup races.
  • In modern broadcasts, tech like high-speed cameras, sensors, and live replays makes Super-G especially dramatic for viewers.

TL;DR: Super-G (Super Giant Slalom) is a high-speed alpine ski race where athletes take one run down a course with widely spaced gates, combining downhill-style speed with more turns and technical precision.

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