Some slalom gates are “double” because a full gate is technically made of two poles, and course setters sometimes place both halves very close together to shape the line, rhythm, and visibility of the course.

Quick Scoop: What’s with the double gates?

In alpine slalom, a gate is defined as a pair of poles that the skier must pass between, usually both the same color (red or blue). In TV shots it can look like the skier is only dealing with one pole, but the “extra” pole you see nearby is just the other half of that gate. When two gates are stacked almost directly above each other in the fall line (a “verticale”/vertical combo), you’ll see red–blue (or blue–red) poles bunched together, so it looks like double gates in one spot.

Main reasons some gates look doubled

  • Course rules: The rulebook says racers must ski between two poles for each gate, so the outside pole stays even if racers only really hit the inside one.
  • Line and rhythm: “Combination” gates like verticals or flushes use pairs of very close gates to change tempo and move the course across or down the hill more abruptly.
  • Visibility for racers and viewers: Multiple poles and alternating red/blue colors make the route easier to read at high speed and easier to follow on TV.
  • Tradition: Racing technique has evolved so that athletes mainly clear the inside pole, but the extra outside pole is still kept as part of long‑standing slalom course design.

So when you see what looks like random double gates, you’re usually either seeing (a) the “other half” of a standard gate, or (b) a deliberate combination section where two full gates are set very close together to spice up the rhythm.

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