Downhill (DH) Skiing

An alpine skiing discipline, which involves the speedy descent down a hillside with tight turns and jumps. Speeds can be in excess of 60 mph.

A downhill course is normally designed to challenge the best skiers in a variety of tasks: skiing at high speeds over ice, through difficult turns, extreme steeps, flats, and huge airs (jumps). A typical downhill course begins at or near the top of a piste that has been specially groomed for the race. Water or salt are often spread throughout the course to increase speed and inhibit dangerous rutting. Gates are spaced great distances apart, although not out of sight from each other.