Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and artificial ice allow more flexibility. Playing areas and fields consist of either snow or ice.
Kenneth John Read is one of the most respected sport leaders in Canada. This World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian. He won five World Cup races during his ten-year international career, all in downhill.
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Atle Skårdal is a former World Cup alpine ski racer in the speed events of Downhill and Super-G. Since 2012, he is FIS racing director for women races, as successor of Kurt Hoch. A two-time world champion in the Super-G in 1996 and 1997, he was also the World Cup champion in Super-G in 1996. Skårdal competed at the 1988 and 1994 Winter Olympics, with a 6th place in the 1994 Super G his best finish.
Massimiliano "Max" Blardone is a retired World Cup alpine ski racer from Italy. He specialized in the discipline of giant slalom. Since 2016 he has been a sports commentator for RAI.
Bernhard Russi is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. Born in Andermatt in the canton of Uri, he is an Olympic, World Cup, and World champion in the downhill event.
Steven Lee is an Australian alpine skier. He competed in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics, and had a competitive career lasting just on 25 years. He is the second of only 3 Australian skiers ever to claim victory on the Alpine World Cup circuit. He has also done sports commentating for channels 7, 9 and 10, co-owns Chill Factor magazine, and is a national selector and president of Falls Creek Race Club. He has worked in movies with Roger Moore and Jackie Chan.
John Kucera is a retired World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada.
Herbert Plank is a former Italian alpine skier who competed in the 1976 Winter Olympics and in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Kjetil Jansrud is a Norwegian World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic champion. He races in all alpine disciplines apart from slalom, and his best event used to be the giant slalom where he has six World Cup podiums and an Olympic silver medal. Since 2012, he has concentrated on the speed events, where all but two of his World Cup victories have come. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, he won the super-G and placed third in the downhill. At the World Championships in 2019 at Åre, Jansrud won gold in the downhill.
Gauthier de Tessières is a World Cup alpine ski racer from France, and has competed in two Winter Olympics and five World Championships. He made his breakthrough on the Alpine Skiing World Cup in a giant slalom in Val-d'Isère in December 2008, where after finishing 30th in the first run to narrowly qualify for the second run, he worked his way up to finish third overall, bettering his previous World Cup personal best of 15th. He won the silver medal in the super-G at the 2013 World Championships, after being added to the French team as an injury replacement. De Tessières announced his retirement from competition in January 2014 after he was not selected for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Kristaps Zvejnieks is an Alpine ski racer and inline Alpine slalom racer from Latvia. He competed for Latvia at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He competed in slalom and giant slalom and his best result was a 37th place in the slalom. He competes in FIS, CIT, EC and WC levels. He had his first World Cup start in Schladming on 24 January 2012.
Henrik Kristoffersen is a Norwegian World Cup alpine ski racer, World Champion, and Olympic medalist. He specializes in the technical events of slalom and giant slalom.
Mathieu Faivre is a French World Cup alpine ski racer, and specializes in giant slalom. He has competed for France in two Winter Olympics and five World Championships. In 2021, he won two gold medals for world titles in giant slalom and parallel giant slalom.
Dustin Cook is a Canadian World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he won a silver medal in the Super-G at the 2015 World Championships at Beaver Creek, USA.
Ryan Cochran-Siegle is an American World Cup alpine ski racer and a member of the Skiing Cochrans family. Cochran-Siegle specializes in giant slalom and super-G, and also races in downhill and combined. He made his World Cup debut on 26 November 2011. He debuted at the Winter Olympics in 2018, and in 2022, he won a silver medal in Super-G at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The Italy national alpine ski team represents Italy in International alpine skiing competitions such as Winter Olympic Games, FIS Alpine Ski World Cup and FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
The alpine skiing mixed team event competition of the Beijing 2022 Olympics was held on 20 February, on "Rainbow" course at the Xiaohaituo Alpine Skiing Field in Yanqing District. Austria won the event, with Germany second and Norway third.
Johannes Strolz is an Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer. He won the gold medal in the combined at the 2022 Olympics. He specializes in the technical events of slalom and giant slalom. He is the son of Hubert Strolz, the gold medalist in Combined at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. His father and he became the first father son duo to both win gold in Alpine Skiing at the Olympics.
