Women
- Piste
- Piste Nationale
- Medals
- 18:30, Medal Plaza, Ycoor
- Bib draw the evening before
- Wed 10 February, 18:45, Medal Plaza
GS · Technical
Giant slalom
GS · Technical
The discipline of the perfect turn: two runs, gates closer than in super-G, and the total time decides.
2runs
10m
300m
0.07s
In motion
In 2027 in Crans-Montana
Men
- Piste
- Piste Nationale
- Medals
- 18:30, Medal Plaza, Ycoor
- Bib draw the evening before
- Thu 11 February, 18:45, Medal Plaza
AlsoWed 10 February: Women's giant slalom qualification · Thu 11 February: Men's giant slalom qualification (time not yet published)
How it works
- 01
Two runs, for men and women, on two different courses. The ranking adds both times.
- 02
Vertical drop 250 to 450 m for men, 250 to 400 m for women, at least 300 m at the World Championships.
- 03
Gates of four poles and two panels, 4 to 8 m wide, at least 10 m between two turning poles.
- 04
In the second run the top 30 from the first start in reverse order: 30th goes first, the leader last.
- 05
In Crans-Montana a qualification race is held the day before each giant slalom.
For this discipline
- Start interval
- 60 s as a rule, never under 30 s
- Direction changes
- 11 to 15% of the vertical drop (400 m drop: 44 to 60)
The vertical drop, to scale
The gates from above, to scale
Why it is worth watching
The rules call for a mix of long, medium and short turns that use the terrain. Racers must carry speed from one turn to the next, on the edge, without skidding. Two runs mean the same demand twice, and the first-run leader goes last knowing the time to beat.
A little history
The giant slalom came after the downhill and the slalom: it became Olympic at the Oslo Games, in 1952.
Great moments
- 1987
Crans-Montana. Pirmin Zurbriggen wins by 7 hundredths over Marc Girardelli; Alberto Tomba, 20, takes bronze, his first world podium. For the women, Vreni Schneider's first world title.
- 1988
Calgary. Alberto Tomba wins the Olympic giant slalom and slalom.
- 1998
Nagano. Hermann Maier adds giant slalom gold to his super-G title, six days after his downhill crash.
In 1987 in Crans-Montana
Women
- 1Vreni Schneider2:21.22
- 2Mateja Svet+0.56
- 3Maria Walliser+2.29
Men
- 1Pirmin Zurbriggen2:32.38
- 2Marc Girardelli+0.07
- 3Alberto Tomba+0.75
Saalbach 2025
Defending champions
The reigning world champions, crowned in Saalbach in February 2025. Names and codes as the FIS results database writes them.
Women
- 1BRIGNONE Federica2:22.71
- 2ROBINSON Alice+0.90
- 3MOLTZAN Paula+2.62
Men
- 1HAASER Raphael2:39.71
- 2TUMLER Thomas+0.23
- 3MEILLARD Loic+0.51
What to watch for
- 01
The second run is the tense one: the first-run leader starts last, and every athlete who crosses the line becomes the time to beat.
- 02
Look at the tracks: a good giant slalom turn leaves a thin line, no skid.
- 03
Between runs (10:00 and 13:30) there is time to go down to Ycoor. Bib draws at the Medal Plaza on 10 and 11 February at 18:45.
Giant slalom
The quiz
Five questions, every answer is on this page.
Pages done · 0/8
Do all eight quizzes to earn the Spectator's diploma.
Photo credits
- 01
- 02