Olympic-Alpine skiing-From artistry to athletic power: how Alpine skiing has evolved

BORMIO, Italy, Feb 15 : Alpine skiing, now in the spotlight at the Milano Cortina Winter Games, has undergone a quantum leap in technology and course preparation over the past quarter‑century, fundamentally changing how athletes race and train.

Former Alpine skiing champions and coaches said the shift from narrow, straight skis to deeply side-cut carving skis in the mid-to-late 90s was the sport's biggest revolution. The move replaced skidded turns with clean, arcing ones.

"The biggest change certainly was the carving quantum 'jump' about 25 years ago, the change of the skis," said Austrian-born Marc Girardelli, who won five overall World Cups in the 1980s and 1990s racing for Luxembourg.

"Before it was more like an artistic coming‑around‑the‑corner. Now the ski makes the turn by itself, as long as the skier stays centred on it," Girardelli, one of the most successful skiers of his generation, said on the sidelines of the Alpine skiing Olympic events in Bormio.

The advent of high-performing carving skis boosted the ability to build speed in clean turns, said Danilo Sbardellotto, a former Italian World Cup racer and coach.

"We used to set up the turn, but with skis that were so straight they would sometimes slip out, you’d mess up the turn, and lose speed," he told Reuters. 

"Now, instead, when you put these skis on edge, they’re so precise that you generate much more speed and a far stronger exit, gaining incredible acceleration as you come out of the turn."

SPORT HAS BECOME MORE PHYSICALLY DEMANDING

Even though the new equipment has improved the ease of turning, maintaining contact with the terrain requires more intense athletic preparation to cope with the increased physical demands on skiers.  

"The equipment has increased the