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81-516: Theodore Sharp Ligety (born August 31, 1984) is a retired American alpine ski racer , a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and an entrepreneur, having cofounded Shred Optics . Ligety won the combined event at the 2006 Olympics in Turin and the giant slalom race at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi . He is also a five-time World Cup champion in giant slalom ( 2008 , 2010 , 2011 , 2013 and 2014 ). Ligety won

162-562: A bronze medal in 2009 in Val d'Isère behind Carlo Janka and Benjamin Raich he won the GS world title in 2011 besting Cyprien Richard and Philipp Schörghofer . Ligety repeated as world champion in GS in 2013 , ahead of Marcel Hirscher and Manfred Mölgg and again in 2015 . At Schladming in 2013, he became a triple world champion in giant slalom , super-G , and combined at Planai . Ligety became

243-452: A fourth-place finish in the giant slalom at the 2007 World Championships in Åre , Sweden , missing a medal by 0.07 seconds. He finished eleventh overall in 2007 . Ligety won his first World Cup season title in the giant slalom in 2008 , and finished fifth in the overall standings. He won the final two giant slaloms of the year at Kranjska Gora and Bormio to edge out two-time defending champion Benjamin Raich of Austria for

324-409: A hard plastic/resin shell with inner padding. Modern ski helmets may include many additional features such as vents, earmuffs, headphones, goggle mounts, and camera mounts. The protective gear used in alpine skiing includes: helmets, mouth guards, shin guards, chin guards, arm guards, back protectors, pole guards, and padding. Mouth guards can reduce the effects of a concussion and protect the teeth of

405-542: A jump, a fence, a difficult turn, a gorge, a cliff (often more than 10 metres (33 ft) high), et cetera. Uvyrdslåm was a trail with several obstacles. A Norwegian military downhill competition in 1767 included racing downhill among trees "without falling or breaking skis". Sondre Norheim and other skiers from Telemark practiced uvyrdslåm or "disrespectful/reckless downhill" where they raced downhill in difficult and untested terrain (i.e., off piste). The 1866 "ski race" in Oslo

486-591: A length of 203–207 centimetres (79.9–81.5 in) in the 1980s and 1990s but by the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City , the majority of competitors were using skis measuring 160 cm (63.0 in) or less. The downside of the shorter skis was that athletes found that recoveries were more difficult with a smaller platform underfoot. Out of concern for the safety of athletes, the FIS began to set minimum ski lengths for international slalom competition. The minimum

567-506: A margin of 0.28 sec. Ligety notched his fifth World Cup victory in January, his third win at Kranjska Gora in as many seasons. At the finals in Garmisch , Germany , he finished on the podium to secure his second season title in giant slalom, and finished seventh in the overall standings. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics at Whistler , he finished ninth in the giant slalom (on February 23, he

648-399: A men's course is 180 to 220 m (591 to 722 ft) and measures slightly less for women. The gates are arranged in a variety of configurations to challenge the competitor. Because the offsets are relatively small in slalom, ski racers take a fairly direct line and often knock the poles out of the way as they pass, which is known as blocking. (The main blocking technique in modern slalom

729-399: A normal downhill ski which would most likely sink into the snow. Freestyle skis are used by skiers who ski terrain parks. These skis are meant to help a skier who skis jumps, rails, and other features placed throughout the terrain park. Freestyle skis are usually fully symmetric, meaning they are the same dimensions from the tip of the ski to the backside (tail) of the ski. All-mountain skis are

810-402: Is a device used to connect the skier's boot to the ski. The purpose of the binding is to allow the skier to stay connected to the ski, but if the skier falls the binding can safely release them from the ski to prevent injury. There are two types of bindings: the heel and toe system (step-in) and the plate system binding. Ski boots are one of the most important accessories to skiing. They connect

891-399: Is cross-blocking, in which the skier takes such a tight line and angulates so strongly that he or she is able to block the gate with the outside hand.) Racers employ a variety of protective equipment, including shin pads, hand guards, helmets and face guards. Traditionally, bamboo poles were used for gates, the rigidity of which forced skiers to maneuver their entire body around each gate. In

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972-462: Is from Norwegian dialects slalåm meaning a trail ( låm ) on a slope ( sla ). In Telemark in the 1800s, the steeper and more difficult trails were called ville låmir (wild trails). Skiing competitions in Telemark often began on a steep mountain, continued along a logging-slides ( tømmerslepe ) and was completed with a sharp turn ( Telemark turn ) on a field or frozen lake. This type of competition used

1053-447: Is made of plastic and contains the buckles. Most ski boots contain a strap at shin level to allow for extra strength when tightening the boots. Ski poles, one in each hand, are used for balance and propulsion. Ski helmets reduce the chances of head injury while skiing. Ski helmets also help to provide warmth to the head since they incorporate an inner liner that traps warmth. Helmets are available in many styles, and typically consist of

1134-438: Is measured by percent slope, not degree angle. A 100% slope is a 45-degree angle. In general, beginner slopes (green circle) are between 6% and 25%. Intermediate slopes (blue square) are between 25% and 40%. Difficult slopes (black diamond) are 40% and up. Although slope gradient is the primary consideration in assigning a trail difficulty rating, other factors come into play. A trail will be rated by its most difficult part, even if

1215-430: Is regressing the equipment, and hence the sport, by two decades. American Bode Miller hastened the shift to the shorter, more radical sidecut skis when he achieved unexpected success after becoming the first Junior Olympic athlete to adopt the equipment in giant slalom and super-G in 1996. A few years later, the technology was adapted to slalom skis as well. In the following table men's slalom World Cup podiums in

1296-429: Is rotated onto its edge, the pattern cut into its side causes it to bend into an arc. The contact between the arc of the ski edges and the snow naturally causes the ski to tend to move along that arc, changing the skiers direction of motion. This is an advanced form of speed control by increasing the pressure on one inside edge (for example the right ski), then releasing the pressure and shifting immediately to increasing

1377-490: Is the only racer with more GS season titles (8). Although a GS specialist, Ligety is among the few alpine ski racers to have a World Cup podium finish in all five disciplines. Both in 2013 and 2014 , he was the racer with the most victories that season and among the top three with the most podiums. Ligety has won seven medals in the World Championships , five of them gold. He won three of them in giant slalom, after

1458-404: Is the stem, angling the tail of the ski off to the side, while the tips remain close together. In doing so, the snow resists passage of the stemmed ski, creating a force that retards downhill speed and sustains a turn in the opposite direction. When both skis are stemmed, there is no net turning force, only retardation of downhill speed. Carving is based on the shape of the ski itself; when the ski

1539-425: Is typically practiced at ski resorts , which provide such services as ski lifts , artificial snow making , snow grooming , restaurants, and ski patrol . " Off-piste " skiers—those skiing outside ski area boundaries—may employ snowmobiles , helicopters or snowcats to deliver them to the top of a slope. Back-country skiers may use specialized equipment with a free-heel mode, including 'sticky' skins on

1620-515: The Morgedal / Seljord dialect of the Norwegian word "slalåm": "sla", meaning "slightly inclining hillside", and "låm", meaning "track after skis". The inventors of modern skiing classified their trails according to their difficulty. Slalåm was a trail used in Telemark by boys and girls not yet able to try themselves on the more challenging runs. Ufsilåm was a trail with one obstacle ( ufse ) like

1701-568: The PyeongChang Olympics . He came in fifth in the men's combined event, but following a disappointing finish in the giant slalom, he decided to skip the slalom event and leave South Korea early to focus on the World Cup. Ligety has won six national championships, putting him behind the all-time record of nine, held by Bode Miller and Tiger Shaw . Following his Olympic gold medal at Turin, he started Shred Optics in 2006; Ligety designs all

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1782-713: The World Championships , and the Winter Olympics . Broadly speaking, competitive skiing is divided into two disciplines: Other disciplines administered by the FIS but not usually considered part of alpine are speed skiing and grass skiing . The triple crown of alpine skiing consists of winning all three World Cup titles in one season or all three Gold medals at the Winter Olympic Games in Slalom , Giant slalom , and Downhill skiing events. Only two people have ever accomplished

1863-495: The giant slalom and the slalom , but he failed to complete either event. Following his Olympic victory in the combined, Ligety recorded his first World Cup victory, a win in the giant slalom in Yongpyeong , South Korea . He finished ninth in the overall World Cup standings for the year, marking the first time that three American men had placed in the top 10 (along with Bode Miller in third and Daron Rahlves in fourth), despite

1944-488: The giant slalom at the 2011 World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen , Germany . Fourth after the first run, Ligety won by 0.08 seconds over Cyprien Richard of France. He won his third season title in giant slalom in 2011. Even though Ligety was able to win three giant slalom races during the season, he was dethroned as the discipline champion by an overall champion Marcel Hirscher from Austria. Before

2025-458: The stem christie in Christiania (Oslo) in 1868, the technique was originally called christiania turn (norwegian: christianiasving or kristianiasving ) after the city (first printed in 1901 in guidelines for ski jumping). The telemark turn was the alternative technique. The christiania turn later developed into parallel turn as the standard technique in alpine skiing. The term "slalom"

2106-510: The super combined event and successfully defended his title in the giant slalom . It was the first time in 45 years that one male skier won three gold medals in one championships. Ligety won three giant slalom races prior to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi . On January 17, Ligety gained his 20th World Cup victory with a win in the super combined event in Wengen , his first (and only) World Cup win outside

2187-679: The 103 ski resorts in the Northeastern United States operating in 2012 may not be able to maintain an economically viable ski season by 2050. In Europe, half of the glacial ice in the Alps has melted and the European Geosciences Union projects snowpack in the mountains could decline 70 percent by 2100 (however, if humans manage to keep global warming below 2 °C, the snow-cover reduction would be limited to 30 percent by 2100). Slalom skiing The term slalom comes from

2268-489: The Junior World Championships in 2004. He made his first start in a World Cup event during the 2004 World Cup season in the giant slalom at Park City. In the summer of 2004, Ligety and U.S. Ski Team head coach Sasha Rearick studied Fu Style Tai Chi. The next winter in the 2005 season , Ligety was added to the U.S. Ski Team full-time, during which he had four top-15 finishes in slalom, placing 24th overall in

2349-585: The Oslo championships at Huseby and Holmenkollen . Mathias Zdarsky 's development of the Lilienfeld binding helped change hill races into a specialty of the Alps region. The rules for the modern slalom were developed by Arnold Lunn in 1922 for the British National Ski Championships, and adopted for alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics . Under these rules gates were marked by pairs of flags rather than single ones, were arranged so that

2430-556: The Super G at Lake Louise on November 26 (DNF), and finishing seventh in the giant slalom on December 3, 2017, at Beaver Creek . He went on to compete at the FIS World Cup events in Garmisch-Partenkirchen , Wengen , Adelboden , Alta Badia , and Val d`Isere . Ligety was named to the US Olympic team on January 6, 2018 to compete in the combined, Super G, giant slalom, and slalom races at

2511-475: The athlete. Shin guards, pole guards, arm guards and chin guards are mainly used in slalom skiing in order to protect the body parts having impact with the gates. Back protectors and padding, also known as stealth, is worn for giant slalom and other speed events in order to better protect the body if an athlete were to have an accident at high speeds. Elite competitive skiers participate in the FIS World Cup ,

Ted Ligety - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-406: The bindings to be more closely matched to the fit of the boot, and offer improved performance. The new plastic model contained two parts of the boots: an inner boot and an outer shell. The inner part of the boot (also called the liner) is the cushioning part of the boot and contains a footbed along with a cushion to keep a skier's foot warm and comfortable. The outer shell is the part of the boot that

2673-947: The bottoms of the skis to stop them sliding backwards during an ascent, then locking the heel and removing the skins for their descent. Alpine ski racing has been held at the Winter Olympics since 1936 . A competition corresponding to modern slalom was introduced in Norway at Oslo in 1886. As of 2023, there were estimated to be 55 million people worldwide who engaged in alpine skiing. The estimated number of skiers, who practiced alpine, cross-country skiing , and related snow sports, amounted to 30 million in Europe, 20 million in North America, and 14 million in Japan. As of 1996, there were reportedly 4,500 ski areas, operating 26,000 ski lifts and enjoying skier visits. The predominant region for downhill skiing

2754-472: The course in the first leg. After racing for four seasons on Rossignol skis, Ligety switched his equipment supplier to Head in the summer of 2010, as fellow American champions Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller did in previous seasons. Ligety won his sixth World Cup race in December 2010, his first win on home snow in the U.S. , taking the giant slalom by a substantial 0.82 seconds at Beaver Creek , Colorado ,

2835-462: The discipline. Ligety recorded his first World Cup podium finish in the first slalom of the season , at Beaver Creek in December, and followed that up with a second and a third during the next three slaloms. Ligety's first major victory of his professional career came at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , held at Sestriere . Ligety won the gold medal in the men's combined event, a major upset after

2916-443: The early 1980s, rigid poles were replaced by hard plastic poles, hinged at the base. The hinged gates require, according to FIS rules, only that the skis and boots of the skier go around each gate. The new gates allow a more direct path down a slalom course through the process of cross-blocking or shinning the gates. Cross-blocking is a technique in which the legs go around the gate with the upper body inclined toward, or even across,

2997-412: The fact that he did not compete in downhill or super-G that year. - It was a little surprise that Ted Ligety's first win was in a giant slalom because he wasn't known as a good giant slalom racer (he had only placed in the top ten in one race before, being 8th at Sölden on October 23, 2005 - and he had bib-number 18, a number which is behind the top fifteen of the world; at that time he was far better in

3078-431: The fall line without gaining speed. The snowplough turn is the simplest form of turning and is usually learned by beginners. To perform the snowplough turn one must be in the snowplough position while going down the ski slope. While doing this they apply more pressure to the inside of the opposite foot of which the direction they would like to turn. This type of turn allows the skier to keep a controlled speed and introduces

3159-417: The fall line, across the hill instead of down it, will accelerate more slowly. The speed of descent down any given hill can be controlled by changing the angle of motion in relation to the fall line, skiing across the hill rather than down it. Downhill skiing technique focuses on the use of turns to smoothly turn the skis from one direction to another. Additionally, the skier can use the same techniques to turn

3240-604: The feat: In most ski resorts, the runs are graded according to comparative difficulty so that skiers can select appropriate routes. The grading schemes around the world are related, although with significant regional variations. A beginner-rated trail at a large mountain may be more of an intermediate-rated trail on a smaller mountain. In the United States and Canada, there are four rating symbols: Easy (green circle), Intermediate (blue square), and Difficult (black diamond), and Experts Only (double black diamond) Ski trail difficulty

3321-537: The fifth man in history to win three or more gold medals at one world championships and the first in 45 years, when Jean-Claude Killy won four in 1968 at Chamrousse , with the combined as a "paper race." Ligety is the first racer of either gender to win the super-G, giant slalom, and combined at one world championships. Through a Citi charitable program, Ligety supports Youth Enrichment Services , an organization located in Boston founded in 1968, that takes urban youth to

Ted Ligety - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-559: The first-ever gold medal for an American man in the discipline. Ligety became the first male American ski racer in history to win two Olympic gold medals in his career. After the Olympics, Ligety won the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora for a record sixth time. At the season finals in Lenzerheide he surprisingly finished second, tied with Christof Innerhofer , in the downhill race. The result

3483-491: The gate; in this case the racer's outside pole and shinguards hit the gate, knocking it down and out of the way. Cross-blocking is done by pushing the gate down with the arms, hands, or shins. By 1989, most of the top technical skiers in the world had adopted the cross-block technique. With the innovation of shaped skis around the turn of the 21st century, equipment used for slalom in international competition changed drastically. World Cup skiers commonly skied on slalom skis at

3564-402: The giant slalom discipline. Entering the Olympics, Ligety was considered a favorite to medal in three disciplines, but he finished 12th in the super combined and 14th in the super-G . While under pressure as a big favorite to win a gold in the giant slalom , Ligety began his first run with an attacking attitude and established a 0.93 second lead. He skied carefully on the second run to secure

3645-823: The gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2011 World Championships . He successfully defended his world title in giant slalom in 2013 in Schladming , Austria, where he also won an unexpected gold medal in the super-G and a third gold medal in the super combined . Ligety planned to participate in the 2021 World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo but withdrew due to an injury, which prompted his retirement from ski racing in early February, 2021. He finished his career with 25 victories (24 in giant slalom and 1 super combined) and 52 podiums in World Cup competition. His Olympic giant slalom gold medal, 24 GS World Cup wins, 3 GS world championship gold medals and 5 World Cup titles put him among

3726-415: The idea of turning across the fall line.  Modern alpine skis are shaped to enable carve turning, and have evolved significantly since the 1980s, with variants including powder skis, freestyle skis, all-mountain skis, and children's skis. Powder skis are usually used when there is a large amount of fresh snow; the shape of a powder ski is wide, allowing the ski to float on top of the snow, compared to

3807-464: The knee, head, neck and shoulder area, hands and back. Ski helmets are highly recommended by professionals as well as doctors. Head injuries caused in skiing can lead to death or permanent brain damage.   In alpine skiing, for every 1000 people skiing in a day, on average between two and four will require medical attention. Most accidents are the result of user error leading to an isolated fall. Learning how to fall correctly and safely can reduce

3888-460: The last giant slalom race which was held on March 17 at Schladming , Hirscher was in lead with 605 points ahead to Ted with 513 points. Therefore, Ted was forced to attack as powerful as he was able to do but he did fall in the first leg; he did continue but he finished on the 29th place (it was the last place), he had a deficite of 11.16 seconds to leading (it was not Hirscher, who was second) Hannes Reichelt . But Ted had lost; his only rehabilitation

3969-415: The most common type of ski, and tend to be used as a typical alpine ski. All-mountain skis are built to do a little bit of everything; they can be used in fresh snow ( powder ) or used when skiing groomed runs. Slalom race skis, usually referred to as race skis, are short, narrow skis, which tend to be stiffer because they are meant for those who want to go fast as well as make quick sharp turns. The binding

4050-461: The mountains and teaches them how to ski and snowboard. He is married and has three children, a son born in 2017 and twin sons born in 2020. Alpine skiing Alpine skiing , or downhill skiing , is the pastime of sliding down snow -covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings , unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country , Telemark , or ski jumping ), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for recreation or for sport , it

4131-486: The natural and typical terrain in Telemark. Some races were on "bumpy courses" ( kneikelåm ) and sometimes included "steep jumps" ( sprøytehopp ) for difficulty. The first known slalom competitions were presumably held in Telemark around 1870 in conjunction with ski jumping competitions, involving the same athletes and on slopes next to the ski jump. Husebyrennet from 1886 included svingrenn (turning competition on hills),

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4212-567: The new ski 7° more it would have the same turning radius than the old 27m ski. The greater knee angulation would then increase the risk of injury. Doubts if the new rules would affect his level of skiing didn't last long as Ligety won the first race of the season in Soelden by a huge margin of 2.75 seconds over Manfred Moelgg who finished second. The season turned out to be the best in Ligety's career as he finished on podium in all eight giant slalom races of

4293-428: The other inside edge (the left ski). Then repeat if necessary. Each increased pressure slows the speed. Alternating right and left allows the skis to remain parallel and point ahead without turning. The increase and release sequence results in the up and down motions of the upper body. Some skiers go down the top of moguls and control the speed by checking at the tops. This is how they can practically go straight down

4374-420: The prelude (giant slalom) race at Sölden on October 23 (finishing 5th), and he finished 11th in the giant slalom on December 4 at Val d'Isère . He was not able to finish the following two giant slalom races due to back pain, and subsequently returned to the United States. On January 17, Ligety announced he would have season-ending back surgery. Ligety returned to the World Cup racing late in 2017, competing in

4455-462: The products and uses them himself. The company produces ski goggles, sunglasses , and helmets. Ligety served as the Director of Skiing for the now-bankrupt Mt. Holly Club, a private luxury ski and golf resort in southwestern Utah. It is located in eastern Beaver County , on the site of the former Elk Meadows ski area (1971–84). Unofficial, tied with Alexis Pinturault Ingemar Stenmark

4536-476: The racers had to use a variety of turn lengths to negotiate them, and scoring was on the basis of time alone, rather than on both time and style. A course is constructed by laying out a series of gates, formed by alternating pairs of red and blue poles. The skier must pass between the two poles forming the gate, with the tips of both skis and the skier's feet passing between the poles. A course has 55 to 75 gates for men and 40 to 60 for women. The vertical drop for

4617-455: The rest of the trail is easy. Ski resorts assign ratings to their own trails, rating a trail compared only with other trails at that resort. Also considered are width of the trail, sharpest turns, terrain roughness, and whether the resort regularly grooms the trail. In 2014, there were more than 114,000 alpine skiing-related injuries treated in hospitals, doctor's offices, and emergency rooms. The most common types of ski injuries are those of

4698-467: The risk of injury. According to a 2004 Harvard Medical School study, alpine skiing burns between 360 and 532 calories per hour. Winter season lengths are projected to decline at ski areas across North America and Europe due to the effects of global warming . In the United States, winter season lengths are projected to decline by more than 50 percent by 2050 and by 80 percent by 2090 if greenhouse gas emissions continue at current rates. About half of

4779-423: The season and winning six of them. That feat helped him to regain the discipline title. In overall standings Ligety finished on the career best 3rd place. Ligety made his season even more impressive by winning three gold medals at the World Championships in Schladming . The first gold he won surprisingly in super-G race which was his first victory in the discipline in an international level. Ligety then won also

4860-488: The season tied with 560 points. The Crystal Globe was however awarded to Ligety who won due to having five discipline victories during the season compared to Hirscher's two. This was the fifth giant slalom title in Ligety's career. - Hirscher lost the title in that last giant slalom race with a deficit of 0.01 seconds to the 3rd place (achieved by Felix Neureuther ) which is awarded 60 points, therefore 10 points more than fourth place. The 2015 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup season

4941-408: The season title. He also recorded four other podium finishes: a second and a third in giant slalom and two third places in slalom. In addition to his title, Ligety ranked seventh in combined and ninth in slalom. When the last giant slalom race was started on March 14, Ligety was ahead to Raich with a margin of 27 points, but in that actual race he was only seventh-placed after the first leg while Raich

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5022-425: The season with another second at the finals in Åre , Sweden , which left him ranked third in GS and ninth overall for the season. Taking the bronze medal on February 13 (and starting with bib number 1) he had to strain because he was only ninth-placed (with a deficit of 1.71 sec. to leadinh Carlo Janka ) after the first leg. In the second leg he took the lead und remained there until Benjamin Raich overtook him with

5103-515: The second run, to finish 0.45 ahead of Hirscher and secure his third consecutive world title in the discipline. Ligety won the season's first race, a giant slalom on October 25, 2015, at Sölden , Austria. While training on January 27 at Oberjoch , Germany , he tore the ACL in his right knee, which required surgery and ended his 2016 season. Ligety returned to World Cup racing in October 2016, competing in

5184-479: The site of his first podium five years earlier. It was the first World Cup victory in the U.S. (and North America ) by an American male in four years; the last was by Bode Miller in the downhill at Beaver Creek in December 2006 . Six days later, Ligety won the next GS race in Val d'Isère , France , by over a full second. He won his third consecutive GS race at Alta Badia , Italy , the following week. In February he won his first world championship , taking gold in

5265-430: The ski away from the direction of movement, generating skidding forces between the skis and snow which further slow the descent. Good technique results in a fluid flowing motion from one descent angle to another one, adjusting the angle as needed to match changes in the steepness of the run. This looks more like a single series of S's than turns followed by straight sections. The oldest and still common type of turn on skis

5346-399: The skier to the skis, allowing them full control over the ski. When ski boots first came about they were made of leather and laces were used. The leather ski boots started off as low-cut, but gradually became taller, allowing for more ankle support, as injuries became more common . Eventually the tied laces were replaced with buckles and the leather boots were replaced with plastic. This allowed

5427-447: The slalom by finishing 3rd at Beaver Creek on December, 4th, and also at Kranjska Gora in December 2005, and indeed finishing second at Adelboden on January 8). On that March 5, he was only 8th-placed after the first leg (with a deficite of 1.13 sec. behind leading Davide Simoncelli but he was able to overtake all elite racers in the second leg). - It took long until he could achieve a second win (Kranjska Gora on March 8, 2008). In

5508-414: The summer of 2006, Ligety changed his ski supplier from Völkl to Rossignol . With Rahlves' retirement, Ligety began to compete in all five events. However, he managed only two podium finishes during the season, a second in slalom and a third in giant slalom. Disappointingly, he had three fourth-place finishes, one in giant slalom, one in super combined, and one in the World Cup finals downhill, as well as

5589-564: The term slalåm had not been introduced at that time. Slalom was first used at a skiing competition in Sonnenberg in 1906. Two to three decades later, the sport spread to the rest of Europe and the US. The first slalom ski competition occurred in Mürren , Switzerland in 1922. A skier following the fall line will reach the maximum possible speed for that slope. A skier with skis pointed perpendicular to

5670-460: The three greatest giant slalom skiers of all time, according to Ski-DB. Ligety was born in Salt Lake City , Utah , the son of Cyndi Sharp and Bill Ligety, who are real estate agents. He grew up in Park City and began skiing at two and racing at ten. He attended The Winter Sports School and graduated in 2002. Ligety was named to the U.S. Skiing Development Team and won a silver medal in slalom in

5751-581: The two racers favored to win the event failed to finish the slalom portion. At age 21, he became the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in alpine skiing in a dozen years, since Tommy Moe won the downhill at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer , Norway . Ligety also became just the fourth American male skier to win Olympic gold, along with Moe, Phil Mahre (slalom, 1984) and Bill Johnson (downhill, 1984). At Turin, Ligety also participated in

5832-413: The winter when they froze over. Skiing was an integral part of transportation in colder countries for thousands of years. In the 1760s, skiing was recorded as being used in military training. The Norwegian army held skill competitions involving skiing down slopes, around trees and obstacles while shooting. The birth of modern alpine skiing is often dated to the 1850s, and during the late 19th century, skiing

5913-505: Was Europe, followed by Japan and the US. The ancient origins of skiing can be traced back to prehistoric times in Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway where varying sizes and shapes of wooden planks were found preserved in peat bogs . The word ski is related to the Old Norse word skíð , which means "split piece of wood or firewood." Skis were first invented to cross wetlands and marshes in

5994-458: Was a combined cross-country, jumping and slalom competition. In the slalom participants were allowed use poles for braking and steering, and they were given points for style (appropriate skier posture). During the late 19th century Norwegian skiers participated in all branches (jumping, slalom, and cross-country) often with the same pair of skis. Slalom and variants of slalom were often referred to as hill races. Around 1900 hill races were abandoned in

6075-554: Was adapted from a method of transportation to a competitive and recreational sport. Norwegian legend Sondre Norheim first began the trend of skis with curved sides, and bindings with stiff heel bands made of willow . Norheim also trended the slalom turn style. The wooden skis designed by Norheim closely resemble the shape of modern slalom skis. Norheim was the champion of the first downhill skiing competition, reportedly held in Oslo, Norway in 1868. Norheim impressed spectators when he used

6156-411: Was eighth-placed after the first leg, 0.60 sec. behind leading Carlo Janka , but he couldn't do better in the second leg) and fifth in the super combined on February 21. He was fifteenth in the downhill portion and first in the one slalom run, to finish a half-second out of the medals. In the "special slalom" race (held on February 27; he had bib number 16), only a brief time elapsed when he came out of

6237-491: Was his first ever podium in downhill and made him only the second American skier in history, after Bode Miller , to podium in all five alpine skiing disciplines. Ligety then finished fifth in the final super-G race. Before the last giant slalom race of the season Ligety was trailing Marcel Hirscher by 50 points for the discipline title. However, Ligety won the race on March 15 with a 0,03 second advantage over Alexis Pinturault and with Hirscher finishing fourth, both skiers ended

6318-481: Was initially set at 155 cm (61.0 in) for men and 150 cm (59.1 in) for women, but was increased to 165 cm (65.0 in) for men and 155 cm (61.0 in) for women for the 2003–2004 season . The equipment minimums and maximums imposed by the International Ski Federation (FIS) have created a backlash from skiers, suppliers, and fans. The main objection is that the federation

6399-589: Was less successful for Ligety as he was able to win just one race and finished third in the giant slalom standings and eleventh overall. At the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2015 held in Beaver Creek, Ligety finished third in the super combined event despite being ranked 29th after the downhill leg. In the giant slalom , placed fifth after the first run and trailing by 0.24 to then leading favorite Marcel Hirscher, Ligety skied impressively in

6480-495: Was second-placed. But Ligety did do a phenomenal best time in the second leg, becoming first ahead to Raich. Ligety opened defense of his 2008 giant slalom title with a third-place finish in Sölden , Austria , and then placed second at Beaver Creek , Colorado . At the 2009 World Championships in Val d'Isère , France , Ligety took the bronze medal in the giant slalom, then won his fourth World Cup race at Kranjska Gora . He finished

6561-406: Was that he could achieve the quickest time in the second leg, and finishing 25th (with a deficite of 10.03 seconds to Hirscher, who was victorious at last - but not gaining any point because in the final races there are only the best 15 can gain points). Ligety was very skeptical of the new FIS rules for the giant slalom , and cited David Dodge. Dodge stated that it was well known that if one tipped

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