- Paralympic alpine skiing
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A veteran skis on his monoski at Vail, Colorado
Paralympic alpine skiing is an adaptation of alpine skiing for athletes with a disability. Paralympic alpine skiing is one of the sports in the Paralympic Winter Games. It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) under the auspices of the International Ski Federation (FIS). In addition to the Paralympic Games, elite disabled ski racing includes the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships (held every four years from 1980 to 2004 and every two years beginning in 2009) and the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup, an annual international racing circuit. Below the World Cup level, races are held at the Continental Cup level. The Europa (or European) Cup is contested in Europe, and the Nor-Am Cup in North America; additionally, sub-World Cup-level races are also held in East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.
In 1984, giant slalom races for four categories of male standing skiers were held as a demonstration sport at the Winter Olympics. In 1988 a disabled GS was again demonstrated, this time for men and women but limited to "three-trackers" (above-knee amputees).
Ski racers with a disability compete in three different medal categories: standing, sitting, and visually impaired. Each of these groups is divided into three to seven classes, some of which are further subdivided into two or three sub-classes. Within each of the three major categories, times are compared by means of a "factor system" that attempts to put athletes with different disabilities on a level playing field with one another by multiplying the time of each racer in a given class or sub-class by a fixed number between zero and one called a factor. The result, known as "adjusted time," is the time that commonly appears on result lists for disabled ski races.
The disability categories for both alpine and nordic ski racing are as follows:
Standing classes Class Description Typical equipment LW 1 Double leg amputation above the knee, moderate to severe cerebral palsy, or equivalent impairment Two skis, two outriggers LW 2 Single leg amputation above the knee One ski, two outriggers LW 3 Double leg amputation below the knee, mild cerebral palsy, or equivalent impairment Two skis, two poles LW 4 Single leg amputation below the knee Two skis, two poles LW 5/7-1 Double arm amputation above the elbow Two skis, no poles LW 5/7-2 Double arm amputation, one above and one below the elbow Two skis, no poles LW 5/7-3 Double arm amputation below the elbow Two skis, no poles LW 6/8-1 Single arm amputation above the elbow Two skis, one pole LW 6/8-2 Single arm amputation below the elbow Two skis, one pole LW 9-1 Amputation or equivalent impairment of one arm and one leg above the knee Choice of equipment LW 9-2 Amputation or equivalent impairment of one arm and one leg below the knee Choice of equipment Sitting classes (monoskiers) Class Description LW 10-1 Paraplegia with no upper abdominal function and no functional sitting balance LW 10-2 Paraplegia with some upper abdominal function and no functional sitting balance LW 11 Paraplegia with fair functional sitting balance LW 12-1 Paraplegia with some leg function and good sitting balance LW 12-2 Double leg amputation above the knees Visually impaired classes Class Description B1 Totally blind B2 Visual acuity of less than 2/60 B3 Visual acuity of 2/60 to 6/60 See also
- Alpine skiing
- Alpine skiing at the Winter Paralympics
- IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships
- List of Paralympic medalists in Alpine skiing
- Skiing
- U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
External links
Categories:- Paralympic sports
- Alpine skiing
- Disabled sports
- Winter Paralympic Games
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