Half-pipe skiing

Half-pipe skiing

Half-pipe skiing at the World Skiing Invitational
Highest governing body International Ski Federation
Presence
Olympic 2014

Half-pipe skiing is the sport of riding snow skis on a half-pipe. Competitors perform a series of tricks while going down the pipe. The current world record for highest jump in a half-pipe is held by Peter Olenick, with 24 feet 11 inches (7.59 metres).[1] The sport is considered to be dangerous compared to other sports, and helmets are required to be worn during competitions. Half-pipe skiing has been part of the Winter X Games since 2002, and made its Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. David Wise of the United States of America became the first Olympic champion in this discipline with a total of 92.00 points.[2][3]

Competitions

Half-pipe skiing was formally endorsed by the International Ski Federation in June 2010,[4] and was approved by the International Olympic Committee in April 2011 to be an official sport 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.[5] It has been a part of the Winter Dew Tour,[6] the World Skiing Invitational,[7][8] and the inaugural 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.[9] Currently, the world record for the highest half-pipe ski jump is held by Peter Olenick with 24 feet 11 inches (7.59 metres).[1]

Superpipe skiing

Superpipe skiing is an alternate form of half-pipe skiing that utilizes a superpipe (large halfpipe used in extreme sports), instead of a half-pipe. It has been a part of the Winter X Games since 2002.[10] The 2012 Winter X Games champion was David Wise[11] with a high score of 93.00.[12]

Safety concerns

Half-pipe skiing is considered to be a dangerous sport compared to other forms of skiing.[13] In January 2012, Sarah Burke died due to injuries suffered during a training accident.[14][15] Helmets are required during competition, and there are airbags on the sides of pipes during practice runs.[15] Colorado governor Bill Owens signed a law which protected ski-resorts from injury-related lawsuits.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shay Williams (2010-02-01). "Peter Olenick Wins X Games High Air - Freeskier Magazine". Freeskier.com. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  2. ↑ http://olympics.cbc.ca/news/article/article=men-freestyle-skiing-halfpipe.html
  3. ↑ http://www.sochi2014.com/en/freestyle-skiing-schedule-and-results
  4. ↑ Symms, John. "FIS endorses Ski Halfpipe for Olympics — ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  5. ↑ "IOC approves ski Halfpipe for 2014 Winter Olympics; postpones decision on Ski and Snowboard Slopestyle — ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2011-04-06. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  6. ↑ "2012 Winter Dew Tour Snowbasin freeski coverage — ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  7. ↑ "AFP World Championships starts Thursday in Whistler - ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  8. ↑ "World Skiing Invitational coming to Whistler this week - ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2011-04-24. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  9. ↑ Innsbruck 2012. "Freestyle Skiing". Innsbruck 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  10. ↑ "2011 Winter X Games preview: Men's Ski SuperPipe - ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  11. ↑ Bien, Louis (2012-01-28). "Winter X Games 2012, Men's Ski SuperPipe Final: David Wise Takes Home The Gold". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  12. ↑ powder.com published: January 28, 2012 (2012-01-28). "Men's Halfpipe Finals | POWDER Magazine". Powdermag.com. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  13. ↑ Robert J. Johnson; Jasper E. Shealy; T. Yamagishi (1 January 2006). Skiing Trauma and Safety. ASTM International. pp. 22–. ISBN 978-0-8031-3400-3. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  14. ↑ Keh, Andrew (2012-01-19). "Sarah Burke, Canadian Freestyle Skier, Dies of Injuries". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Canadian skier Sarah Burke dies from injuries sustained in superpipe accident". Fox News. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  16. ↑ Skiing. October 2004. p. 38. ISSN 0037-6264. Retrieved 9 November 2012.

External links