Alpine Skiing! Nothing like getting up on an icy mountain and strapping a pair of waxed planks to your feet, and then careening down the hill. No, honestly I love skiing. Haven't been as much as I'd like lately, but oh well.
Anyhow, they also do this in the Winter Olympics. They do it a lot faster than I do as well. A few words about the events.
Downhill: You go down the hill. You go down the hill really really fast. It's the longest course of the events, and the one with the least turns. As a result, you go really really fast. 1 Run, fastest wins.
Slalom: It's the shortest course, with nice quick turns. Two runs, fastest total time wins.
Grand Slalom: Less turns than the Slalom, but they're a lot wider. The run is a bit longer as well. Again, two runs, the lowest total wins.
Super G: A cross between Grand Slalom and downhill. Longer course than Grand Slalom, shorter than downhill. They try and pick the speed up here, while still making them turn precicely. One run, fastest run wins.
Combined: One run of downhill and two slalom runs. Fastest total time wins.
Alpine Skiing goes mostly by what would be expected. Countries like Austria and Switzerland dominate. However, there are a few surprises. For example, the medal wins by New Zeland and Spain, their only medals in the Olympic Winter Games.
Men's Medal Count Gold Silver Bronze
Austria 17 14 22
Switzerland 6 11 9
France 10 5 7
Norway 7 7 6
Italy 7 5 2
United States 3 6 1
Germany 3 3 1
Sweden 2 0 3
Liechtenstein 0 1 3
Luxembourg 0 2 0
Spain 1 0 0
Canada 0 0 2
Japan 0 1 0
Yugoslavia 0 1 0
Slovenia 0 0 1
Women's Medal Count Gold Silver Bronze
Austria 9 14 12
Germany 10 9 8
Switzerland 10 7 7
United States 7 9 3
France 4 8 7
Italy 5 3 5
Canada 4 1 3
Croatia 3 1 0
Sweden 2 2 1
Liechtenstein 2 1 2
Russia 0 1 1
Slovenia 0 0 2
New Zeland 0 1 0
Yugoslavia 0 1 0
Spain 0 0 1
Czechoslovakia 0 0 1
Norway 0 0 1
Results by year:
Nagano, Japan. 1998
Men's Downhill
- France Jean-Luc Cretier - Gold
- Norway Lasse Kjus - Silver
- Austria Hannes Trinkl - Bronze
Women's Downhill
- Germany Katja Seizinger - Gold
- Sweden Pernilla Wiberg - Silver
- France Florence Masnada - Bronze
Men's Slalom
- Norway Hans-Petter Buraas - Gold
- Norway Ole Christian Furuseth - Silver
- Austria Thomas Sykora - Bronze
Women's Slalom
Germany Hilde Gerg - Gold
Italy Deborah Compagnoni - Silver
Austria Zali Steggall - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Austria Hermann Maier - Gold
Austria Stefan Eberharter - Silver
Switzerland Michael von Gruenigen - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Italy Deborah Compagnoni - Gold
Austria Alexandra Meissnitzer - Silver
Germany Katja Seizinger - Bronze
Men's Super G
Austria Herman Maier - Gold
Switzerland Didier Cuche - Silver
Austria Hans Knauss - Bronze
Women's Super G
United States Picabo Street - Gold
Austria Michaela Dorfmeister - Silver
Austria Alexandra Meissnitzer - Bronze
Men's Combined
Austria Mario Reiter - Gold
Norway Lasse Kjus - Silver
Austria Christian Mayer - Bronze
Women's Combined
Germany Katja Seizinger - Gold
Germany Martina Ertl - Silver
Germany Hilde Gerg - Bronze
Lillehammer, Norway. 1994
Women's Slalom
Swizterland Vreni Schneider - Gold
Austria Elfi Eder - Silver
Slovenia Katja Koren - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Germany Markus Wasmeier - Gold
Switzerland Urs Kälin - Silver
Austria Christian Mayer - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Italy Deborah Compagnoni - Gold
Germany Martina Ertl - Silver
Switzerland Vreni Schneider - Bronze
Men's Super G
Germany Markus Wasmeier - Gold
Untied States - Silver
Norway Kjetil-Andre Aamodt - Bronze
Women's Super G
United States Diann Roffe - Gold
Russia Svetlana Gladisheva - Silver
Italy Isolde Kostner - Bronze
Men's Combined
Norway Lasse Kjus - Gold
Norway Kjetil-Andre Aamodt - Silver
Norway Harald Nielsen - Bronze
Women's Combined
Sweden Pernilla Wiberg - Gold
Switzerland Vreni Schneide - Silver
Slovenia Alenka Dovzan - Bronze
Albertville, France. 1992
Men's Downhill
- Austria Patrick Ortlieb - Gold
- France Franck Piccard - Silver
- Austria Günther Mader - Bronze
Women's Downhill
- Canada Kerrin Lee-Gartner - Gold
- United States Hilary Lindh - Silver
- Austria Veronika Wallinger - Bronze
Men's Slalom
- Norway Finn Christian Jagge - Gold
- Italy Alberto Tomba - Silver
- Austria Michael Trischer - Bronze
Women's Slalom
Austria Petra Kronberger - Gold
New Zeland Anneliese Coberger - Silver
Spain Bianca Fernandez-Ochoa - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Italy Alberto Tomba - Gold
Luxembourg Marc Giradelli - Silver
Norway Kjetil-Andre Aamodt - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Sweden Pernilla Wilberg - Gold
United States Diann Roffe - Silver
Austria Anita Wachter - Silver
Men's Super G
Norway Kjetil-Andre Aamodt - Gold
Luxembourg Marc Giradelli - Silver
Norway Jan Einar Thorsen - Bronze
Women's Super G
Italy Debroah Compagnoni - Gold
France Carole Merle - Silver
Germany Katja Seizinger - Bronze
Men's Combined
Italy Josef Polig - Gold
Italy Gianfranco Martin - Silver
Switzerland Steve Locher - Bronze
Women's Combined
Austria Petra Kronberger - Gold
Austria Anita Wachter - Silver
France Florence Masnada - Bronze
Calgary, Canada. 1988
Women's Slalom
Switzerland Vreni Schneider - Gold
Yugoslavia Mateja Svet - Silver
West Germany Christa Kinshofer-Güthlein - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Italy Alberto Tomba - Gold
Austria Hubert Strolz - Silver
Switzerland Pirmin Zurbriggen - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Switzerland Vreni Schneider - Gold
West Germany Christa Kinshofer-Güthlein - Silver
Switzerland Maria Walliser - Bronze
Men's Super G
France Franck Piccard - Gold
Austria Helmut Mayer - Silver
Sweden Lars-Börje Eriksson - Bronze
Women's Super G
Austria Sigrid Wolf - Gold
Swizterland Michela Figini - Silver
Canada Karen Percy - Bronze
Men's Combined
Austria Hubert Strolz - Gold
Austria Bernhard Gstrein - Silver
Switzerland Paul Accola - Bronze
Women's Combined
Austria Anita Wachter - Gold
Switzerland Brigitte Oertli - Silver
Switzerland Maria Walliser - Bronze
Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. 1984
Women's Slalom
Italy Paoletta Magoni - Gold
France Perrine Pelen - Silver
Liechtenstein Ursula Konzett - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Switzerland Max Julen - Gold
Yugoslavia Juriy Franko - Silver
Liechtenstein Andreas Wenzel - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
United States Debbie Armstrong - Gold
United States Christin Cooper - Silver
France Perrine Pelen - Bronze
Lake Placid, United States. 1980
Women's Slalom
Liechtenstein Hanni Wenzel - Gold
West Germany Christa Kinshofer - Silver
Switzerland Erika Hess - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Sweden Ingemar Stenmark - Gold
Liechtenstein Andreas Wenzel - Silver
Austria Hans Enn - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Liechtenstein Hanni Wenzel - Gold
West Germany Irene Epple - Silver
France Perrine Pelen - Bronze
Innsbruck, Austria. 1976
Women's Slalom
West Germany Rosi Mittermaier - Gold
Italy Claudia Giordani - Silver
Liechtenstein Hanni Wenzel - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Switzerland Heini Hemmi - Gold
Switzerland Ernst Good - Silver
Sweden Ingemar Stenmark - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Canada Kathy Kreiner - Gold
West Germany Rosi Mittermaier - Silver
France Danielle Debernard - Bronze
Sapporo, Japan. 1972
Women's Slalom
United States Barbara Cochran - Gold
France Daniele Debernard - Silver
France Florence Steurer - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Italy Gustavo Thöni - Gold
Switzerland Edmund Bruggmann - Silver
Switzerland Werner Mattle - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Switzerland Marie-Therèse Nadig - Gold
Austria Annemarie Pröll - Silver
Austria Wiltrud Drexel - Bronze
Grenoble, France. 1968
Men's Downhill
- France Jean-Claude Killy - Gold
- France Guy Périllat - Silver
- Switzerland Jean-Daniel Dätwyler - Bronze
Women's Downhill
- Austria Olga Pall - Gold
- France Isabelle Mir - Silver
- Austria Christl Haas - Bronze
Men's Slalom
- France Jean-Claude Killy - Gold
- Austria Herbert Huber - Silver
- Austria Alfred Matt - Bronze
Women's Slalom
France Marielle Goitschel - Gold
Canada Nancy Greene - Silver
France Annie Famose - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
France Jean-Claude Killy - Gold
Switzerland Willy Favre - Silver
Austria Heinrich Messner - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Canada Nancy Greene - Gold
France Annie Famose - Silver
Switzerland Fernande Bochatay - Bronze
Innsbruck, Austria. 1964
Women's Slalom
France Christine Goitschel - Gold
France Marielle Goitschel - Silver
United States Jean Saubert - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
France François Bonlieu - Gold
Austria Karl Schranz - Silver
Austria Josef Stiegler - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
France Marielle Goitschel - Gold
France Christine Goitschel - Silver
United States Jean Saubert - Silver
Squaw Valley, United States. 1960
Women's Slalom
Canada Anne Heggtveit - Gold
United States Betsy Snite - Silver
Germany Barbara Henneberger - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Switzerland Roger Staub - Gold
Austria Josef Stiegler - Silver
Austria Ernst Hinterseer - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Switzerland Yvonne Rüegg - Gold
United States Penny Pitou - Silver
Italy Giuliana Chenal-Minuzzo - Bronze
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. 1956
Women's Slalom
Switzerland Renée Colliard - Gold
Austria Regina Schöpf - Silver
Soviet Union Jevgenija Sidorova - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Austria Toni Sailer - Gold
Austria Andreas Molterer - Silver
Austria Walter Schuster - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
Germany Ossi Reichert - Gold
Austria Josefine Frandl - Silver
Austria Dorothea Hochleitner - Bronze
Oslo, Norway. 1952
Men's Downhill
- Italy Zeno Colò - Gold
- Austria Othmar Schneider - Silver
- Austria Christian Pravda - Bronze
Women's Downhill
- Austria Trude Jochum-Beiser - Gold
- Germany Annemarie Buchner - Silver
- Italy Giuliana Minuzzo - Bronze
Men's Slalom
- Austria Othmar Schneider - Gold
- Norway Stein Eriksen - Silver
- Norway Guttorm Berge - Bronze
Women's Slalom
United States Andrea Lawrence-Mead - Gold
Germany Ossi Reichert - Silver
Germany Annemarie Buchner - Bronze
Men's Giant Slalom
Norway Stein Eriksen - Gold
Austria Christian Pravda - Silver
Austria Toni Spiss - Bronze
Women's Giant Slalom
United States Andrea Lawrence-Mead - Gold
Austria Dagmar Rom - Silver
Germany Annemarie Buchner - Bronze
St. Moritz, Switzerland. 1948
Women's Slalom
United States Gretchen Fraser - Gold
Switzerland Antoinette Meyer - Silver
Austria Erika Mahringer - Bronze
Men's Combined
France Henri Oreiller - Gold
Switzerland Karl Molitor - Silver
France James Couttet - Bronze
Women's Combined
Austria Trude Beiser - Gold
United States Gretchen Fraser - Silver
Austria Erika Mahringer - Bronze
The 1940 and 1944 Winter Olympics, planned for Sapporo, Japan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where canceled due to this little thing called World War II.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. 1936
Men's Downhill
- Germany Franz Pfnür - Gold
- Germany Adolf Lantschner - Silver
- France Emile Allais - Bronze
Women's Downhill
- Germany Chrislt Cranz - Gold
- Germany Käthe Grasegger - Silver
- Norway Laila Schou Nilsen - Bronze