Courses
The use of
the control gate has evolved over time. It has been adapted for use in the
various disciplines, and has taken on different forms as a consequence. The
essence of the control gate remains the same: two vertical poles designating the
beginning and end of an imaginary "gate line" that extends across the
surface of the snow between the two poles. However, adaptations have been made to enhance
visibility and distance or speed (the gate panel), and to facilitate a more
direct line through the gate pole (the flex gate). Adaptations have also been
made in the pattern in which the gates are set to exercise various technical
elements of ski racing (open gate, closed gate, flush, hairpin, corridor, and
control gate). Combining the various elements into a course set is the challenge
that faces the course setter, and those elements must be appropriate to the
discipline involved. For example, flushes and hairpins are common names for
vertical combinations of gates, and these forms are only appropriate in the
slalom. Also, the use of gate or pole color varies from discipline to
discipline. Setting a course is not merely an exercise in laying out a pattern
of gates at appropriate distances. It is also dictated by the use of terrain
features that will appropriately exercise the technical elements appropriate to
the discipline involved. Experience is the course setter's greatest asset.
Vertical and Horizontal Gates Page 2
Hairpin Turns in Slalom Page 3
Proper Use of the Hairpin Turn in Slalom Page 4
The "Flush" in Slalom Page 5