How Alpine Skiing Timing Works

Alpine Skiing Scoring and Timing: How Hundredths of a Second Are Measured

In a sport where the difference between gold and fourth place can be less than 0.10 seconds, the timing system is everything. Alpine skiing at the Olympics relies on electronic timing infrastructure certified by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and operated by the official Olympic timing partner.

The Timing Chain

Every alpine race uses a standardized timing chain:

1. Start gate: a wand-style gate that the racer pushes open. The moment the gate opens, the clock starts. An electronic impulse is triggered by the gate’s displacement.
2. Intermediate timing: photocell beams across the course at various points measure split times. These are unofficial (not used for final results) but critical for TV broadcasts and tactical analysis.
3. Finish line: a double photocell beam positioned horizontally across the course. The racer’s boot breaking the lower beam triggers the finish time. Both beams must be broken to register a valid finish.

Precision and Backup Systems

Times are recorded to 1/100th of a second (0.01 s). The primary system is fully electronic. A backup system — independently powered and operated — runs simultaneously. If the primary system fails, the backup time is used. A third layer of redundancy exists: hand timing by trained officials, recorded to 1/10th of a second, is available as a last resort.

In two-run events (slalom, GS), times from both runs are added. The combined time determines the final result. No rounding occurs — if two athletes have exactly the same combined time to the hundredth, they share the position (and the medal, at the Olympics).

The Photo Finish

Unlike track athletics, alpine skiing doesn’t typically use a photo finish camera for placing, since races are time-based rather than positional. However, synchronized video at the finish line is available for verifying that a racer’s boots (not poles or gloves) triggered the photocell.

FIS Points and Seeding

While the Olympics don’t use FIS points for results, they use them heavily for start-order seeding. Every racer has FIS points in each discipline, calculated from World Cup and other FIS race results. Lower FIS points = higher ranking. The top-seeded racers get favorable starting positions: in speed events, early numbers (better snow); in technical events, the first 15 by ranking start first in Run 1.

Tie-Breaking

In the event of an exact tie (same time to the hundredth), both athletes receive the same placing. At the Olympics, both would receive the same medal — this actually happened at the 1998 Nagano Games when Hermann Maier and Didier Cuche tied for a position in the super-G. No tiebreaker procedure (split times, bib number) is used; the tie stands.

The Impact of Course Conditions

Timing is absolute, but conditions change throughout a race. Snow softens as temperatures rise, ruts deepen as more racers go through, and wind can affect sections of the course differently. This is why starting order is so strategically important — and why the reversed Run 2 order in technical events creates such compelling drama.