Part of the beauty of skiing is that it is such a varied activity and sport. There are so many unique settings in the world where you can ski, with different types of skiing terrain, and so many distinctive skills and techniques you can employ to get from A to B. In this guide, we’ll outline some of the different types of skiing you can try your hand at, as well as the disciplines that feature at the Winter Olympics.
How many types of skiing are there?
Even the question about the various types of skiing can be tricky for some beginners to fully grasp, as this can refer to the many and varied kinds or terrain where you can ski or to the different types of snow skis you use while practicing the sport.
Here, then, comes a look at the six main categories of skiing, based on a mix of the different types of terrain and the different types of snow skis:
- Alpine skiing: For most, alpine skiing is the first discipline that comes to mind. This is, in other words, downhill skiing, where you attach the heel and toe of your boot to the skis and where you go from the top of a slope to the bottom. This is the type of skiing most commonly practiced at ski resorts such as Grandvalira.
- Backcountry skiing: Also referred to as off-piste skiing, backcountry skiing is when a skier goes off the slopes of a resort and explores ungroomed snow in the wilderness. There are actually other sub-categories and different types of skiing that fall into the backcountry category, such as ski mountaineering and alpine touring.
- Telemark skiing: Some categories are singled out because of the unique types of skiing techniques used and telemark skiing is one of them. Here, you keep the heels unlocked at all times and move using a squat-like motion.
- Freestyle skiing: This is a type of downhill skiing, but one that incorporates skills and tricks into the descent, such as flips, jumps and somersaults.
- Cross-country skiing: With cross-country, this is carried out away from resorts and usually on mostly flat terrain. Here, there are also different types of snow skis used, as the skis are particularly long and thin.
- Adaptive skiing: Adaptive skiing is when adaptive equipment is used to allow those with a physical disability to enjoy a skiing experience as well.
Types of skiing techniques
Each of the above types of skiing requires its own unique approach to the activity. There are, logically, various types of different skiing techniques, but some of these skills are transferable across different types of skiing and can be learned at the Grandvalira ski school.
Perhaps the three most useful skiing techniques are the snowplow (also known as the pizza technique, where skiers, especially beginners, position their skis in a V-shape to help with stopping), the parallel turn (the skill of keeping both skis parallel when going down a slope to enable smoother turns) and carving (the technique of using the edges of the skis to cut into the snow, creating turns).
Types of downhill skiing
You might wonder what are the different types of downhill skiing. Well, downhill skiing is simply another term for alpine skiing, which is mentioned in the above list of the different types of skiing. As is explained above, this is probably the most popular skiing discipline and it’s one that attracts a lot of fans when it comes to alpine skiing competition.
Types of skiing events
Let’s speak about skiing events, as there are also many different types here. Some skiing events are completely informal, organised for amateur skiers to take to the slopes and to enjoy some fun.
At the same time, there are formal skiing events where competitive skiing can take place. These events are usually overseen by the Fédération Internationale de Ski et de Snowboard (FIS), which is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding.
Types of skiing in the Olympics
The most prestigious competitive event in the world of skiing is the Winter Olympic Games, and skiing has been a permanent part of the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. The next edition will be Milano Cortina 2026 and there are currently six FIS disciplines set to be contested. Currently, then, and not including snowboarding, the different types of skiing in the Olympics are:
- Alpine skiing: There will be 10 medal events in this skiing discipline, namely Downhill (men and women), Super-G (men and women), Slalom (men and women), Giant slalom (men and women) and Combined (men and women). From downhill to the slalom between poles, alpine skiing at the Olympics is a major sport.
- Ski jumping: There will be six ski jumping events in Italy, namely Individual small hill (male and female), Individual large hill (male and female), Super team (male) and Mixed team. The aim of this type of competitive skiing being to achieve the farthest jump with the cleanest types of skiing techniques.
- Cross-country skiing: Here, there are 12 medal events, with the main difference between each being the distance involved, from the sprints to the skiathlon. These events are 10 + 10 km skiathlon (men and women), Sprint (men and women), Freestyle team sprint (men and women), relay 4x7.5 km (men and women), 10 km freestyle (men and women) and 50 km classical technique (men and women).
- Nordic combined: This is a sport that combines cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Of all the different types of skiing in the Olympics, it’s the only one with exclusively men's events in 2022, with three medal events to be held in this discipline. They are Individual Gundersen NH small hill/10 km, Individual Gundersen LH large hill/10 km and Individual Gundersen LH large hill/2x7,5 km race.
- Freestyle skiing: There are 15 freestyle skiing medal events at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with athletes performing aerial flips and spins for points. They are Aerials (men and women), Moguls (men and women), Dual moguls (men and women), Ski cross (men and women), Freeski Halfpipe (men and women), Freeski Slopestyle (men and women), Freeski Big Air (men and women) and Mixed team aerials.
Ski mountaineering: This is a new event at the Winter Olympics, with this sport all about scaling mountainous areas on skis. As it makes its debut in Milano Cortina, there will be three events and these will be Men's Sprint, Women's Sprint and Mixed Relay.