The traditional ‘Combined,’ has long been considered skiing’s greatest three-part act – a combination of one downhill run and two slalom runs, with the “combined” lowest time taking the day at the top of the podium.

The best example of any skier’s overall skills - matching the strength and mental fortitude of downhill skiing with the agility and quick reaction time of slalom - in the Olympics the combined has also provided the setting for some of U.S. skiing’s greatest acts.

It was at Snowbasin during the Salt Lake Games in 2002 that Bode Miller first burst into the national consciousness, fighting his way to the silver in the slalom after a near downhill crash. And Ted Ligety outlasted several early favorites for a gold medal in the combined in Torino in 2006.

But in an even faster paced manner, the “Super Combined” features one slalom run and a traditionally shorter downhill. Here’s how the fine folks at the Birds of Prey’s own Vail Valley Foundation explain it:

“A hybrid of the traditional combined event, which features one run of downhill and two runs of slalom on two separate days, the Super Combined was designed to be a spectator friendly competition, where the winner was determined by the lowest combined time for the two runs, rather than a complex mathematical formula that was undecipherable to most ski racing fans. Only Kitzbuhel, Austria remains as the lone traditional two-day combined competition on the World Cup men?s calendar.

“The Super Combined is a great event for both the spectators and the racers,” explained Vail Valley Foundation's Michael Imhof. “As a racer, you have to call upon all your skiing skills in order to be successful, while as a spectator, you really get the best of both ski racing worlds.  As an organizer, you also need to be on top of your game as there is a great amount of work involved in switching from downhill to slalom on the hill and very little time to get it all done between runs.”

Photo credit: beavercreek.com