Here, The Athletic answers everything you have wanted to know, but are too scared to ask. For slalom and downhill events, skis and snowboards are stiffer and longer to optimize stability at high speeds and control when carving. But to know where to brush and how hard, the all-seeing team-mate who released it has to advise them. If you’ve consumed any of the Winter Olympics so far you will quite possibly have heard a weird, high-pitched whistling sound during the television coverage of many of the events. Norway are far and away the most successful at the Winter Olympics, with 405 medals since the Games’ inception in 1924.

Source: International New York Times February 15, 2026 05:06 UTC