The first of the men's technical Alpine events is the giant slalom competition, originally scheduled for Sunday, February 21. It takes place on Tuesday, February 23 at 9:30 and 13:00 local time at Whistler Creekside.
The men's giant slalom will start about half way down the 3.1-km length of the Dave Murray Run including a challenging trio of features: Fallaway Flats, the Sewer and Powerline Traverse to Coach's Corner.
If skiers got below the 140-point barrier (based on the International Ski Federation's (FIS) 'B standard' rule), and competed in the Alpine Ski World Championships in 2009, they qualified for the Olympic giant slalom and slalom races. As a result, skiers from the most geographically diverse countries will be competing in the giant slalom.
The men's giant slalom will have 109 competitors representing 64 National Olympic Committees, compared with 64 representing 28 NOCs in the Men's Downhill -- a discipline for which qualifying is far stricter.
The event on Tuesday will therefore be much more international including athletes from Iran (Porya Saveh Shemshaki and Hossein Saveh Shemshaki), Brazil (Jhonatan Longhi), Pakistan (Muhammad Abbas), Senegal (Leyti Seck), Peru (Manfred Oettl Reyes), the Cayman Islands (Dow Travers) and Mexico (Hubertus von Hohenlohe).
Background information
Although Alpine Skiing was held for the first time at the 1936 Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the giant slalom event was not introduced until 1952 at the Oslo Olympic Games.
Giant slalom is considered a technical event having more gates and more turns, making it much slower than downhill or super G. It is traditionally held after the speed events in order to preserve the speed course from getting chopped up too much by carving turns of the technical events.
The number of gates for men is between 56-70. The discipline is raced over two runs on the same slope, with courses set by delegates of two nations selected in a drawing prior to the Games. The starting order for the second run is dependant on results from the first run: the skier placed 30th will start the second run, with the leader running last. All racers who finish the first run, get a second. Skiers have to finish both runs. The fastest composite time wins the race.
The skiers are allowed a one-hour visual inspection on the morning of the race but have no chance of a pre-race training run through the race course.
Medal contenders
The Americans have captured eight medals (two gold, three silver, three bronze) out of a possible 18 from six alpine disciplines raced so far, while traditional skiing powers Switzerland, Austria and Norway have only two each.
Ted Ligety, nicknamed "Teddy Ballgame" or, more commonly, "Shred," is the current World Cup leader in the discipline and could continue the US team's Olympic alpine skiing medal surge.
The giant slalom could actually be Ligety's best opportunity to win a second Olympic gold medal, following his combined title in the 2006 Torino Games.
It could also be the best chance for the U.S., as American Bode Miller has struggled in the past three seasons and before heading into the Olympics to put two good GS runs together. However, he seems to carry a lot of momentum after claiming gold in the super-combined, silver in the super-G and downhill bronze. 
The 32-year-old is targeting medals in each of the five disciplines, which seems more plausible now that he has been able to bury the demons of his unexpectedly underwhelming performances at the 2006 Torino Olympic Games.
What may illustrate most clearly Miller's talent, is the fact that he did not train all summer. As late as September, he didn't even know if he would compete this season. Not many skiers could do the same and then return capturing silver in super-G to become only the fifth man to win medals in four of alpine's five events at the Olympic Games. Now he can join an even more elite club if he gets a slalom medal next week.
Having captured this event three consecutive times at the Olympics, the Austrian men will go into the event desperate for at least a podium placing, anxious to silence criticism at home. Defending Olympic champion Benjamin Raich and Marcel Hirscher but also Olympic debutant Romed Baumann represent the country's best bets. Both, Raich and Hirscher, are within 100 points of the World Cup lead.
The overall leader on the World Cup tour Raich won gold in the technical events, giant slalom and slalom at Turin. He won the World Cup overall title in the 2005/06 season and was second in 2004/05, 2006/07 and 2007/08. His consistency in the event has been incredible. This season he finished top-five in 4 out 6 giant slalom races. "Der Blitz aus Pitz" with his quiet, unflashy 
demeanor is definitely one to watch.
In 2009, he lost the overall title to Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal on the last day of the season, needing simply to cross the finish line in the slalom event to clinch the title. After missing a gate seconds into his first run, Raich lost by a two-point margin (1,009-1,007). It was the smallest margin ever recorded in Cup history.
Raich's teammate Marcel Hirscher has placed first at Kranjska Gora and second behind Ligety last month. With one other first place-finish on the World Cup tour this season, the Olympic debutant Hirscher may very well end up on the podium in giant slalom on Tuesday.
Without doubts, the Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal and the two Swiss skiers, Didier Cuche and Carlo Janka, pose big medal threats and need to be included on the list of favorites.
Defending overall World Cup champion Svindal has come into these Games in prime form winning super-G gold and downhill silver. He was on his way to what could have been a medal-winning run in super combined before crashing out with the finish line in view. In 2007, the Norwegian won gold in giant slalom in the Are World Championships after finishing sixth in the Torino Games.
The Swiss push will be led by defending world giant slalom champion Didier Cuche, whose trademark ski flip in the finish area works best with giant slalom skis. Cuche won the giant slalom season opener in Soelden and finished second in 2008, on this hill, at a World Cup GS race, ahead of Raich in third and Ligety in fourth. Bode Miller was seventh at that event.
The 23-year-old Swiss, Carlo Janka, otherwise known by his nickname, the "Iceman," blew away the field by almost a full second in the giant slalom at the most recent World Championships in 2009, where he edged off Austrian's Raich to second place. His performance in the Vancouver Games has been steadily improving and Janka should be considered a leading contender for the giant slalom.
Finally, Italian Massimiliano Blardone, second only to Ligety on the World Cup circuit, rounds out the top few who are almost certain to create some buzz in this event. Blardone has been on the World Cup podium 19 times, including five victories, all for giant slalom races.
Canadians
Erik Guay has been the only member of the Canadian men's speed team to have performed near potential, having placed fifth in both speed races. Canada's best finish in this race at the Olympics was the fourth notched by Francois Bourque in Turin but he is not available this time as he is healing an injury.
In the past
Internationally, Europeans have been dominant in the event. At World Championships, since 1950, only two Americans, Miller in 2003 and Steve Mahre in 1982, have broken the European line.
The Swiss have won three of the six medals in the past two World Championships. Switzerland's Carlo Janka took the 2009 World Championship title at Val d'Isère, France and Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal won at Are, Sweden in 2007. Austrian Raich, the Olympic defending champion, has two silvers in the last three Worlds.
Medal Standings
Alpine Skiing medal standings after 6 events (3 men's, 3 ladies)
| Position | Nation | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL |
| 1 | USA | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 2 | NOR | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 3 | AUT | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 3 | SUI | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 5 | GER | 1 | 1 | ||
| 6 | CRO | 1 | 1 | ||
| 6 | SLO | 1 | 1 | ||
| 8 | SWE | 1 | 1 |
Weather forecast
Synopsis.
A ridge of high pressure over the South Coast will weaken this morning allowing a Pacific frontal system to approach the region this afternoon. This system will bring precipitation and stronger winds through Wednesday.
5 Day Trend.
A series of Pacific disturbances will move across the South Coast through Saturday bringing precipitation.
Today.
Mostly cloudy. Periods of light snow beginning late this afternoon.
Snowfall amount trace.
Alpine temperature falling to minus 4 this afternoon.
Freezing level rising to near 1300 metres this afternoon.
Mountain top winds light becoming southeast 30 km/h this afternoon.
Tonight.
Periods of light snow.
Snowfall amount 2 to 4 cm.
Alpine temperature steady near minus 4.
Freezing level lowering to valley bottom.
Mountain top winds southeast 40 gusting to 70 km/h becoming southwest 30 gusting to 50 km/h overnight.
Schedule for remaining Alpine skiing events
Wednesday, Feb 24:
* Ladies giant slalom, 1st run at 10:00 local time
* Ladies giant slalom, 2nd run at 13:15 local time
Friday, Feb 26:
* Ladies slalom, 1st run at 10:00 local time
* Ladies slalom, 2nd run at 13:30 local time
Saturday, Feb 27:
* Men's slalom, 1st run at 10:00 local time
* Men's slalom, 2nd run at 13:45 local time
