Competitors in disabled alpine skiing can reach speeds of more than 100 kilometres per hour.

There are five different events in disable alpine skiing: downhill, Super-G, Super Combined, slalom and giant slalom.

Downhill features the longest course and the fastest speeds in alpine skiing. Each skier makes a one run down a single course and the quickest time determines the winner.

Super-G (super giant slalom) combines the speed of downhill with the more measured turns of giant slalom. The course is shorter than downhill, but longer than giant slalom. Each skier makes one run down a single course and the fastest time determines the winner.

The Super Combined event consists of one downhill followed by two slalom runs, using a shorter course. The times are added together and the fastest total time determines the winner.

Slalom features the shortest course and the quickest turns. Each skier makes two runs down two different courses on the same slope. The times are added together and the fastest total time determines the winner.

Giant slalom is similar to the slalom, although with fewer and wider turns. Each skier makes two runs down two different courses on the same slope. The times are added together, and the quickest total time determines the winner.

Disabled racers are classified as either standing, sitting or visually impaired. In each of the three classes, athletes having varying levels of physical disability are classified and allocated different time handicap ratings, so that an athlete with a greater degree of impairment will effectively race against a slower running clock. Medal allocations are therefore based on corrected times with just a single gold, silver and bronze medal being available in each of the male or female race categories and for each event.

Skiers with a visual impairment use the same equipment as able-bodied skiers, but ski with a guide. Skiers with locomotive disabilities can use the same equipment as able-bodied skiers or a prosthesis (an artificial arm or leg) and stabilizers in place of ski poles. Sitting skiers use a mono-ski.

Mono-skiers such as Be Number 1’s Sean Rose sit in a moulded seat that is mounted on a single ski and use hand-held outriggers. The mono-ski, which is designed for people with double amputations and spinal cord injuries, requires a mixture of strength and balance. Other disabilities might include spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.

The British Disabled Ski Team was formed more than two decades ago under the care of the National Handicapped Skiing Association and comprises an expanding group of dedicated athletes who represent Great Britain at international disabled skiing events throughout the world.

The first Olympic-style games for athletes with a disability – now called the Paralympic Games – were held after the 1960 Olympic Summer Games in Rome, Italy. The first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976. The Paralympic Games have taken place at the same venues as the Olympic Games since the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Summer Games in South Korea and the Albertville 1992 Paralympic Winter Games in France.

A total of 30 alpine skiing events are scheduled to take place at the 2010 Winter Paralaympics, 15 for men and 15 for women. The five events for both men and women are downhill, Super-G, Super Combined, slalom and giant slalom. Within each discipline are three disabled categories: visually impaired, sitting and standing.

Be Number 1’s Sean Rose missed out on a medal in the downhill event at the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Turin by a margin of just 0.6 seconds. Before a skiing accident in 2000 left him paralysed from the chest down, Sean had been a world-class BMX racer, a North-East champion gymnast, a county badminton player and a talented cross-country runner.