INTRODUCTION: The basic aim of every skier is to execute each turn, from start to finish, as fast as possible. To accomplished that it is essential for each turn to be executed technically perfect, because even the smallest error will have an impact on the loss of the speed, therefore affecting the overall time. The aim of this investigation was to determine the differences in body geometry of a skier related to the duration of the giant slalom turn. METHOD: The sample was comprised of 10 male and 10 female skiers, members of Croatian national children team and the entering category for FIS races. For the purpose of this investigation, one left giant slalom turn was analyzed. The variables included in this analysis are selected by the way the coach perceives the skier during the turns: inclination of the body (IB), angle of the shoulders (AS), height of the right fist (HRF), height of the left fist (HLF), side bend (SB), outer lower leg angle (OLLA), skis distance (SD), distance of the inner ski from the gate (DISG), turn duration. In order to acquire basic kinematic parameters, MAT (Motion analysis tools) was used. According to the duration of the turn, the subjects were divided into two groups, i.e. faster and slower group. The difference between the observed groups was obtained by means of discriminant analysis. DISCUSSION: Results indicated that statistically significant differences in body geometry of the two groups of skiers exists. The difference is registered in the following variables: angle of the shoulders, side bend, outside lower leg angle, skis distance, and distance of the inner ski from the gate. CONCLUSION: A skier's body geometry, in a way as it is perceived by the coaches, is an excellent indicator of the turn execution technique efficiency. However, the question is how precisely the coaches can notice the details that characterize the positions in the observed Parameters. Namely, different biomechanical analyses, even technologically very simple as used in the present study, can obtain more objective data for validation of the executed turn technique.
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