Inside the Action

United States halfpipe coach, Mike Jankowski, explains the snap, grabs and “big air” — all parts of an Olympic halfpipe run.

By GABRIEL DANCE, XAQUÍN G.V., JIGAR MEHTA and BEDEL SAGET/The New York Times

United States Olympic Aerialist Ryan St. Onge and Science reporter Henry Fountain, break down the "double full full full", a jump St. Onge may perform in Vancouver.

By HENRY FOUNTAIN, GRAHAM ROBERTS and BEDEL SAGET/The New York Times;

Photographs by Matthew Staver for The New York Times and Jamie Squire/Getty Images; video by the U.S. Ski Team

Mark Grimmette, a doubles luge athlete for the United States Olympic team, describes how to steer the sled going 90 miles per hour.

By MIKA GRÖNDAHL, GRAHAM ROBERTS, BEDEL SAGET and JOE WARD/The New York Times;

Source: USA Luge

Graphics editor Joe Ward and gold medalist Ted Ligety explain how skiers prepare for the downhill with a pre-race course inspection.

By ERIN AIGNER, GABRIEL DANCE, SERGIO PEÇANHA, GRAHAM ROBERTS AND JOE WARD/The New York Times

Source: U.S. Ski Team; Images and video: “The Thin Line”, Vail Valley Foundation; Jalbert Productions; Ken Hess, North South7; GeoEye Satellite image

World champion Kim Yu-na of South Korea and her coach, Brian Orser, explain her approach to a triple lutz-triple toe loop.

By HAEYOUN PARK, XAQUÍN G.V., ARCHIE TSE and JOE WARD/The New York Times;

Competition video by Sportvision/Dartfish; training video by Adam B. Ellick; photographs by Chang W. Lee

Doug Lewis, a former World Cup and Olympic downhiller, offers a tour of the Dave Murray Downhill at Whistler. With a vertical drop of 3,000 feet over nearly two miles, the course has all the classic elements: speed, terrain, air and technical turns.

By SHAN CARTER, SERGIO PEÇANHA, GRAHAM ROBERTS and JOE WARD/The New York Times; Illustration with photographs by Nick Didlick; Music by Vincent Dee

Sources: Doug Lewis; Whistler Weasel Workers Ski Racing Volunteers; Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee; Elevation data by Intermap Technologies Inc.; Satellite Photographs by Terrametrics via Google Earth;