At which Winter Olympics did alpine skiing first appear on the Olympic program?

Alpine skiing first appeared on the Olympic program at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Its Olympic debut was not a standalone downhill or slalom medal event. Instead, men and women competed in a combined competition, with results from one downhill run and one slalom determining the standings. The races took place on the Kreuzjoch downhill course and the Gudiberg slalom course in Bavaria.

German skiers won both inaugural combined titles: Franz Pfnür took the men’s event, while Christl Cranz won the women’s competition. Cranz was already a major international star and went on to win four gold medals at the 1936 World Championships later that year.

The debut also carried an unusual complication. Ski instructors were considered professionals under the eligibility rules then in force, so several leading Swiss and Austrian skiers refused to compete. Alpine skiing returned after the Second World War at St. Moritz in 1948, when separate downhill and slalom events were included alongside the combined.