1998 32c Alpine Skiing

US 3180
1998 Winter Sports

• Highlights the sport of alpine skiing
• Issued in anticipation of the 1998 Winter Olympics
  
  

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Value:  32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  January 22, 1998
First Day City:  Salt Lake City, Utah
Quantity Issued:  80,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, microprinting
Format:  Pane of 20
Perforations:  11.2

Why the stamp was issued:  The stamp was issued in anticipation of the 1998 Winter Olympics held in Japan, though the USPS was no longer affiliated with the US Olympic committee.

About the stamp design:  This was artist Michael Schwab’s first stamp illustration.  The poster-like illustration shows a skier heading down a steep slope. 

First Day City:  The Frist Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City as part of the Utah Winter Games celebrations.

History the stamp represents:  One of the most popular winter sports in the United States is Alpine skiing.  This stamp was issued to celebrate the sport and is, in fact, one of many U.S stamps which feature skiing.  Its graphic design captures the color, speed, and strength of the Alpine skier.  The stamp is intended to honor the more than nine million active skiers in this country, the best of whom participated in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
Alpine, or downhill skiing, is popular as both a recreational and competitive sport.  The term Alpine comes from the name for the European mountains, the Alps.  The sport was probably introduced in the US in the mid-1800s by Norwegian immigrants, at about the same time organized skiing competition was beginning in Norway.
Alpine competitions consist of different events.  In the downhill, competitors race down steep slopes at speeds of about 60 miles per hour.  Slalom skiers test their skills in high-speed turning. They must pass through pairs of numbered flags, called gates, as they race down a twisting course.  Other races, like the giant slalom and super giant slalom, combine elements of both the downhill and slalom courses.  There is also a combined competition that consists of the two separate races.