what does sea level have to do with speed skating
Long track speed skating Of these, the rinks in Calgary (~1100 meters above sea level) and Kearns (1402 m) are located at a high altitude, which is believed to enable faster times than lowland rinks, due to decreased air resistance, and also due to there being less oxygen to create bubbles in the ice. The high altitude is believed to be part of the reason that the 2002 Kearns games broke most of the previous speed-skating Olympic records.[11][12][13]
Super-G The vertical drop for a Super-G course must be between 350–650 m (1,150–2,130 ft) for men, 350–600 m (1,150–1,970 ft) for women, and 250–450 m (820–1,480 ft) for children. In the Olympic Winter Games, FIS World Ski Championships, and FIS World Cups, minimums are raised to 400 m (1,300 ft) for both men and women. Courses are normally at least 30 m (98 ft) in width, but sections with lower widths are permissible if the line and terrain before and after allow it. Higher widths can also be required if deemed necessary. Gates must be between 6 m (20 ft) and 8 m (26 ft) in width for open gates, and between 8 m (26 ft) and 12 m (39 ft) in width for vertical gates. The distance between turning poles of successive gates must be at least 25 m (82 ft). The number of direction changes must be at least 7% of the course drop in meters (6% for Olympic Winter Games, FIS World Ski Championships and FIS World Cups).[6]