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If the only stupid question is the one not asked, perhaps it's time to ask some questions about the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Because with the Games just four months away, no one wants to be left wondering, what is parallel giant slalom anyway? So with the help of Mason Aguirre, Olympics course designers, U.S. Snowboarding head coach Peter Foley, and the folks at FIS, here are some answers to how events will shape up and go down in the pipe, on the cross courses and through the parallel giant slalom gates.

Sandra Behne/Bongarts/Getty ImagesMason Aquirre getting some practice in before the main event.

SNOWBOARD HALFPIPE

The U.S. has dominated Olympic halfpipe snowboarding since its debut at the 1998 Nagano Games, winning 10 of the 18 medals awarded, and four of six golds.

How will the pipe be set up at Whistler Blackcomb?
Ho. Ho. Trick question. Although the Alpine skiing events will be held at the much more famous peaks, all snowboarding and freestyle skiing events will take place at Cypress Mountain, in West Vancouver, from Feb. 12-28. A 30-minute drive from downtown, Cypress has 600 acres of terrain and stunning views of Burrard Inlet and the city skyline. The halfpipe at Cypress will be one of the biggest, steepest, longest ever: 541 feet long, 66 feet wide lip-to-lip, with 22-foot high walls, roughly the size of the pipe at the Winter X Games. The pipe at the Torino Games in 2006 had 18-foot walls. "As soon as you get used to riding it, executing tricks is a lot easier because the transitions are longer," Mason Aguirre, fourth in men's halfpipe in Torino, said about the 22-footer. Steve Petrie, head pipe builder for the Vancouver Games and owner of Arena Snowparks, said snowmaking issues that left riders grousing about the pipe at Cypress during a World Cup event last February have been sorted out for this season. Snowmaking begins at the end of October, construction begins in early January, and the pipe will be ready to ride by February," Petrie said.

How does U.S. Snowboarding select its team?
Based on its world ranking with FIS, the U.S. Snowboarding Team has 18 spots to portion out among three disciplines (halfpipe, snowboardcross, and parallel giant slalom) with a maximum of four riders per gender. Some quick math — if four riders per gender were assigned to each discipline, that's 24 competitors. To reconcile the difference, team coaches, in consultation with U.S. Snowboarding officials, decide which disciplines offer the best chance to win medals and parcel places accordingly. "Halfpipe is crazy strong," said U.S. Snowboarding head coach Peter Foley. "When we look at the four in those disciplines, they're probably a lot stronger than in parallel giant slalom."

How do riders qualify for the U.S. team?
Basic qualification criteria is simple across disciplines; any rider with a top 30 result in a FIS World Cup or World Championships any time after July 2008 and at least 100 FIS points is eligible. But competition for a maximum of four spots in halfpipe will be fierce. Based on early World Cup results, defending gold medal winner Shaun White, and 2002 Salt Lake City Games champ Kelly Clark, look like frontrunners. A dozen men and half-dozen women are serious contenders for the remaining slots. Qualifying begins Dec. 11 at Copper Mountain, Colo., the first of five U.S. Grand Prix events. As with all snowboarding disciplines, the average of a rider's two best results determines rank and ultimately who will be rocking the stars and stripes come February.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty ImagesThe halfpipe in Turin, 2006. The one outside Vancouver will be much bigger.

How are runs judged?
Unlike at most events, Olympic judging (based on FIS rules) requires one straight air. But the rest of the tricks are up to the rider. Five judges score each run based on overall impression, while evaluating difficulty, amplitude, execution, landings, and variety. The best and worst scores are thrown out and the sum from the other three judges determines the final score. Several competitors have beef with FIS criteria. Feeling he'd been robbed, Aguirre had words for the judges following the finals at the 2006 Games when he narrowly missed making the medal stand. Four of the five judges, plus the head judge from Torino, have returned for the Vancouver Olympics.

What's the competition format?
In the qualifying round, the top six men total (from two heats) and top six women (from one heat) advance to the finals. The men ranked four through nine in each heat, and women ranked four through 15, compete in a semifinal, from which the top six men and top six women advance to the finals. That's 12 men and 12 women in the finals, each with two runs. The lowest score is thrown out, and the rider with the highest scores wins gold, and so on.

SNOWBOARD CROSS

In snowboard cross, which can sometimes look like a free-for-all with bodies and boards piling up on the course, not all contact between competitors is created equal. Intentional contact results in disqualification. Unavoidable contact can be okay. The final call is up to course judges and a competition jury.

How will the course shape up?
The .7 mile-long run will be designed by Jeff Ihaksi, a former racer who built the course in Torino. Ihaksi got props in February for his fast, flowing setup during a World Cup at Cypress, which included the innovative Wu-Tang, a W-shaped feature near the start. The course at Cypress will be long by World Cup standards, filled with banks, berms, rollers and tabletops to keep everyone honest. The top will be tight, where things could get a little roller derby as racers try to separate from the pack and establish position. Fast sections will alternate with flat, long straightaways, offering ample opportunities for passing, which should keep things interesting until the finish. "You don't want one of these follow-the-leader type courses," said Eric Fremont, who's overseeing construction as sport manager for Cypress Mountain.

Agence Zoom/Getty ImagesSeth Wescott in the lead during the 2006 Men's Boardercross ("Snowboard Cross") final.

What's the event format?
The fastest 32 men (and 16 women) are seeded and given start positions in the finals based on timed qualifying runs. Then they charge head-to-head in four-man heats, with the top-two finishers moving on to the next round. Heats progress through quarterfinal and semifinal rounds until only four racers remain for the so-called "Big Final," when it's on for the medals.

How do racers qualify for the U.S. Team?
There are five Olympic selection events to determine up to four spots on the men's and women's side; the first was in Argentina in September when defending Olympic gold medal winner Seth Wescott finished second and charger Graham Watanabe third, making them top contenders. Among the women, Lindsey Jacobellis, the most successful World Cup snowboard cross racer in history, would seem a lock if she can stay on her feet.

Sandra Behne/Bongarts/Getty ImagesRok Flander (L) of Slovakia and Heinz Inniger (R) of Switzerland compete in the Mens Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom finals.

SNOWBOARD PARALLEL GIANT SLALOM

PGS replaced giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. The U.S. has won bronze twice  Chris Klug in 2002 and Rosey Fletcher in 2006.

Uh, what is parallel giant slalom?
In men's and women's PGS, timed seeding runs determine who makes the 16-man elimination final, in which two racers compete head-to-head on side-by-side slalom courses. Then competitors swap courses and race again, with the faster of the two getting a head start based on the time differential from their first runs. The first to the bottom during the second run determines the winner of each heat, until only two remain in a big final for gold and silver. Semifinal losers race to determine bronze. At Cypress the 1,800-foot course will be built on a flattened section of the ski cross run, with between 24-27 gates.

How do you qualify for the U.S. team?
Qualifying is based on performance at five selection events, the first of which begins Dec. 6 in Italy. Still, the U.S. has never won gold in PGS. And with only 18 total snowboarding spots available on the U.S. Team, it's safe to assume most will be taken by halfpipe and snowboardcross athletes, leaving the PGS squad relatively small.

SKI CROSS

Ski cross will make its Olympic debut at the 2010 Games. Men's ski cross has practically become a retirement plan for former Olympic Alpine racers, including Americans Daron Rahlves, 36, and Casey Puckett, 37, who have won three X Games gold medals between them.

How is ski cross different from snowboard cross?
There are the skis ... Otherwise, ski cross, which makes its Olympic debut in Vancouver, is not much different. In Vancouver, the same course will be used for both disciplines, with some features altered to account for the slightly faster speeds achieved on skis.

Eric Lars Bakke/Shazamm/ESPNCasey Puckett points it during the X Games Skier X final.

How do skiers qualify for the U.S. Team?
There are a maximum of four spots available for the U.S. men's and women's teams. The U.S. team has no designated qualifying events, and will instead base selection on World Cup results. Attempts to create a sanctioned ski cross tour have failed due to lack of sponsorship. The most recent tour ceased in November 2008 when title sponsor Jeep pulled out.