Moguls

Mogul skiers race down a 27-degree slope over large uniform bumps called moguls. The length of the run is between 230 and 270 metres (755-885 feet) with bumps up to 1.2 metres (4 feet) high. To receive good scores, competitors must make highquality, aggressive turns while remaining in the fall line (an imaginary line that combines the steepest pitch and most direct line, from top to bottom, of any slope).

Skiers absorb the impact of the bumps by bending at the knees and hips. In a good run, shoulders remain parallel to the finish line, turns should be quick and short, and skis should not leave the snow surface, except at predetermined jumps.

To perform aerial manoeuvres, skiers hit two large jumps, placed one-third and two-thirds of the way down the run. Inverted moves are not permitted. Off each jump, skiers typically combine moves such as a spread-eagle, twister, helicopter, daffy, iron cross or backscratcher.

Aerials

In aerial competitions, athletes perform various combinations of flips and twists off snowpacked jumps as high as 4 metres (13 feet), with takeoff angles as steep as 70 degrees. Skiers choose a point on the in-run to begin, calculating the location carefully to attain the necessary speed to execute a planned manoeuvre. Concave aerial's ramps come in various heights - the smallest is used primarily for training.

The radius of the concave section of the big and medium jumps varies. The competitor chooses the one most suitable for the planned manoeuvre. Both men and women compete with multiple twisting somersaults.

Skiers will drop from a height equal to that of a three- or four-story building. The landing area has a 37-degree gradient and is covered in soft, churned snow to absorb the impact of the landings.

Ski Cross

Although new to the Olympic sport program, ski cross has existed as a sport since the early days of alpine skiing competition. The “mass start” appeal of ski cross, also seen in snowboard cross, sets the stage for fast and exciting competition.

Not restricted by formal structures and formats, ski cross is part of the FIS freestyle discipline. The majority of competitors have an alpine skiing background.

The ski cross course, designed to test skiers’ skills, incorporates turns in a variety of types and sizes, flat sections and traverses, as well as rolls, banks and ridges similar to those found on a normal ski slope. Structures on the course resemble those found in snowboard cross events. Physical endurance and strength play a key role in ski cross as athletes ski four to five runs lasting 60 seconds or longer.

A timed qualification run is used to seed skiers into different heats, of four skiers each. At the sound of the starting device, the athlete begins racing down the course. The start, as well as the first sections before the first turn, are critical parts of the course, as passing can easily occur here. While other passing areas are designated on the course, interference with other skiers can lead to an athlete’s disqualification.

Each race is limited to four starters. The top half of the finishing field then moves on to the next round in a series of quarter, semi and final rounds.

During each heat, the first two competitors to cross the finish line advance to the next heat, while the last two competitors are ranked based on qualification times. The “big final” round determines which athletes place first to fourth, while the “small final” determines those who rank from fifth to eighth place.

Halfpipe

The half pipe event is held on a half-cylindrical tube shaped into the snow. It is approximately 120-130 m long with a gradient of 16-17%. Using speed gained on the slope, snowboarders come up over the rim of the pipe to perform jumps, rotations and other mid-air manoeuvres or tricks. The object is to perform difficult manoeuvres with perfect form. Each athlete chooses a track of music to accompany the entire performance.

There are five judges, each of whom examines the competitor on specific judging criteria: standard air, rotation, total judging of height and amplitude of manoeuvres, technical merit, incidental falls, overall impression. The 12 women and the 12 men who achieve the highest scores in the two qualifying runs progress to the final.

The final consists of two runs. The gold medal is awarded not to the person who has the best total score of the two runs, but the one who has the best individual run score.

Skis for both freestyle events are markedly shorter than alpine skis to aid rotation. Aerial skis are also lighter, with the boots being fitted to assist with takeoff and landing. The standard ski length is 160cm with a narrow width and slight side cut.

For mogul skiing, the average ski length is 185cm for men and 175cm for women. Mogul skiers wear bright knee pads to show off absorption and leg position to best effect. This aids judges in observing how smoothly the athlete is taking the turns. The fashion statement was made famous at Lillehammer 1994 when Canada’s Jean-Luc Brassard wore bright green kneepads to help his cause.

One critical piece of freestyle equipment not worn by the skier is the sound system. As part of the freestyle atmosphere, there are often 20 speakers along side the piste to blast out more than 7000 watts of rock music for both aerials and moguls events. Skiers have to take this noise into consideration.