What is Freestyle Skiing
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Freestyle applied to skiing covers the events of Moguls, Aerials, Big Air, Half Pipe, Slope Style and Ski Cross. All are FIS (Federation de Institute Ski) disciplines except for Big air. Aerials & Half Pipe feature in the Olympics (maybe Slopestyle soon).
Moguls - stonkingly fast runs down hideously steep pistes with two jumps in between. Most bump skiers now spin off the jumps to gain maximum marks, which means they can't see their landing for half of the time. Inverted aerials are now allowed in moguls.
50% marks for quality of turns i.e. snow contact, aggression, line etc.
25% marks on speed
25% marks on height and difficulty of air
Aerials - inverted jumps that are scary beyond belief. You just cannot get the idea of how big and clever this is until you stand underneath one of the ten foot near vertical ramps they use to take off. Training can take place on trampolines and then water ramps, but it can still hurt if you land on your back in water from 20 ft up. Combinations of double and triple twisting somersaults and more.
Big Air - find a big jump and hurl yourself off it. Flat spins, misty flips, 1080-degree rotations, anything goes including landing backwards. Again judged on difficulty and style. Uses twin tip skis that are also generally excellent for all mountains playing.
Halfpipe - skateboarding comes to skiing. 100 m of bliss with jump after jump of sheer joy off of the lip. Again upright, invert and fakie (backwards). You've guessed it - judged on difficulty and style.
Ski-Cross - more downhill than Freestyle. Four or more skiers start at the top of a course that owes more to a bob sleigh run than piste. Whoever stays in the course and gets to the bottom first wins. Did I mention the occasional mammoth jump just to put you off?
Slope Style - jumps & rails on one course.
Brief History
The three original disciplines of Freestyle (Acro, Moguls & Aerials) grew out of hot-dogging; a single run would include bump skiing, aerials and Acro tricks. The first competition took place in 1971 in the USA, sponsored by K2.
Awards were given for fastest run, most unique etc. unfortunately as the awards given rose in value, the competitors tried more and more varied and dangerous manoeuvres. After a spate of injuries, including a broken back the competition was broken up into three component parts - the modern three disciplines of Freestyle skiing. From that moment on inverted aerials were no longer allowed in moguls skiing.
Mogul skiing became a fast success drawing huge crowds, most coming to join the party atmosphere, and watch the big crashes. The draw of big crowds and media interest did not go un-noticed by the International Ski Federation (now known as FIS), who in 1980, decided to bring it under their wing, and start the Freestyle World Cup Circuit.
Facilities and Equipment Required
Skiing requires specialised boots and skis. Equipment may be hired at ski centres and artificial slopes. In the UK skiing can be practised through clubs, dry slopes and indoor Snow domes.
