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Winter Olympic Freestyle Skiing

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Aerials - Moguls - Ski cross

Alpine and nordic skiing disciplines are all about who can get from start to finish as quickly as possible.

But for freestyle skiers, it's what they do in between that counts.

Aerials specialists are the acrobats of the slopes, performing a series of somersaults and spins as they are catapulted up to 15 metres into the air.

As well as being judged on their speed, moguls specialists are assessed on how well they negotiate a course studded with tricky bumps known as moguls.

And, as if that was not tough enough, there are also two spectacular jumps which must be completed along the way.

Ski cross (also known as skiercross or skier-X) is a relatively new type of skiing competition. It is based on the motorbike discipline of motocross. Despite it being a timed racing event, it is often considered part of freestyle skiing because it incorporates terrain features traditionally found in freestyle.

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Ski Cross

A fast and exciting competition.

Although new to Olympic sport competition, Ski Cross has existed as a sport since early alpine ski competitions. 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 with the bulk of competitors originating from alpine skiing.

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 in Snowboard Cross events. Physical endurance and strength play a key role in Ski Cross, as athletes ski 4 to 5 runs of 60 seconds or more.

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

Each race is limited to 4 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 across the finish line advance to the next heat, while the last two competitors get ranked based on their qualification times. The "big final" round determines 1st to 4th place, while the "small final" determines 5th to 8th place.

HOW THE MOGULS COMPETITION UNFOLDS

Moguls tricks include the 'backscratcher', 'helicopter', 'iron cross' and 'daffy'

The moguls course is between 220m and 250m long and has a gradient of between 26 and 30 degrees.

The skier must keep as direct a path as possible, and complete a jump at two different points on the descent.

There is a qualifying heat, and the 16 skiers with the highest scores make it through to the final.

Scoring takes into account three key areas.

Technique makes up 50% of the marks.

Judges assess how well the skier attacks the course, their body position and their control of the skis, which must remain in contact with the snow as much as possible.

Five judges assess the technique and the highest and lowest scores are discounted.

Aerials account for 25% of the total.

Two judges assess the quality of each jump, its height and how well it is landed. The score is multiplied by the level of difficulty for the jump in question.

Speed makes up the remaining 25% of the total.

Marks are calculated on how the skier compares to a 'pace time' determined before the competition begins.

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HOW THE AERIALS COMPETITION UNFOLDS

Aerials skiers train on trampolines and practise their moves by jumping off plastic ramps into specially made swimming pools

The skier heads down a steep approach to the jump, is thrown high into the air and carries out an elaborate manoeuvre before landing on the run-off area.

Each jump has its own difficulty rating and the skier must tell the judges in advance what is planned.

There is a choice of take-off ramps, which must be approached at exactly the right speed to make sure the trick can be completed and landed safely.

The run-off slope is covered with wood chips to make it easier for the skier to spot the landing.

The skier is given marks in three categories:

Air, which is based on the height and distance of the jump and covers 20% of the total;

Form, which rates how gracefully the jump is performed and covers 50% of the total;

Landing, which assesses how smoothly the jump is landed and covers 30% of the total.

Five judges give marks for air and form. Each judge can give a maximum score of seven, with the highest and lowest marks thrown out and the other three added together.

Two other judges assess the quality of the landing, each awarding up to 3.0 points. Their two scores are averaged and then multiplied by three, for a maximum of 9.0 points.

The total score - a maximum of 30.0 - is multiplied by the difficulty rating of the jump to give a final score.

Each skier has two jumps, with the scores from both added together to produce a final total.

The top 12 from the qualifying round go through to the final.

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Winter Olympic Freestyle Skiing

Aerials - Moguls - Ski cross

Ski Cross

A fast and exciting competition.

HOW THE MOGULS COMPETITION UNFOLDS

Moguls tricks include the 'backscratcher', 'helicopter', 'iron cross' and 'daffy'

Featured Page

HOW THE AERIALS COMPETITION UNFOLDS

Aerials skiers train on trampolines and practise their moves by jumping off plastic ramps into specially made swimming pools

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