The Dynamics of Free Style Skiing - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

(From the book “The Winter Olympics – An Insider’s Guide to the Legends, the Lore and the Games”,

[Vancouver Edition], by Ron C. Judd, 2008)

Skiers in the mainstream freestyle events, moguls and aerials, are as much performers as they are competitors.  Because both sports are judged (like figure skating and gymnastics), dramatic impact is everything – especially when the crowd, whipped to a frenzy by “thumping” rock music and enthusiastic announcers, is rarely satisfied with anything that they’ve already seen. 

At the 2010 Vancouver Games, they (the IOC officials) wanted to reach for more, introducing to the Olympic world the new sport of ski cross, a thrilling, crash-ridden “gang” race (4 skiers racing down the hill all at once), inspired by another new fan favourite, snowboard cross.

I wanted to talk about freestyle skiing events because of my long term interest in artistic (Olympic) gymnastics and in Olympic and World Championship figure skating events.  The acrobatic aerial elements seen in events such as moguls and aerials are very similar to those seen in the Olympic gymnastics events.

Freestyle skiing venues are the most manmade of all sites for snow-sports events, with ski jumps constructed of wood and steel and then covered with snow, or deep moguls carved by machine and shovels into hillsides.  But the results are spectacular, with enough “big-air” thrills – always set to rock music – to make these events a fan favourite at every Olympic.  The following is a description of each of these spectacular freestyle skiing events:  moguls, aerials and ski cross.

Moguls:

Moguls skiers, performing to rock music of their own choosing, make their way down a steep slope studded with deep moguls (bumps interspersed between troughs) and two manmade ski jumps.  With their knees moving like pistons at blinding speeds and their hips pivoting from side to side, they essentially “bounce” off the tops of the moguls, their upper bodies appearing to travel straight down the fall line, with hardly a bounce or jiggle.

When they hit one of the course’s prescribed jumps, they launch into the air and typically perform an aerial manoeuvre, like a somersault or flip with one or more twists, then land on their skis; they then ski the next line of bumps to the next jump, until reaching the bottom of the hill – all, as a rule, in less than 30 seconds of frenetic activity. 

The event itself is something like a cross between a rock concert and an elementary school field day, with blaring music and a party atmosphere.

Aerials:

In aerials, an athlete skis down a short, steep slope, reaching speeds of 25 to 30 mph (40 to 48 kph) before skiing off a steeply banked jump.  This jump propels the skier 12 to 15 meters (40 to 50 feet) into the air, where he/she performs multiple aerobatic manoeuvres all the way back down to the snow below, landing (it is hoped) on his/her skis.

The landing hill is at a pitch of 34 to 39 degrees and is about 30 meters (100 feet) long.  Top male aerialists can perform triple back flips with as many as five twists built in.  Quadruple back flips have been attempted and landed by a handful of aerials skiers, but, to date, are not legal in competition at the World Cup or the Olympics.

Ski Cross:

In ski cross, skiers break out of a starting gate (like horses in a horse race) and ski, in a pack of four, down a ski course with sharp curves, fast straightaways, and a series of “whoop-de-do” bumps that can send them flying skyward.  Good starts are crucial; it is difficult, although by no means impossible, to pass other skiers on the course during the race.  Wipe-outs are fairly common, making ski cross an exciting visual spectacle.

This sport, which originated with the action-oriented “Winter X” Games, has been likened to “moto-cross on skis”.  Racers can reach speeds exceeding 50 mph (80 kph) and, while bodily contact is prohibited, accidental bumping is not unusual. 

All three disciplines are now skied at the Olympics by both men and women, with ski cross debuting at the 2010 Winter Games at Cypress Mountain on the outskirts of Vancouver.

NOTE:  Moguls and aerials are free style skiing sports that are judged, while ski cross is a free style sport that is timed (that is, the first skier across the finish line wins).

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.