| What it is | Trick-focused skiing (jumps, spins, rails) |
| Where | Terrain parks, halfpipes, moguls |
| Disciplines | Slopestyle, big air, halfpipe, moguls, aerials |
| Gear | Twin-tip skis (ski/land switch) |
Freestyle skiing is a category of skiing centered on tricks, jumps, spins, and rail slides rather than straightforward descents, performed in terrain parks, halfpipes, and on moguls. Disciplines include slopestyle, big air, halfpipe, moguls, and aerials, and it typically uses twin-tip skis that allow skiing and landing both forward and backward (switch).
Park, pipe, and bumps
Played out in the terrain park and halfpipe on twin-tip skis; the bumps discipline is mogul skiing.
Frequently asked questions
What is freestyle skiing?
Freestyle skiing is skiing focused on performing tricks — jumps, spins, flips, and rail or box slides — rather than just descending. It takes place in terrain parks, halfpipes, and mogul fields and includes competitive disciplines like slopestyle, big air, halfpipe, moguls, and aerials, several of which are Olympic events.
What are twin-tip skis?
Twin-tip skis are turned up at both the tip and tail, allowing skiers to take off, land, and ski backward (switch) as well as forward — essential for the spins and switch landings of freestyle skiing. They're the standard ski for park and pipe riding.
What are the freestyle skiing disciplines?
The main ones are slopestyle (a course of jumps and rails judged on tricks), big air (a single large jump), halfpipe (tricks in a snow pipe), moguls (skiing bumps with jumps, judged on technique and air), and aerials (large inverted jumps off kickers). Each emphasizes different skills within freestyle.
Sources
- Freestyle skiing — PSIA-AASI
- Park & pipe — The Mountaineers