Mogul skiing is a freestyle

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

competition consisting of one timed run of free skiing on a steep, heavily moguled course, stressing technical turns, aerial maneuvers and speed. Internationally, the sport is contested at the

FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships The FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships is the world championship organized by the FIS for freestyle skiing. It was first organized in 1986 and is now held every odd year. Currently, the events included in the world championships are Moguls, ...

, and at the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were he ...

. Moguls are a series of bumps on a

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formed when skiers push snow into mounds as they do sharp turns. This tends to happen naturally as skiers use the slope but they can also be constructed artificially. Once formed, a naturally occurring mogul tends to grow as skiers follow similar paths around it, further deepening the surrounding grooves known as troughs. Since skiing tends to be a series of linked turns, moguls form together to create a bump field. The term "mogul" is from the Bavarian/

Austrian German Austrian German (german: Österreichisches Deutsch), Austrian Standard German (ASG), Standard Austrian German (), or Austrian High German (), is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria. It has the highest sociolinguistic p ...

word ''Mugel'', meaning "mound, hillock".

Competition

The first competition involving mogul skiing occurred in 1971. The

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created the Freestyle World Cup Circuit in 1980. The first

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

were held in 1986, and are currently held in odd-numbered years. It was a demonstration sport in

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. It has been a medal event in the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

since

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. Mogul courses are between 200 and 270 metres with an average slope grade of 26 degrees. The moguls themselves are set approximately 3.5 metres apart. The course includes two small jumps which are used as a take-off for aerial maneuvers. Athletes can perform upright or inverted tricks off these jumps in the course of a competition run. Dual Mogul competition consists of elimination rounds where pairs of competitors compete against each other. Each loser is eliminated and each winner advances to the next round until a final result is achieved.

Scoring

*Turns count for 60% of the score. This is a technical evaluation by judges, includes the rhythmic changes in direction of travel to either side of the

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(the shortest line from start to finish), using an aggressive, controlled technique. The skier should employ carve turns, and should not skid or plough. The head should remain still, facing downhill. The chest should also stay straight and natural. Hands stay in front of the body in a natural position. Pole plants should be light and well-timed. * Air (jumps) counts for 25% of the score. Air is scored in two parts: form and difficulty. Jumps include

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, loops, rotations (helicopters/360,720), and upright jumps such as a spread eagle. * Speed counts for 15% of the score. The Pace Speed for the moguls is 8.2 m/s for women and 9.7 m/s for men.

References

{{skiing Games and sports introduced in 1971 Freestyle skiing

Competition

Scoring

See also

References