To make watching the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics even more enjoyable, it's important to learn the basics of freestyle skiing and slopestyle, including the characteristics of the sport, highlights, and rules
■What is freestyle skiing/slopestyle? What's so exciting about it?
The entire orchid is evaluated as a single piece of work
Freeskiing slopestyle became an Olympic event at the Sochi Winter Olympics (2014). The course is broadly divided into two parts: a jib feature and a jump section with a row of jump ramps. The course differs from competition to competition, but the FIS (World Ski Federation) regulates that international competitions must have a course width of at least 30m, an overall elevation difference of between 50m and 200m, and at least six sections on the course. It has become a tradition at Olympic slopestyle events to have features associated with the host country
Judges look at the difficulty of the trick, the level of completion including the landing, the originality and novelty of the style, and the smoothness and cleanness of the transitions from one item to the next throughout the slopestyle course. To achieve this, each landing is also a factor. Falls will of course result in a deduction, and the size of the trick will depend on how smoothly the skater lands and maintains speed while continuing on to the next item. With jumps, the longer the skater stays in the air, making it easier to show style in the air. Incidentally, the time it takes to complete the course is not evaluated
Also, the event can be affected by the weather on the day, such as when a strong headwind makes it difficult to make big jumps. For this reason, it is an event with a high possibility of surprises, as you never know what will happen
The greatest appeal of slopestyle is that each athlete has a completely different story for each run. Even on the same course, there is freedom in which section they compete in and how they structure their run. Some athletes focus on jumps and aerial battles, while others choose to use rails to make a difference. This freedom is what makes this sport so appealing
Check out the video to see it in action!
Points of interest unique to the Milan-Cortina Olympics
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics present an unusual situation. Normally, a "pre-event" would be held the year before the Olympic Games, but since this was not the case this time, it is completely unknown what kind of stage will be set up at Livigno Snow Park. In that respect, those involved are predicting that the course will not be particularly unusual or unique
Meanwhile, there are rumors that the final jump, the largest of the three required by regulations, will be larger than the one at the Beijing Olympics. If a larger jump becomes possible, Livigno, located at a high altitude in a mountainous region, will be more susceptible to the effects of wind and other weather conditions. Naturally, this will increase the risk of mistakes... Will they attack, or will they play it safe? This choice will likely be the deciding factor in the battle
■ Milan-Cortina Olympics Freestyle Skiing Slopestyle Competition Format and Judging Method
From the preliminaries to the finals, it will be contested in this way.
<Qualifying> All skaters will skate twice, and the highest score of each skater will be used to determine the ranking, with the top 12 skaters advancing to the finals
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<Final> All skaters who passed the qualifying round will skate three times, and the highest score of each skater will be used to determine the final ranking.
Similar to freeskiing halfpipe, there are two chances in the preliminaries, with the higher score being the winner. The order of runs is decided by lottery. However, the athlete who gets the highest score in the first run will have a mental advantage. There are two finals in the World Cup, but three in the Olympics, so a different level of tension must be maintained than usual. Furthermore, the order of runs in the final is determined by the lowest qualifying rankings. Athletes who rank highly in the preliminaries have the opportunity to negotiate depending on how the final goes, so in that respect they have an advantage
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day.
■ Milan-Cortina Olympics Freestyle Skiing and Slopestyle Competition Schedule
| Date and time | Event | Broadcast schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 2/7 (Sat) | Women's Freeski Slopestyle Qualifiers [Japan time] 2/7 (Sat) 18:30 | ー |
| Men's Freeski Slopestyle Qualifiers [Japan time] 2/7 (Sat) 22:00 | ー | |
| 2/9 (Monday)) | Women's Freeski Slopestyle Final [Japan time] 2/9 (Mon) 20:30 | ー |
| 2/10 (Tue) | Men's Freeski Slopestyle Final [Japan time] 2/10 (Tue) 20:30 |
■ Japanese athletes scheduled to compete in the freestyle ski slopestyle at the Milan-Cortina Olympics
[Women]
| name | Date of birth | where one is from | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Kondo Kokone | @cocone_kondo | February 19, 2003 | Kitaazumi District, Nagano Prefecture | Oriental Bio | first appearance |
| Yuna Koga | @yuna_koga0402 | April 2, 2002 | Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture | Johoku Shinkin Bank Ski | first appearance |
Kondo Kokone was selected to represent Japan at the last Beijing Olympics, but was forced to withdraw after suffering an injury during official practice. Her frustration fueled her efforts, and she has continued to improve her skills. She has consistently placed in the single digits at the W-CUP, and in November of this Olympic season, she placed 7th in the first W-CUP competition, Slopestyle, making for a solid start. Armed with the Switch Blender 1080, a feat that only Kondo, a woman in the world, can pull off, she will be competing on the Olympic stage for the first time
While at Waseda University, Koga Yuina won both the slopestyle and big air at the 2023 Winter University Games (FISU), and in the 2024-25 W-CUP she placed 9th in the big air and 10th in the slopestyle at the Tignes, France event, nearly reaching the finals. Her results at the W-CUP in December of this Olympic year exceeded the SAJ's qualifying criteria, earning her her first Olympic ticket