To make watching the Milan-Cortina Olympics even more enjoyable, learn the basics of snowboarding and half-pipe, including the characteristics of the sport, highlights, and rules
■What is Snowboard Half-Pipe (HP)? Its Fun
An art that combines "height x technique x style"
Snowboarding half-pipe is a sport in which competitors repeatedly perform airs on the left and right walls of a gigantic, semi-cylindrical slope, and are judged on a comprehensive scale based on the difficulty, height, perfection, and overall flow of the tricks. It's not just about jumping high, but also how high and difficult the tricks are, how stylishly they can be executed, and how smoothly they can connect them to create a beautiful run. Half-pipe is a comprehensive art form that combines height, technique, and style. According to international standards, the course has walls about 22 feet (approximately 6.7 meters) high and a total length of about 160 to 180 meters. Competitors must perform around five to six consecutive tricks along the way
Tricks have evolved significantly in recent years, and while double and triple cork level tricks that combine complex rotations and twists are becoming the norm, judges place importance not just on difficulty but also on amplitude, variety of trick configuration, flow of the entire skate, and execution. In other words, you can't win by simply including a difficult trick; the deciding factor is how high (big), stylishly, and perfectly you skate
Furthermore, halfpipe is a sport that is strongly affected by temperature, snow quality, and wind, so "competitive skill" -- whether you can attack without losing height under those conditions, or strategically rearrange your formation -- will also be an important factor at the Olympics. When watching, pay attention to how high the skater is off the lip of the pipe, the difficulty of the trick, the sharpness and style, the smooth transitions between hits, and the overall flow and completion of the run. In Milan, the height and difficulty will be even more advanced, and the psychological battle of "attacking or finishing off" will also be an interesting focus
■Check out the video to see what it's like in action!
Points of interest unique to the Milan-Cortina Olympics
The biggest highlight will undoubtedly be the showdown between the Japanese skaters, who are said to be the strongest in the world. The clash between these talented skaters, who have continued to dominate the podium at the World Cup and X Games, is likely to produce the highest level of competition in Olympic history. Beijing Olympic champion Hirano Ayumu has further refined his signature enormous height and highly polished consecutive moves, winning the opening round of this season's W-CUP (China), demonstrating his continued overwhelming strength. This is his eighth World Cup victory
Totsuka Yuto came in second, and Hirano Ruka, who has won the individual event in the World Cup three seasons in a row, came in third, giving Japan a sweep of the podium. Half of the 14 finalists were Japanese, demonstrating their incredible strength. Hirano, who won the opening round of the W-CUP, commented, "It was an intense, tough battle with the same kind of tension as the Olympics." As symbolized by these words, the fierce competition between the Japanese skaters, who will be pushing each other to the top, is likely to be the biggest highlight of the event
■ Snowboard Halfpipe Competition Format and Judging Method
The competition will proceed in this order from the preliminaries to the finals
<Qualifying Round> Everyone will skate twice, and the higher score will be used to determine the ranking. The top 12 will advance to the final round
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<Final Round> Everyone will skate three times, and the highest score will be used to determine the final ranking.
In the qualifying round, the skating order is determined by a draw. The key point is that the higher score from each of the two runs, not the sum of the scores, is used, meaning that even if you fail on the first run, you get another chance. However, skaters who score highly on the first run are guaranteed a chance to advance to the final even if they fail on the second run, which makes it easier mentally.
In the final, there are three chances (two in the World Cup). Therefore, skaters aiming for a medal often attempt risky tricks. Also, in the final, skaters perform in order from the lowest-ranked qualifiers, so the higher-ranked qualifiers can assess the overall flow of the competition, which gives them an advantage.
A major feature of this event is that it is judged not only on the difficulty and perfection of the tricks, but also on originality and innovation. On the other hand, not only is movement in the air important, but smooth transitions between tricks are also important, so skaters must accurately grip the curve of the pipe with their boards while skating
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day
Milan-Cortina Olympic Snowboard Halfpipe Competition Schedule
| Date and time | Event | Broadcast schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 2/11 (Wed) | ●Women's Snowboard HP Qualifying Round [Japan Time] February 12th (Thu) 18:30 | February 11th (Wed) 18:25 - NHK General 18:45 - NHK E Tele 19:30 - NHK General |
| ●Men's Snowboard HP Qualifying Round [Japan Time] 2/12 (Thu) 03:30 | February 12th (Thursday) , 3:00 AM - 6:00 AM, TV Tokyo Network | |
| 2/12 (Thu) | ●Women's Snowboard HP Final [Japan Time] 2/13 (Fri) 03:30 | February 13th (Fri) 03:25~ NHK General |
| ●Men's Snowboard HP Final [Japan Time] 2/14 (Sat) 03:30 | February 14th (Sat) 03:25~ NHK General |
■ Japanese athletes competing in the snowboard halfpipe at the Milan-Cortina Olympics
[Boys]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Major achievements | |
| Ayumu Hirano | @ayumuhirano1129 | November 29, 1998 | Niigata Prefecture | TOKIO Inkarami | '22 Beijing Olympics Home Run Champion , '25 World Cup Aspen Home Run Champion, etc. |
| Yuto Totsuka | @yuto_totsuka | September 27, 2001 | Kanagawa Prefecture | Yonex | '24/25 W-CUP Copper Mountain HP 2nd place, '25 W-CUP Aspen HP 3rd place, etc. |
| Ruka Hirano | @rukahirano | March 12, 2002 | Osaka Prefecture | INPEX | '24/25 W-CUP Klagenfurt HP 3rd place' , '24/25 W-CUP HP Reached the finals in multiple tournaments, etc. |
| Ryusei Yamada | @ryusei.yamada | March 25, 2006 | Hokkaido | Team JWSC | '24/25 W-CUP Secret Garden HP 3rd place, '24/25 W-CUP HP multiple tournament finalists, etc.' |
[Women]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Major achievements | |
| Mitsuki Ono | @mitsukiono | March 5, 2004 | Saitama Prefecture | Burton | 2025 World Championship HP 3rd place, etc |
| Sena Tomita | @sena_tomita | October 5, 1999 | Niigata Prefecture | Usami SC | 2024/25 W-CUP Calgary HP winner, etc |
| Kudo Rise | @riseee.1211 | August 28, 2009 | Hokkaido | TOKIO Inkarami | 2025 FIS World Championships HP 4th place, 2024/25 W-CUP Overall Ranking HP 9th place, etc. |
| Sara Shimizu | - | November 12, 2009 | Shiga Prefecture | TOKIO Inkarami | 2025 FIS World Championships (HP) 2nd place, 2024/25 W-CUP Overall Ranking (HP) 3rd place, etc. |