The Beijing Olympics kicked off on February 4th, with heated competition unfolding every day. One of the ski events where Japanese athletes are expected to perform well is freeskiing slopestyle. Slopestyle is truly a battle of artisans, as you can't win unless you have an integrated combination of jumping and jib techniques on a long slope, as well as the ability to express your "style." Here we'll introduce the key points of freeskiing slopestyle, a competition of creative tricks. Be sure to learn the basics and enjoy the competition of technique and style!
Free Ski Slope Style
The champion is the one who can combine continuous techniques and styles in a flowing, creative performance.
■ Beijing Olympics Freeski Slopestyle Competition Schedule
Freeski slopestyle will be held over the middle three days of the competition. It starts in the morning, and all events except for the women's qualifying round are held on weekdays, making for a generally unpredictable schedule.
(The schedule is subject to change due to weather and other factors.)
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| Sunday, February 13th, 10:00-12:00 (11:00-13:00 Japan time) | Women's Freestyle and Slopestyle Preliminaries 1-2 | Uncho Snow Park | Live broadcast on Sunday, February 13th from 10:55 (NHK General TV/BS4K) gorin.jp is here |
| Monday, February 14th, 9:30-10:49 (10:30-11:49 Japan time) | Women's Freestyle/Slopestyle Finals 1-3 | Uncho Snow Park | Monday, February 14th, 10:25am - Live streaming on gorin.jp. Click here for gorin.jp. |
| February 14th (Mon) 12:30-14:32 (13:30-15:32 Japan time) | Men's Freestyle/Slopestyle Qualifying Runs 1-2 | Uncho Snow Park | Monday, February 14th, 13:30~ Live streaming on gorin.jp Click here for gorin.jp |
| Tuesday, February 15th, 9:30-10:50 (10:30-11:50 Japan time) | Men's Freestyle/Slopestyle Finals 1-3 | Uncho Snow Park | February 15th (Tue) 10:30am ~ Live streaming on gorin.jp gorin.jp is here |
■ Highlights of the Beijing Olympics Freeskiing Slopestyle
Freeskiing slopestyle became an Olympic event at the Sochi Winter Olympics. The course is broadly divided into two sections: a jib item and a jump section with a row of jump ramps. The course is different for each competition, and it has become customary for Olympic slopestyle events to have items associated with the host country. The system is based on a system in which judges score the performances of each skier freely
Judges look at the difficulty, execution, and style of the tricks, as well as the smoothness and cleanness of the flow throughout the slopestyle course. To that end, 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 their speed while continuing on to the next item. The bigger the jump, the longer they will stay 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, the slopestyle course in Beijing has been specially designed with secret strategies in mind, but it is still an event with a high potential for surprises, as you never know what will happen
The men's freeski slopestyle medal race is difficult to predict. From top-ranked Fabian Bobsch (Switzerland) in the overall World Cup rankings to fifth-place Andri Lagettri (Switzerland), who was originally the top gold medal contender but was delayed due to injury, the six skiers (two skiers tied for fifth place) have roughly the same number of points. In other words, there is no overwhelming presence. First-placed Bobsch has not won a single one of the three competitions, and his position is due to his consistent high-ranking finishes. To win the Olympic gold medal, how aggressively he attacks may be the deciding factor. Rather than relying on consistency, it will depend on whether he can take risks, pull off difficult tricks, and maximize his own style
Based on the results of the 2021-22 World Cup, the women's competition looks set to be a showdown between two top contenders: Kelly Sildaru (Estonia) and Eileen Gu (China). Sildaru was considered a gold medal contender at the PyeongChang Olympics at age 15, but missed the competition due to injury. Gu is half Chinese and raised in the United States, and this time she will be competing in China, her mother's home country. She made a stunning world debut at the 2021 Winter X Games, winning three medals straight away, and is now one of the most talked-about female athletes in the world. She skipped grades to attend the prestigious Stanford University and is a top model, making her the epitome of both beauty and intelligence, and she's already a hugely popular idol in China
What both of them have in common is that they are skilled in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air. In this season's World Cup, Goo is strong in halfpipe, but Sildaru is winning in slopestyle. The battle between the two, which will take place in all three rounds, is not to be missed
Kondo Konne, a high school student from Hakuba, is the only Japanese skater to qualify and will be taking on the world. Although she is technically inferior to Sildal and Goo, she has a unique style. She placed an impressive 5th in the final World Cup, and is rapidly improving her skills, and is currently gaining momentum. If she can perform at her personal best, she will have a good chance of placing highly
▼Video of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics freeski slopestyle
■ Beijing Olympics Freeski Slopestyle Competition Format
In the "individual", the flow is like this from the preliminary round to the final round.
- 〈Preliminary round〉Every player skates twice, and the highest score of each skater is adopted to determine the ranking, and the top 12 advance to the final.
- <Finals> All competitors who pass the preliminary rounds will skate three times, and the final ranking will be determined by the highest score of each competitor
Similar to freeskiing halfpipe, there are two chances in the preliminaries, with the higher score being the winner. The order of skating is decided by lottery. However, the athlete who gets the highest score in the first round 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 skating in the finals begins with the lowest qualifiers. Athletes who rank highly in the preliminaries have the opportunity to negotiate depending on how the final goes, giving them an advantage in that respect
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day.
■ Beijing Olympic Free Ski Slopestyle Venue
Uncho Snow Park
The slopestyle course is amazing!
Here's the slopestyle course that was finally unveiled the other day. Its striking design is full of Chinese cultural influences. The snow walls, reminiscent of the Great Wall of China, are laid out like stairs and actually function as windbreaks for athletes as they ski. Divided into six sections, the variety of items, size, and perfect conditions have all earned it rave reviews as a "next-level" artistic course
Learn more about the slopestyle course
■Japanese representative for freeski slopestyle at the Beijing Olympics 
[Women]
| name | Date of birth | where one is from | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Kokone Kondo | @cocone_kondo | February 19, 2003 | Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano Prefecture | oriental bio | first appearance |
Although Yasunari Yamamoto competed in the PyeongChang Olympics, no male athletes were able to qualify this time. Meanwhile, Kondo Konno, a female athlete, is riding high on her success, having placed 7th in the World Cup last season and 5th this season, just short of the podium
Text/Daisuke Mizorogi
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