The “Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics”, which opened on February 4, 2022, has been hotly contested every day. The halfpipe is one of the most technical freestyle skiing events. It is sometimes difficult to secure a training environment for pipes that meets the standards of international competitions. Here, we introduce the main points of the freeski halfpipe, where the succession of transcendental tricks is impressive. Let's learn the basics and enjoy the world's best pipe tricks!
Free Ski Half Pipe ｜ Free Ski Half Pipe
Don't take your eyes off the complex tricks that never stop evolving in the event that produced Japanese medalists in the past
Beijing Olympics freeski halfpipe competition schedule
The freeski halfpipe is scheduled for the final stage of the competition. Perhaps because of the TV broadcast in the US, both qualifying and the final will be a ``midday decisive battle'' that starts in the morning. The men's final will be on Saturday afternoon so it will be easy to watch. (Schedule may change due to weather conditions, etc.)
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| February 17 (Thursday) 9:30-11:10 (Japan time 10:30-12:10) | Women's Freestyle Halfpipe Qualifying Rounds 1-2 | Uncho Snow Park | February 17 (Thursday) 10:15- (NHK General) gorin.jp is here |
| February 17 (Thursday) 12:30-14:10 (Japan time 13:30-15:10) | Men's Freestyle Halfpipe Qualifying Rounds 1-2 | Uncho Snow Park | February 17 (Thursday) 13:35- (NHK General) gorin.jp is here |
| February 18 (Fri) 9:30-10:49 (Japan time 10:30-11:49) | Women's Freestyle Halfpipe Finals 1-3 | Uncho Snow Park | February 18th (Friday) 10:15~ live broadcast (NHK General) gorin.jp is here |
| February 19 (Sat) 9:30-10:49 (Japan time 10:30-11:49) | Men's Freestyle Halfpipe Finals 1-3 | Uncho Snow Park | February 19th (Sat) 10:05~ Live broadcast (NHK synthesis) gorin.jp is here |
Highlights of the Beijing Olympics Freeski Halfpipe
Freeskiing halfpipe has been an official event since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where Japan's Ayana Onozuka won a bronze medal.
Nico Portius (New Zealand) and Alex Ferreira (USA), who currently form the men's top group, have completed double cork 1620s in both directions. 1620 means 4 and a half turns. In order to aim for the gold medal, it is necessary to decide 1620 or 1440 (4 rotations) with a switch or reverse rotation. However, there are some athletes who are highly evaluated by the judges for their tricks aimed at high originality by reducing the number of rotations. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's good to go around a lot. Two-time consecutive gold medalist David Wise (USA) is still in good health, and at present there are no absolute gold medal candidates, making it difficult to predict.
For women, Irene Gu (China) can be said to be a big favorite. She is 18 years old with an American father and a Chinese mother. Not only is she a halfpipe, she is a freeski slopestyle and freeski big air “three swordsman”, and she is a gold medal contender in each. Especially in the halfpipe, he has won 4 out of 4 games at the World Cup this season. If he wins the Triple Crown, he could become the star of the entire Beijing Olympics.
Saori Suzuki is the only Japanese player to qualify for the 2018 PyeongChang Games. Last time I couldn't skate like I wanted. In Beijing, she shows a willingness to let go of her frustration. She has worked her way up to a career-best sixth place at the World Cup USA tournament just before Beijing. I would like to expect her to perform with momentum.
▼2018 Pyeongchang Olympics free ski halfpipe video
Beijing Olympics freeski halfpipe match format
In the "individual", the flow is like this from the preliminary round to the final round.
- 〈Preliminary round〉Everyone skates twice, the highest score is used to determine the ranking, and the top 12 advance to the final.
- 〈Final〉Everyone skates 3 times, adopts the highest score, and decides the final ranking.
In the preliminary rounds, the running order is determined by lottery.
The point is that the higher score of two skates is taken instead of the total score, and even if the first one fails, there is another chance. However, even if a player who gets a high score in the first run fails in the second run, the possibility of advancing to the final is guaranteed, so it will be easier mentally. There are three chances in the final (two in the World Cup). As a result, athletes aiming for medals often challenge high-stakes tricks. In addition, since the finals will be skated in order from the lower qualifying competitors, the top qualifying competitors can see the overall development, which can be said to be advantageous in that respect.
A major feature of this event is that in addition to the difficulty and perfection of the technique, it is also scored from the viewpoint of originality and progress. On the other hand, it is not only the movement in the air that is important, but the connection between techniques is important, so it is necessary to grasp the snow surface accurately with a board while skating.
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day.
Venue for the Beijing Olympics Free Ski Halfpipe
Uncho Snow Park
The half pipe course is also complete!
It looks like the halfpipe course is ready. As you can see, it's a radiant beauty. Perfect conditions! And. The qualifiers and finals are scheduled to be televised, so let's enjoy the world's best trick competition on this stage.
