Snowboarders glide smoothly over a series of kickers, rails, and other jib-type elements on a long slope. Slopestyle is a battle of artists on the snow, where you need not only high technique but also impressive style to win. Here we will introduce the key points of snowboard slopestyle, a competition of creative tricks. This will surely increase your interest when watching on TV or online. Be sure to learn the basics and enjoy the competition of skills and style!
Snowboard Slope Style
All of the Japanese women's team are medal contenders!
Must-see events full of big surprises
■ Beijing Olympics Snowboard Slopestyle Competition Schedule
Snowboard slopestyle begins the day after the opening ceremony. The schedule spans three days, including the women's qualifying round, the women's final and men's qualifying round, and the men's final. The women's final, where Japan has a good chance of winning a medal, is on Sunday, so make sure you plan to watch it on TV. (The schedule is subject to change due to weather and other factors.)
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| February 5th (Sat) 9:30-10:49 (10:30-11:49 Japan time) | Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Qualifying Runs 1-2 | Yunding Snow Park | Will add if announced |
| February 6th (Sun) 9:30-10:49 (10:30-11:49 Japan time) | Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final Runs 1-3 | Yunding Snow Park | February 6th (Sun) 10:05~ Live broadcast (NHK General TV) gorin.jp is here |
| February 7th (Mon) 12:00-13:19 (13:00-14:19 Japan time) | Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Final Runs 1-3 | Yunding Snow Park | February 7th (Monday) 13:05~ Live broadcast (NHK Educational TV) gorin.jp is here |
■Highlights of the Beijing Olympics Snowboard Slopestyle
The stage is a specially constructed course consisting of two sections: a jib section and a jump section, and there are no "must dos" for either section, allowing for free line selection and free riding. The performance shown there is the subject of judging. It is not enough to simply perform difficult tricks; originality and creativity are also required. It is a discipline in the same genre as freeskiing slopestyle, and comparing the two will make it even more interesting
In the men's division, last season's World Championship winner, Marcus Kleveland (Norway), has struggled this season, and the three World Cup events have produced a tightly contested race with different winners in each. The current situation is that Japan's men's athletes are still far behind the world's top group. Meanwhile, Japan's women's team is strong, boasting a deep roster of athletes with multiple medal hopefuls. Murase Kokoro has won one of the three World Cup events this season, placing third once, and is ranked first overall, while Iwabuchi Reira is third overall. Onizuka Miyabi also placed second in the World Cup. With the team's overall enthusiasm bolstering their momentum, there's every chance they'll win multiple medals
▼Video of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics Snowboard Slopestyle
■ Beijing Olympics Snowboard Slopestyle Competition Format
The competition will proceed in this order from the preliminaries to the finals
- Qualifying: Each skater skates twice, and the highest score of each skater is used to determine the ranking. The top 12 skaters advance to the finals
- <Finals> All skaters will skate three times, and the highest score will be used to determine the final ranking
In the preliminaries, the order of skating is decided by lottery. Everyone skates twice, but the higher score is used, not the total score. Because there are two chances, it is rare for a strong medal candidate to be eliminated in the preliminaries unless something extraordinary happens. There are three chances in the finals (two in the World Cup). Therefore, athletes aiming for a medal will attempt big tricks here to get a higher score. The order of skating in the finals will start from the bottom of the preliminaries. Athletes who rank high in the preliminaries can assess the overall flow before skating, so they are considered to have a mental advantage
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day
■ Beijing Olympic Snowboard Slopestyle Venue
Yunding Snow Park
Located about 180km northwest of Beijing, in the Zhangjiakou area, a popular destination for snow sports enthusiasts in China, Yunding Snow Park is located within an existing ski resort. Two venues have been set up: Park A for freestyle skiing and Park B for snowboarding, each with a capacity of 7,500 spectators
Slopestyle course unveiled
Here's the slopestyle course that was 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
■ Japanese representative for snowboard slopestyle at the Beijing Olympics 
[Boys]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Ruki Tobita | @rukitobita | May 7, 1999 | Adachi Ward, Tokyo | Will Rays | First appearance |
| Kaito Hamada | @kaitohamada | October 14, 1999 | Sapporo, Hokkaido | Murasaki Sports Hokkaido | First appearance |
| Takeru Otsuka | @takeru_otsuka | April 2, 2001 | Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture | Burton | First appearance |
| Hiroaki Kunitake | @hiroaki_kunitake | February 10, 2002 | Agui Town, Aichi Prefecture | STANCER | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
[Women]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Miyabi Onitsuka | @miyabionitsuka | October 12, 1998 | Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture | Will Rays | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
| Reira Iwabuchi | @leila_iwabuchi | December 14, 2001 | Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture | Burton | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
| Murase Kokomo | @cocomonsan | November 7, 2004 | Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture | Burton | First appearance |
| Rina Yoshika | @rinayoshik | April 9, 1999 | Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture | STANCER | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
Of the four men's athletes, Otsuka Ken currently holds the highest overall World Cup ranking at 16th, followed by Tobita Ruki at 21st, Kunitake Hiroaki at 27th, and Hamada Kaito at 33rd. Realistically, any of Onitsuka Miyabi, Iwabuchi Reira, and Murase Kokoro could win a medal in the women's competition, and Japan can be expected to win a gold medal or multiple medals
Text/Daisuke Mizorogi
Edit/STEEP