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Aerial skiing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aerial skiing
Skier performing an aerials jump during the2010 Winter Olympics
Highestgoverning bodyInternational Ski Federation
Characteristics
TypeFreestyle skiing
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide
Olympic

Aerial skiingoraerialsis afreestyle skiingdiscipline where athletes ski down a slope to launch themselves off a kicker (a vertically inclined ramp) and perform multiple twists and flips before landing on an inclined landing hill.[1]Aerialists are scored on their jumps based on air, form and landing with their score multiplied by thedegree of difficultyof the jump they performed.[2]

Internationally, the sport is contested at theFIS Freestyle Ski World Cup,FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships,and theWinter Olympic Games.

Overview

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Skiers begin at the top of a large hill and ski down a slope (known as an inrun) to launch themselves off one of two or three vertically inclined kickers. They may select which kicker to use for their specific jump as kickers vary in inclination and height. After launching themselves off the kicker, skiers then complete several twists and flips before attempting to land upwards on a declining hill of prepared snow. Jumps are scored by a panel of judges.

Aerial skiing competitions takes place at an aerials site which must follow standards set by theInternational Ski Federation(FIS). These include the inrun being at an angle of 25° and 70 metres (230 ft) long, and the landing hill being at an angle of 38° and 25 to 30 metres (82 to 98 ft) long.[3]Kickers range from 8 to 20 feet (2.4 to 6.1 m) tall, with the tallest kickers launching skiers 45 to 50 feet (14 to 15 m) above the landing hill.[4]

Theskisused in aerials are generally lighter and shorter than other skis which makes them easier to control during the jumps; thetails and tipsare also more flexible than regular skis. All competitors must wear aski helmetwhile competing.[5]

History

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Performing a somersault on skis has origins in 1906 with the development of "stunt skiing",[6][7][8]while aerials as a discipline was popularized in the 1950s by Olympic gold medalistStein Eriksen.[9][10][11]

Aerials events have featured since the firstFIS Freestyle Ski World Cupin1980andFIS Freestyle World Ski Championshipsin1986.

Freestyle skiing was recognized as a sport by the International Ski Federation in 1979 and was initially added to the1988 Winter Olympicsas ademonstration event.[9]After appearing as a demonstration event for the1988and1992Winter Olympics, aerials became a full medal event since the1994 Winter Olympics.[12]

At the2022 Winter Olympics,themixed team aerialswas added as a medal event. The event involves three skiers (with at least one of each gender) competing as a team, with their individual scores being added together to form a team score.[13]

Training

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During summer months, aerialists train by performing jumps off specially constructedwater rampsand landing in a swimming pool.[14]Aerialists may also usetrampolinesto practice techniques specific to aerials such as a straight body position.[15]

Scoring

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In competitions, jumps are evaluated by a panel of five judges. Each judge gives a score for three components: air (out of 2.0), form (out of 5.0) and landing (out of 3.0). The high and low scores for each component are then discarded and the three scores in each component are summed to give the total judge's score out of 30. The total judge's score is then multiplied by the jump'sdegree of difficulty(ranging from 2.050 to 5.300[a]) to determine the final score. Final scores are truncated to two decimal places.[2][3]

Criteria

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Air includes optimal take-off, height, distance and trajectory of a jump. Form includes positioning of the body, precision of performance, balance, mechanics and stability while in the air as well as the timing of the jump. Landing includes body position, ski snow contact on impact, compression, any body contact with the snow and exiting to the finish area.[17]Competitors must perform the jump they indicated beforehand.

Each of the approved jumps is pre-assigned a degree of difficulty score. In general, the greater number of flips and twists a jump contains, the higher the degree of difficulty will be.[16][18]

Notes

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  1. ^For men, degree of difficulty scores range from 2.050 to 5.000 while scores range from 2.050 to 5.300 for women.[16]However, the degree of difficulty is capped to 5.0 for Olympic events.[2]

References

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  1. ^"The FIS Disciplines".International Ski Federation.June 27, 2019.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  2. ^abc"Freestyle Skiing 101: Scoring".NBC Olympics.October 12, 2021.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  3. ^ab"The International Snowboard / Freestyle / Freeski Competition Rules (ICR)"(PDF).International Ski Federation. December 17, 2021. pp. 99–116.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  4. ^Saarela, Elise (January 29, 2020)."Aerial Skiing 101".US Ski and Snowboard.RetrievedJuly 3,2022.
  5. ^"Freestyle Skiing - Essentials".CBC.Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.December 4, 2009.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  6. ^Lund, Einar (1941) “The Somersault in 1906”American Ski Annual
  7. ^Matteson, Sumner (1908)National Ski TournamentHearst's Magazine-World Today,Vol 14 #4:400
  8. ^Looping the Loop on SkisRock Island Argus,1915-02-20 pg 10
  9. ^ab"Freestyle Skiing 101: Olympic history".NBC Olympics. October 12, 2021.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  10. ^Miller, Peter (1973)Cult, Philosophy, Sport, Art Form: Freestyle Skiing is American MadeSkiVol 38 #2:47-49, 109, 111
  11. ^Levinson, David; Christensen, Karen (1999)Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the PresentOxford University PressISBN9780195131956pg 360
  12. ^"History".GB Aerial Ski.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  13. ^"U.S. wins gold in Olympics' first mixed team aerials event".ESPN.February 11, 2022.RetrievedJuly 3,2022.
  14. ^Lowrey, Tom (November 8, 2017)."How aerial skiers train for those death-defying tricks without breaking bones".ABC News.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  15. ^Gunston, Jo."From grounded to flying, how do freestyle skiers learn tricks?".International Olympic Committee.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  16. ^ab"Aerial Jump Code and Degree of Difficulty Chart"(PDF).International Ski Federation. August 20, 2018.RetrievedJuly 3,2022.
  17. ^"FIS Freestyle Skiing Judging Handbook (Edition October 2018)"(PDF).International Ski Federation. October 2018. pp. 5–14.RetrievedJuly 2,2022.
  18. ^Pattison, Andrew (February 14, 2018)."Aerial Skiing - how is it judged?".Australian Olympic Committee.RetrievedJuly 3,2022.
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