Competitive Mogul Skiing
The first freestyle competition involving mogul skiing occurred in 1971. Freestyle runs included mogul skiing, aerials, and acrobatic tricks. After a series of serious injuries related to inverted aerials, such tricks were banned from competition. This ban remained in place until recently. As mogul skiing gained popularity in its early days, the FIS created the Freestyle World Cup Circuit in 1980. Mogul events take place each year all over the world. Mogul skiing has been an official medal event in the Winter Olympics since 1992; it was a demonstration sport in 1988 in Calgary. The first World Championships were held in 1986, and are currently held in odd-numbered years.
During a competition run, contestants must navigate around the moguls and execute tricks. Some common tricks include: 360 X, twister, spread, Daffy, cork-720, backflip D-Spin, Helicopter, and Eggroll. The slope is very steep, usually between 24 and 32 degrees (most commonly 28 degrees), and about 656–886 feet (200–270 meters) in length. The jumps in a moguls competition are smaller than those in aerial competitions, and are often referred to as "kickers" for their steep take off (that "kicks" the athlete up into the air).
In dual mogul events two athletes are competing against each other for the highest score, the winner of each round advances.
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