Freestyle skiing is a relatively new Olympic sport. It was first introduced to the Olympics in 1966 and has been popular ever since.

The Rules of the Game
There are two divisions of freestyle skiing: moguls and aerials. In moguls, a competitor must ski down a slope full of mounds of snow called moguls, perform two jumps and do a number of mid-air tricks. Points are awarded for speed, accuracy in turns, aggressiveness, style and movement.

In the aerials event, skiers use ramps of different sizes and shapes to somersault or perform twists in the air. In the past, athletes have performed three backward somersaults and four twists in a single jump! This makes freestyle skiing one of the most fun Olympic events to watch. Half of each aerial judge's score is based on form and the other half is based on takeoff, height, length and landing. In both moguls and aerials, the athlete with the highest final score is the winner!

By Nicholas Morgan