Mogul skiing is a type of
freestyle skiingFreestyle skiing is form of skiing which used to encompass two disciplines: aerials, and moguls. Except the two disciplines mentioned earlier Freestyle Skiing now consists of Skicross, Half Pipe and Slope Style...
where skiers ski terrain characterized by a large number of different bumps, or moguls.
Moguls
Moguls are a series of bumps on a trail formed when skiers push the snow into mounds or piles as they execute short-radius turns. They can also be constructed (seeded) on a slope for
freestyle skiingFreestyle skiing is form of skiing which used to encompass two disciplines: aerials, and moguls. Except the two disciplines mentioned earlier Freestyle Skiing now consists of Skicross, Half Pipe and Slope Style...
competitions or practice runs. Once formed, a naturally occurring mogul tends to grow as skiers follow similar paths around it, further deepening the surrounding grooves known as troughs. Since skiing tends to be a series of linked turns, moguls form together to create a bump field. At most ski resorts certain
pisteA piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. The term is European, from the French for trail or track, synonymous with trail, slope, or groomed run in North America....
s (trails) are groomed infrequently or left completely ungroomed to allow moguls to develop. These mogul trails are generally relatively steep. Some trails cannot be groomed because they are too steep, too narrow, or they have obstacles that cannot be overcome by a
snowcatA snowcat is an enclosed-cab, truck sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. Snowcats are often referred to as 'trail groomers' because of their use for grooming ski trails or snowmobile trails...
. Such trails often form moguls. Mogul trails that
can be groomed are usually groomed when the moguls get so big and the troughs so deep that the moguls become difficult to ski on or around. Some mogul fields are also groomed when they become too icy or too hardened to ski safely and enjoyably. Many times a section of a trail will be left ungroomed and allowed to bump up to prevent skiers from gaining too much speed and getting out of control.
Origin
The term
mogul is probably of German dialect; akin to German dialect (Viennese)
mugl, small hill.
Approach: Modern vs. Race
The general approach used by Olympians is to carry the body in the fall line as directly as possible carving tight, twisted turns off the front trough of the bump. This approach works exceptionally well when the mogul formation is uniform and speed is of utmost importance. This allows the skier the ability to use the mogul as a mechanism of speed control in order to keep as vertical a descent as possible. A more modern approach allows the skier to ride around the front trough and up onto the back crest of the mogul, retracting the lower body in the process. From this position the skier can then extend their lower section pumping off the back side of the mogul in which ever direction allows easy transfer to the next back side crest. This style avoids the troughs and ice patches keeping the skier in complete balance, torso over feet; centering each turn on a patch of fresh snow preceding the face of the bump. The turning mechanism becomes the extension and retraction of the legs rather than a twisting of the hips. This adds a certain degree of style and grace to the descent in a mogul field by allowing the skier to maintain a degree of kinetic energy due to turn shape and timing. This energy allows for powerful and precise turns in any condition field, uniform or random. Eliminating the interaction of extensive forces at the top of each mogul also provides a much easier transition of weight through the body, ultimately eliminating strain once practiced.
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
FISThe International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
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
1992Freestyle skiing was an official sport discipline for the first time at the 1992 Winter Olympics, with medals awarded in the moguls event. Aerials was still a demonstration event at these games...
; it was a demonstration sport in
1988Freestyle skiing was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics. The venues were Canada Olympic Park for aerials and ballet, and Nakiska for moguls. This was the first appearance of freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics.-Placement table:...
in
CalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. The first
World ChampionshipsThe FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships is the world championship organized by the FIS for Freestyle Skiing. It was first organized in 1986 and is now held every odd year. Currently, the events included in the world championships are Moguls, Dual Moguls, Aerials, Ski cross, Slopestyle and Half-pipe...
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 to athletes are competing against each other for the highest score, the winner of each round advances.
Notable Olympic Mogul skiers
- Alexandre Bilodeau
Alexandre Bilodeau is a Canadian freestyle skier from Montreal, Quebec. Bilodeau currently resides in Rosemère, Quebec. Bilodeau won a gold medal in the men's moguls at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, becoming the first Canadian to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games held in Canada after...
, Canada 
(Men's Gold 2010The men's moguls event in freestyle skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada took place on February 14 at Cypress Bowl Ski Area...
)
- Shannon Bahrke
Shannon Bahrke is an American Olympic freestyle skier and entrepreneur. Bahrke was the silver medalist in moguls at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the bronze medalist at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and in 2003 was the World Cup Champion...
, USA 
(Women's Silver 2002The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, Women's Bronze 2010The women's moguls event in freestyle skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada took place February 13 at Cypress Bowl Ski Area...
)
- Dale Begg-Smith
Dale Begg-Smith is an Australian-Canadian freestyle skier. Begg-Smith won the gold medal for Australia, his adopted country, in the men's moguls event at the 2006 Winter Olympics and silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics...
, Australia 
(Men's Gold 2006The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
, Men's Silver 2010The men's moguls event in freestyle skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada took place on February 14 at Cypress Bowl Ski Area...
)
- Jean-Luc Brassard
Jean-Luc Brassard is a French Canadian freestyle skier, winning the gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics in the sport's debut as a medal event. Brassard has been credited with popularizing the wearing of bright knee pads to show off absorption and leg position for mogul skiers to best show...
, Canada (Men's Gold 1994The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
)
- Toby Dawson
Toby Dawson is an American mogul skier. He won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Toby Dawson is a featured athlete on the sports medicine show Athlete 360.-Early life:Dawson was born in Busan, South Korea as Kim Bong-seok....
, USA (Men's Bronze 2006The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
)
- Edgar Grospiron
Edgar Grospiron is a French freestyle skier and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. He received a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.-References:...
, France 
(Men's Gold 1992The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
, Bronze 1994The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
)
- Jennifer Heil
Jennifer Heil is a Canadian freestyle skier from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Heil started skiing at age two. Jennifer Heil won the first gold medal for Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics games in Turin, Italy and a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which was also Canada's first...
, Canada (Women's Gold 2006The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
, Women's Silver 2010The women's moguls event in freestyle skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada took place February 13 at Cypress Bowl Ski Area...
)
- Hannah Kearney
Hannah Kearney is an American mogul skier who won a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.-Personal life:Born in a hospital in Hanover, New Hampshire, Kearney grew up and still lives in Norwich, Vermont. She is the daughter of Tom and Jill Kearney, who met while attending McGill University in...
, USA (Women's Gold 2010The women's moguls event in freestyle skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada took place February 13 at Cypress Bowl Ski Area...
)
- Janne Lahtela
Janne Lahtela is a Finnish former athlete, who established himself as one of the most dominant persons in the history of moguls skiing. He is currently the head coach of Japan's freestyle skiing team...
, Finland 
(Men's Gold 2002The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, Silver 1998The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
)
- Sandra Laoura
Sandra Laoura is a French freestyle skier of Algerian origin who competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Laoura won bronze in the women's moguls event....
, France (Women's Bronze 2006The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
)
- Travis Mayer
Travis Mayer is an olympic-level Freestyle Skier. He won the silver medal in the moguls competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics and also competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Travis grew up skiing in Western New York at Holiday Valley and across the Northeast as a member of the Holiday Valley...
, USA (Men's Silver 2002The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
)
- Jonny Moseley
Jonathan William Moseley, better known as Jonny Moseley , is the first Puerto Rican to become a member of the U.S. Ski Team.-Early years:...
, USA (Men's Gold 1998The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
)
- Mikko Ronkainen
Mikko Ronkainen is a freestyle skier from Finland. He is a two-time World Champion and won the moguls World Cup during the 2000-2001 season. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin Ronkainen won a silver medal.-References:...
, Finland (Men's Silver 2006The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
)
- Tae Satoya
is a Japanese freestyle skier. She won the Olympic title in the moguls event at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and she finished third at the 2002 games.Tae became the first Japanese woman to earn a gold medal in the Winter Olympics....
, Japan 
(Women's Gold 1998The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
, Bronze 2002The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
)
- Kari Traa
Kari Traa is a Norwegian freestyle skier. She won the Olympic title in the moguls event at the 2002 Winter Olympics, finished second at the 2006 games, and finished third at the 1998 games....
, Norway 
(Women's Gold 2002The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, Silver 2006The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
, Bronze 1998The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
)
- Donna Weinbrecht
Donna Weinbrecht won the first gold medal awarded in the first Olympic mogul competitions in freestyle skiing, which were held at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Weinbrecht grew up in West Milford, New Jersey...
, USA (Women's Gold 1992The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
)
See also
- Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
- Backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes, including skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas either within the ski resort's boundaries or in the backcountry, frequently amongst trees , usually in pursuit of fresh fallen powder...
- Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
- Extreme skiing
Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep slopes in dangerous terrain. The sport is performed off-piste.The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s...
- Freeskiing
Freeskiing or Newschool skiing involves tricks, jumps, and terrain park features, such as rails, boxes, jibs, or other obstacles. This form of skiing resulted from a combination of the growth in popularity of snowboarding as well as the progression of Freestyle skiing...
- Freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing is form of skiing which used to encompass two disciplines: aerials, and moguls. Except the two disciplines mentioned earlier Freestyle Skiing now consists of Skicross, Half Pipe and Slope Style...
External links
- The Surprising Motion of Ski Moguls
- www.mogulskiing.net – Mogul skiing's online home. Technique guide, misconceptions debunked, tips from pros, photos, video, equipment reviews, mogul-specific ski area reviews, news, forums and discussion group, US Freestyle Team info, etc.
- Mogul Skiing Tutorials
- Ottawa Citizen: "Moguls glossary" – 2010 Winter Games