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History
Freestyle skiing began in the 1930's, when skiers began performing acrobatics. Later, non-competitive professional skiing exhibitions in the United States included performances of freestyle skiing.Freestyle skiing began to develop further throughout the 1960s and into the 1970's. Some people thought that skiing was too risky and did not want skiing to be an Olympic sport.knee injuries became a common problem for professional freestylers.
Types
There are three kinds of the freestyle skiing.
Aerial
Mogul or Bump
Acrobatic
Aerial
Aerial skiing was evolved in 1950's by Olympic gold medalist Stein Eriksen. Aerial skiing, the most spectacular type of freestyle skiing look like diving performed on skis. Aerial skiers ski down a vertical hill and fly off a sharp platform, performing spins, flips, and other drills before landing. They are judged both on the complexity of the stunt performed and on how well they execute it. Aerialists ski jumps off a launch plank usually built of wood and then covered with snow that drives them up to 40-50 feet in the air. Once in the air, professional aerialists perform a variety of spins and turns before finally landing down on a 34- to 39-degree inclined landing hill of about 100 feet in length.
Mogul or Bump
Mogul or bump type of skiing takes place on a steep incline with many moguls (mound like elevation). Skiers attempt to ski speedily down the slope while performing small jumps and gymnastic manoeuvres. During a professional mogul skiing competition, skiers spin around large bumps (moguls) and perform a range of jumps and spins. The slope is very steep, usually between 22 and 32 degrees, and about 660-890 feet in length .
Acrobatic
Acrobatic, or acro, freestyle skiing integrates movements used in figure skating and gymnastics. Skiing to music they select, competitors perform spins, pirouettes, rolls, somersaults, and other drills. Competitions were conducted from the late 1960's until the mid-1990s and comprised a well planned sequence of twists, rolls, leg crossings, jumps, and spins performed on a steep slope. However, it is no long a part of professional freestyle competitions now a days. |
