Freestyle skiing at 2026 Milano Cortina: How it works, stars to watch

[ASFN Admin]

MILAN — Ready to see some jaw-dropping tricks?

Freestyle skiing showcases acrobatics and speed in a number of different events, ranging from aerials, a combination of ski jumping and gymnastics, to slopestyle, which resembles skateboarding except on skis.

The slate of events is expanding at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games with the debut of dual moguls. Like moguls, skiers race down a steep course full of turns and bumps, but two athletes will go head-to-head on the same moguls course in dual moguls.

Here's what you need to know about freestyle skiing at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics:

When did freestyle skiing become a Winter Olympic sport?​

Freestyle skiing made its debut with moguls at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics after being a demonstration sport in Calgary in 1988. Aerials was added to the program at the Lillehammer Games in 1994, while Ski Cross made its debut in Vancouver in 2010. Half-pipe and slopestyle were added in Sochi in 2014. Big air and team aerials were first contested in Beijing in 2022 and dual moguls will make its debut in Milano Cortina in 2026.

How does Olympic freestyle skiing work?​

Freestyle skiing features 15 events: seven for men, seven for women and one mixed team.

• Aerials: Skiers perform jumps, doing aerial stunts before landing on a slope about 30 meters long. A panel of judges rate each skier, and the best score wins.
• Mixed team aerials: Men and women each perform aerial runs, and best combined score wins.
• Moguls: Athletes ski down a steep course full of turns and bumps, called moguls, while adding aerial tricks during the run. Moguls skiing is scored based on fastest time and by a panel of judges.
• Dual moguls: Two athletes compete against each other on the same moguls course.
• Ski cross: Skiers race down a slope with jumps, bumps and curves as quickly as possible. After single-skier qualifications, four skiers race against each other at the same time.
• Freeski halfpipe: Skiers perform crazy tricks across a U-shaped structure and are judged by a panel for difficulty and execution.
• Freeski slopestyle: Skiers navigate a course with a variety of obstacles, including rails and jumps, and are judged for originality and quality of their stunts.
• Freeski big air: Skiers ride down a slope with a ramp before launching into the air and performing different aerial tricks and then trying to land upright.

Top Team USA athletes​

• Alex Hall (Slopestyle/big air): The 27-year-old freeskier is the reigning Slopestyle Olympic champion after improving his 16th finish in Pyeongchang in 2018 to the top of the podium in Beijing in 2022. Hall is the first athlete to land a 2160 in competition and his résumé also includes two Crystal Globes, two world championship medals and over a dozen World Cup wins.
• Alex Ferreira (Halfpipe): The 31-year-old freeskier won a silver medal in halfpipe at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and took home silver in Beijing in 2022. Is third time the charm for an elusive gold?
• Jaelin Kauf(Moguls): The 29-year-old won silver in moguls in Beijing in 2022 and has all the momentum heading into Milano Cortina following her best season to date. Kauf won a crystal globe in overall moguls, moguls and dual moguls in the 2024–25 season and won moguls gold at the 2025 World Championship.

International landscape​

The United States won the most free skiing medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games with eight total, while China won the most Olympic gold medals with four, half of them earned by Eileen Gu. Here's who to watch:

• Eileen Gu(halfpipe, slopestyle, big air): The 22-year-old became the first freeski athlete to win three medals at a single Olympic Games after taking home gold in big air and halfpipe in Beijing in 2022, in addition to silver in slopestyle. Despite being born in San Francisco, Gu represents China on the international stage.
• Mikael Kingsbury(moguls): The 33-year-old owns the records for career World Cup moguls victories with 99. He has three Olympic medals (1 gold, 2 silver) and 15 World Championship medals (nine golds).

Contributing: Ellen Horrow

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Freestyle skiing at 2026 Milano Cortina: How it works, stars to watch

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