In recent decades, a number of new sports, including winter ones, have appeared. Many people do not even have a clue what a halfpipe is, and competitions on it are already held at world-class games of the highest level.
General information
Despite the fact that halfpipe is a sport, the name was given to it by a special engineering device. Halfpipe is a U-shaped half-pipe through which athletes move from one side to the other, while performing dizzying stunts in the air. Moreover, the higher the acceleration speed, the higher a person can jump. Such a structure was originally used only by skateboarders, but over time it was improved so much that it became suitable for skiing not only for snowboarders, but also for skiers. To understand what a halfpipe is, you need to disassemble its device in detail.
Halfpipe device
Snowboarders perform several tricks on this device that are very similar to those made by skateboarders, but only on a Halfpipe made of pure snow. Initially, natural indentations (ravines) or special trenches were most often used as a U-shaped half-pipe. Over time, they turned into modern buildings. Halfpipe's advanced technology has evolved since the invention of pipe dragon, which is a special mechanism to take care of the entire structure. Thanks to him, it became possible to make an almost perfect shape mechanically (without the use of manual labor).
What is halfpipe today? The "new birth" of this building gave the invention of a huge construction. Superpipe differs from its ancestor in size and new standards in sports. The first such construction was used at the Salt Lake City Olympics (2002).
What is a halfpipe in physical terms
A halfpipe wall is called a downward sloping section of a structure. It is thanks to this part of the structure that the athlete flies in the air. At the 2002 Olympics , the halfpipe walls were 4.5 meters high. The transition is the section where the athlete moves from the base to the wall. The edge is the upper edge of the structure where the wall ends. Vertical refers to the part of the wall perpendicular to the plane. It is located between the halfpipe edge and the transition. Flat areas on each side of the structure that you can walk along are platforms.
Halfpipe Tricks
An athlete caught in a halfpipe begins to move back and forth down the structure. This beginning of skiing is called "dropping." Followed by the "hits". When they are performed, a person takes off into the air. To date, the main trick in this sport is the so-called "grab". In the process of its implementation, the athlete takes off into the air and grabs the board with his hand. Snowboarders do this trick for stability in the air and style. In this sport, there are direct jumps (180˚ turn) and spins (a person turns 360 degrees or more in the air). Most often, such jumps are called in degrees, but they are often called by the first digits (360˚ = 3; 540˚ = 5; 720˚ = 7; 900˚ = 9). Super-complex rotation at 1080˚ is called ten to eighty.
There are many more specific names for tricks and actions on a halfpipe, in order to learn them, you need to do this beautiful, but rather dangerous sport yourself. During refereeing, the quality of performing direct jumps, rotations, their amplitude and the general impression of the performance are noted.
Halfpipe for skiers
In addition to snowboarders, skiers can also perform on this structure. The technique of performing tricks in this case is somewhat different from riding on a board. A halfpipe ski is a competition where its participants start one at a time from the edge of the structure. Using the speed they gain on the slopes, skiers take off over the edge of the halfpipe and perform various acrobatic stunts in the air . The purpose of such a competition is the ideal form of performing complex figures. This discipline is evaluated by the following criteria: complexity, amplitude, variability.