The program of the Winter Olympic Games, which took place in Sochi in 2014, included as many as 7 types of new competitions, including a very spectacular and dangerous slopestyle. And if figure skating, curling, bobsledding and other disciplines have long been familiar to a Russian fan, today many people ask themselves: “Slope style - what is it?”
General description of the type of competition
This type of competition is held in several sports. These include snowboarding, freestyle and mountain boarding. In general, disciplines are called in one word - slopestyle. What this is, far from everyone knows. If you translate the word "slopestyle" literally, you get the "skiing style". The main condition is a participant in the competition to perform a series of different acrobatic jumps on successive pyramids, jumps, drops, counter-deviations, handrails, etc. This type of sport implies a high technical training of the athlete.
Tricks must be performed with increased accuracy, otherwise the speed will be lost, as a result of which subsequent tricks cannot be performed. Obstacles can be located either in one or in several rows. At a certain section of the route, the participant can choose exactly those figures that impress him more than others.
Ski slopestyle. What it is?
Ski slopestyle, or, as it is also called, ski slopestyle is a relatively new discipline of freestyle. This discipline has captivated many at the 2014 World Championships and Olympic Games. This type of competition is considered the most interesting and spectacular in freestyle. The athlete must perform a series of tricks on a cleavage that is equipped with obstacles. These include railings (rails), jumps and a wall with a race (quarter pipes). Each competitor has two attempts to race in one round.
Tricks are evaluated by a competent jury on a point system. Impeccable execution of a single trick will never bring victory. This competition involves entertainment and variety. To win and score the most points, you should use each type of obstacle. To date, the Canadian team occupies the first position in the ski slopestyle.
Snowboard style
Slopestyle snowboarding also involves performing a series of tricks on a specially equipped slope. For sloppy stylers, most often 5-8 figures from jibbing and 3-4 springboards are installed. Discipline has reached a very high level. The rider performs very heavy stunts in the air. An ignorant viewer often does not even understand the essence of a single trick.
What do judges pay attention to?
When performing various elements, judges pay attention to the following elements:
- a switch is the execution of a trick from an uncomfortable rack (for example, a lefty performed a combination in the right rack);
- backside / frontside - this is the twisting of the body in the axis, which passes through the center of the board and the top of the athlete;
- triplecork is a trick during which the athlete’s head “dives” three times below the board;
- style is the ease of the athlete when performing even the most difficult tricks. Using the OI coefficient, the athlete's style is evaluated.
Incredible stunts, entertainment and confidence of the athlete - this is slopestyle. What it is is now clear. In this type of competition, true slopstickers value freedom of expression, continuous improvement of style, spontaneity and dynamics. If desired, the trick can be changed already in the air. Classical sports do not accept such freedom, creating a rigid framework and a certain sequence for the participant in the competition.