Slopestyle

Slopestyle is a freestyle skiing and snowboarding discipline in which athletes navigate a course of various obstacles, including rails, boxes, and jumps. Competitors perform a sequence of tricks and transitions and are judged on overall impression, with emphasis on difficulty, execution, amplitude, and style.

A typical course features a progression of rails and boxes that lead into one or more jumps. Athletes combine rail tricks, spins, flips, and grinds with aerial maneuvers on kickers. Courses are designed to test balance, control, air awareness, and adaptability to different speeds and line choices.

Slopestyle emerged in the 1990s in North America as part of freestyle skiing and snowboarding culture, gaining prominence through events such as the X Games. It became an Olympic discipline in 2014 for both snowboarding and freestyle skiing. Major competitions include the FIS World Cup, the X Games, and the Burton US Open, attracting athletes from around the world who compete for medals and prize money.

Scoring is awarded by a panel of judges who assess difficulty, execution, amplitude, style, and variety. Safety equipment such as helmets, impact shorts, and padding is common. Snowboarders use twin-tip snowboards; skiers use freestyle skis; both use protective gear and often training aids.