Jalen Gough was born on the slopes. The oldest child of professional mogul skiers, her mother Patty is *** 3-time X Games champion. One of the first Americans to qualify for the games in Italy, Jalen is one of the favorites to win gold. But before we talk about her skiing, let’s talk about her dancing. Last year, Cough and her US mogul’s teammates went viral after performing the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader’s famed thunderstruck routine. Impressed by her moves in ski boots, America’s sweethearts invited her to dance with them pregame last fall. I was very nervous. I was like shaking, meeting the cowgirls and dancing with them. Um, I mean, I feel like the nervous competing is, you know, you get the jitters, but like. I know that run. I know how to ski it. I’m nervous to like dance with professional dancers is like I don’t know how to dance. This is like not so out of my comfort zone, but um it was really cool to be able to do that. Something else that’s. Last March, she won the Mogul’s World Championship, conquering the course in Lavino, where she’ll be skiing during the Olympics. Like I feel really great with where my skiing is at right now. Prepared, focused, and ready to earn her first Olympic gold. And to indulge *** bit on some of the food at the games. I’m going to be eating *** lot of pizza and pasta the whole time. I could never get sick of either of those foods. So Kough’s longtime boyfriend Bradley Wilson is also *** mogul skier, *** three-time Olympian. He retired from the sport after the 2022 games in Beijing. On the road to Milan Cortina, I’m Fletcher Mackle.
You might be inclined to think of freestyle skiing as one of the new kids on the block at the Winter Olympics — after all, there are a lot of young athletes doing it — but some of these flips and spins have been around since they were introduced as demonstration sports at the Calgary Games some 38 years ago.What started as a sport featuring only moguls and aerials added halfpipe, slopestyle, big air and other contests to the Olympic program in the 2010s, thanks in large part to the popularity of the same events in snowboarding. These days, you’re just as likely to find the world’s best action-sports stars putting on skis as snapping into a snowboard.How it worksThe three most popular disciplines in this sport fall under the category of “freeskiing” — halfpipe, slopestyle and big air. Those are judged contests in which skiers are graded on how high they fly and the difficulty of their tricks. In moguls, skiers are scored on their form through the bumps and two jumps, along with their overall speed. In aerials, which shares some similarities with big air, skiers flip and twist as they soar more than 40 feet into the air. There’s also skicross, a set of side-by-side elimination showdowns that closes with a four-person race for the medals.Who to watch?Eileen Gu is the star of this sport. She grew up in San Francisco but competes for her mother’s native country of China. Four years ago, she became the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at one Olympics — gold in halfpipe and big air and silver in slopestyle. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury is generally viewed as the best moguls skier of all time. He had 99 World Cup wins heading into this season, along with a gold and two silver medals at the Olympics. American Alex Hall, who considers himself as much of an artist as an athlete on the slopes, looks to defend his title in slopestyle.Venues and datesThe venues are in Livigno, a three-hour drive northeast of Milan. Some of the key dates include big air Feb. 14-17, halfpipe Feb. 19-21 and skicross Feb. 20-21.Memorable momentsHalfpipe freeskiing debuted in 2014, shortly after its foremost pioneer, Sarah Burke, died in a training accident. She had lobbied to get freeskiing into the Olympics. On a magical night in Russia, Burke’s parents were in the stands to watch the contest, which ended with the maintenance crew paying tribute to her by skiing down the halfpipe in the shape of a heart. In 2022, Gu capped off her third medal of the Beijing Games — a gold — with a joy-filled “victory lap” down the halfpipe after she had already secured the victory.Fun factsSlopestyle courses double as works of art; at the Olympics, they give course builders a chance to incorporate elements of their country into the Olympic playing field. In Russia, skiers had the option of jumping over a giant Russian nesting doll. In Beijing, the course was lined with a replica of the Great Wall, complete with a guard house (the “shred shed”) built as an option on the rails course. It’s a secretive process, and as of now, what visual treats will line the course at Livigno Snow Park remains a mystery.
You might be inclined to think of freestyle skiing as one of the new kids on the block at the Winter Olympics — after all, there are a lot of young athletes doing it — but some of these flips and spins have been around since they were introduced as demonstration sports at the Calgary Games some 38 years ago.
What started as a sport featuring only moguls and aerials added halfpipe, slopestyle, big air and other contests to the Olympic program in the 2010s, thanks in large part to the popularity of the same events in snowboarding. These days, you’re just as likely to find the world’s best action-sports stars putting on skis as snapping into a snowboard.
How it works
The three most popular disciplines in this sport fall under the category of “freeskiing” — halfpipe, slopestyle and big air. Those are judged contests in which skiers are graded on how high they fly and the difficulty of their tricks. In moguls, skiers are scored on their form through the bumps and two jumps, along with their overall speed. In aerials, which shares some similarities with big air, skiers flip and twist as they soar more than 40 feet into the air. There’s also skicross, a set of side-by-side elimination showdowns that closes with a four-person race for the medals.
Who to watch?
Eileen Gu is the star of this sport. She grew up in San Francisco but competes for her mother’s native country of China. Four years ago, she became the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at one Olympics — gold in halfpipe and big air and silver in slopestyle. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury is generally viewed as the best moguls skier of all time. He had 99 World Cup wins heading into this season, along with a gold and two silver medals at the Olympics. American Alex Hall, who considers himself as much of an artist as an athlete on the slopes, looks to defend his title in slopestyle.
Venues and dates
The venues are in Livigno, a three-hour drive northeast of Milan. Some of the key dates include big air Feb. 14-17, halfpipe Feb. 19-21 and skicross Feb. 20-21.
Memorable moments
Halfpipe freeskiing debuted in 2014, shortly after its foremost pioneer, Sarah Burke, died in a training accident. She had lobbied to get freeskiing into the Olympics. On a magical night in Russia, Burke’s parents were in the stands to watch the contest, which ended with the maintenance crew paying tribute to her by skiing down the halfpipe in the shape of a heart.
In 2022, Gu capped off her third medal of the Beijing Games — a gold — with a joy-filled “victory lap” down the halfpipe after she had already secured the victory.
Fun facts
Slopestyle courses double as works of art; at the Olympics, they give course builders a chance to incorporate elements of their country into the Olympic playing field. In Russia, skiers had the option of jumping over a giant Russian nesting doll. In Beijing, the course was lined with a replica of the Great Wall, complete with a guard house (the “shred shed”) built as an option on the rails course. It’s a secretive process, and as of now, what visual treats will line the course at Livigno Snow Park remains a mystery.
