Freestyle Skiing at Milano Cortina 2026: All 13 Events in Livigno

Overview

Freestyle skiing has evolved from a niche exhibition sport into one of the most diverse disciplines at the Winter Olympics. At Milano Cortina 2026, 13 medal events span six sub-disciplines, each demanding a different blend of athleticism, creativity, and nerve. The high-altitude resort of Livigno hosts all freestyle skiing competitions.

Venue: Livigno

Livigno sits at approximately 1,816 metres in the Valtellina valley of Lombardy, near the Swiss border. Its high elevation and reliably cold temperatures ensure excellent snow conditions throughout the Games. Two main areas host freestyle events:

• Mottolino — Hosts moguls, aerials, and ski cross on purpose-built courses
• Carosello 3000 — Hosts slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air with constructed features at higher elevation

Livigno's duty-free status and vibrant town atmosphere make it one of the more unique Olympic venues, offering athletes and fans a lively village environment alongside world-class competition terrain.

The 13 Medal Events

Moguls

Athletes descend a steep, heavily bumped course while executing two aerial jumps on built features. Judges score turning technique (60%), air and jumps (20%), and speed (20%). The combination of precise, absorptive skiing through the bumps and acrobatic jumps makes moguls one of the original freestyle events, included in the Olympics since 1992.

Aerials

Competitors launch off sculpted kickers and perform twisting somersaults before landing on a steep, groomed slope. The jumps are scored on air (quality of takeoff, height, and form), form (body position during the manoeuvre), and landing. Athletes may execute triple-twisting triple somersaults and other complex combinations. The mixed team event adds a tactical dimension, with nations selecting three athletes to compete in a head-to-head bracket.

Ski Cross

Four skiers race simultaneously down a course filled with rollers, jumps, berms, and banked turns. The first two across the finish line advance. Ski cross is pure racing chaos, with contact, crashes, and lead changes all part of the spectacle. Rounds progress from qualification time trials to knockout heats through to the medal final.

Halfpipe

Skiers drop into a superpipe — typically 6.7 metres deep and around 170 metres long — performing aerial tricks off each wall. Judges evaluate amplitude (height above the lip), difficulty of tricks, execution, variety, and overall impression. Riders typically complete five or six hits per run, with their best single run counting for the final score.

Slopestyle

Athletes navigate a course featuring rails, boxes, wall rides, and a series of large kicker jumps, linking tricks together into a flowing run. Creativity and style are valued alongside technical difficulty. Each competitor gets multiple runs, with the best single run score determining the final ranking.

Big Air

Big air distills freestyle skiing to its purest aerial expression. Athletes hit a single massive jump, performing their most difficult trick. Three jumps are scored, with the best two counting toward the final result, though the two counting jumps must feature tricks in different rotational directions, rewarding versatility.

Athletes to Watch

France, the United States, Canada, and Australia have traditionally strong freestyle programmes. Watch for returning Olympic champions and rising stars who have been pushing trick difficulty on the World Cup circuit throughout the 2025-26 season.