# Winter Olympics: when did this stunt skiing event get added? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** olympic-sports\ **Created:** [February 7, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-when-did-this-stunt-skiing-event-get-added/1027469 "2026-02-07T14:39:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-when-did-this-stunt-skiing-event-get-added/1027469/1 "2026-02-07T14:39:43Z")
I’m watching right now, and there’s this downhill skiing event going on, but with a series of ramps and rails. The skiers hop onto the the rails with their skis turned sideways and ride them like teenage skateboarders riding stair rails. It’s been awhile since I paid much attention to the Olympics of either season. Has this event been an Olympic thing for very long? What’s it called? It seems like a weird mishmash of downhill skiing and skateboard stunting. ETA: freestyle skiing, I now see it’s called. ETA2: Ok, now that I learned the name, I just googled it. It’s been a thing for 34 years?? Damn, I’m out of touch. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-when-did-this-stunt-skiing-event-get-added/1027469/2 "2026-02-07T14:46:24Z")
1. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-when-did-this-stunt-skiing-event-get-added/1027469/3 "2026-02-07T14:49:29Z")
FYI 5 flagbearers were freestyle skiers. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-when-did-this-stunt-skiing-event-get-added/1027469/4 "2026-02-07T15:44:48Z")
I suspect the actual event **solost** saw was the Slopestyle competition, which was added to the Olympics in 2014. So this is only the 4th Olympics with this event. The Freestyle skiing events in the Olympics and the years they were introduced: - Moguls: 1992 - Big Air: 2022 - Slopestyle: 2014 - Aerials: 1994 - Mixed Team Aerials: 2022 - Halfpipe: 2014 - Ski Cross: 2010 ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-when-did-this-stunt-skiing-event-get-added/1027469/5 "2026-02-07T15:58:49Z")
> [@solost](#): > > It’s been a thing for 34 years?? I worked with a guy in 1993-4 that had been active in what would become the US Olympics Freestyle Ski team before I met him. He certainly had some cool moves he could do on foot & small platforms, spins and twirls, and he’d hold weights and poles when he could (the boss wasn’t looking) to enhance turns. Your feet need to mostly stay together in Freestyle so the movements are limited in interesting ways. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-when-did-this-stunt-skiing-event-get-added/1027469/6 "2026-02-07T16:32:04Z")
One of the first types of freestyle skiing was _ski ballet_ which may be what you’re thinking of. It essentially ended as a competitive sport around 2000 when the committees focused on aerials and moguls, and later added the other events. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-when-did-this-stunt-skiing-event-get-added/1027469/7 "2026-02-07T16:36:27Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > One of the first types of freestyle skiing was _ski ballet_ which may be what you’re thinking of. I’ve always thought that this was ridiculous and I’m glad it’s gone. The remaining freestyle competitions are much more exciting.