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Mogul skiing explained: How athletes conquer the bumps with speed and style
Get to know one of freestyle skiing's most technical, exciting and explosive events – a discipline where skiers fly down a field of bumps and launch aerial tricks while maintaining perfect rhythm.
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Mogul skiing is, by definition, a very bumpy ride. And that's what makes it so watchable and exhilarating. More than just a test of speed, it requires innate patience and the ability to keep a clear head when barreling down some of the steepest ski routes in the world. On top of which, mogul skiers also require incredible control of their skis and bodies.
From where the name mogul skiing came from, to the beginner tips you'll need to master and mogul skiers to watch, this guide breaks down what mogul skiing actually is, how moguls form and what makes the sport both physically demanding and visually spectacular.
01
What is mogul skiing?
Taking on the moguls at Red Bull Bataille des Bosses
© Dom Daher/Red Bull Content Pool
Perhaps more than any other discipline, freestyle mogul skiing requires deep concentration and dramatic flair. Big Air might ask for big stunts and freeride might reward technical navigation, but mogul combines the two into an entirely new and massively challenging high-octane sport.
If you've never seen a mogul competition before, it goes like this: skiers take it in turns to race down a dedicated slope, navigating or utilizing bumps of snow – moguls – from which they can launch jumps and collect points.
Overall, mogul skiers are scored on speed, turns and jumps with balance, agility and even rhythm being essential tools in a mogul skier's arsenal.
02
Why is it called mogul skiing?
Moguls are basically great big snow bumps
© Ahriel Povich/Red Bull Content Pool
Mogul skiing is named after the actual moguls themselves, with the word 'mugel' being the Bavarian word for 'hillock' or 'mound'. Fun fact: a business mogul isn't the same as a mogul skier.
Both navigate high-pressure, fast-paced environments where one mistake could cost you everything, but in a workplace environment, mogul actually traces its roots back to the Mughal Empire, which ruled South East Asia for almost three hundred years. A subtle distinction, but a handy one.
03
How moguls form on slopes
Threading down a moguls course requires quick turns and a quicker mind
© Dom Daher/Red Bull Content Pool
Ski slopes might be full of vacationing business moguls, but as for the ski bumps themselves, these naturally build up over time, as skiers and snowboarders carve down a line, pushing snow to one side as a natural by-product.
All of these bumps naturally make a piste pretty bumpy and tricky to ski on, with some the size of a basketball and others the size of a car, depending on the steepness of the piste. Steeper routes generally form larger moguls due to the greater effect of gravity on the disturbed snow. When it comes to mogul contests, they're actively built up and strategically positioned to maximize the possibility for air time and innovation among athletes.
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How moguls judging and scoring works
Nico Porteous shreds powder in Wanaka
© Miles Holden/Red Bull Content Pool
Mogul competitions like the FIS Freestyle Moguls World Cup season are scored on a 100 point scale, with turns counting for 60 percent of points and speed and jumps covering 20 percent each.
In fact, there are five judges looking at your turns, ready to give you a score on a scale of 0-20, while airs have just two judges looking at form and difficulty. Speed, meanwhile, is measured against a predetermined pace time for each course.
It sounds complicated, but what you need to remember is that agility and your ability to think fast are slightly more rewarded than your ability to simply bomb downhill or blast out a cool jump.
05
Basic mogul skiing techniques and tips
Anri Kawamura is a true master of moguls
© Julien Heon/Red Bull Content Pool
Mogul skiing favors the same skills as other skiing disciplines, namely the ability to keep your eyes downhill, your body centered over your skis and using your knees to absorb impact.
If you're a beginner, you might want to carve between moguls. If you do hit one, keep your knees bent to maintain control – just like you would riding off a curb or over a speed bump on a bicycle.
As well as keeping your body stable, it pays to master the pole plant. Do this by planting the pole just after cresting a mogul, on the 'backside'. This will help you maintain rhythm for the next turn. While you're at it, it pays to look at least two or three moguls ahead, so you can avoid any surprises and focus on creating a smooth line.
If you've gained too much speed coming over a mogul, you can slow things down by using skidding or using a 'hockey stop' to regain your flow.
Finally, as a beginner it's handy to learn to use the top of the mogul, when your ski tips and tails are lifted from the snow, to make your turns. Do this by pivoting your feet before moving onto the next obstacle.
06
What makes mogul skiing so hard?
Yuliya Galysheva powers down a mountain
© Victor Magdeyev/Red Bull Content Pool
Mogul skiing takes a lot out of you. You'll need a high level of physical resilience, precise timing and an ability to navigate the unpredictable and think on your feet. From a technical perspective the most important qualities are arguably your ability to maintain your balance over skis that are rarely on flat snow – this requires a strong core to counteract the forces of physics trying to throw you off balance.
Next up is speed control. As noted above, a fast time is only worth 20 percent of your points, and bombing downhill could be dangerous. To safely and smartly navigate moguls, you need to learn when to slow down and when to harness your momentum to lean into smooth turns.
Which leads us to turn execution – a difficult prospect when you're constantly bending your legs to absorb impact and then extending them again to guide yourself into the next turn. Lots of squats and lunges in the gym can help.
07
The evolution of freestyle moguls
POV of Heather McPhie Riding Moguls
© [unknown]
Freestyle moguls came out of the uptick in freestyle skiing in the 1960s, becoming an FIS-recognized sport in 1979 and debuting at the 1988 Winter Olympics. First valuing spontaneity, it's morphed into one of the most precise ski disciplines, with creative improvisation and recoveries from wobbles giving way to a focus on precise lines, honed technique and, above all, technical style.
Next up, moguls will take place at the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park (boasting more than 100km of ski slopes) and the Livigno Snow Park as part of Milano-Cortina. Milan also marks the first time that athletes will compete in dual moguls, competing against each other on adjacent courses. Like all mogul races, this won't be a race to the finish. Instead, it will see judges split five votes between the skiers to determine a winner.
While dual moguls has been part of the sport for a while, adding it to the biggest sporting event in the world is definitely likely to drive an emphasis on this specific discipline among the next generation of mogul skiers. What this means is a future full of some of the most precise skiing we've yet seen.
Mogul skiing has changed a lot since its early days
© Klaus Polzer/Red Bull Content Pool
08
Famous mogul skiers and standout runs
The world of Moguls is chock-full of legendary figures renowned for their daring and innovation. Some names you should know are:
Mikaël Kingsbury
The Canadian is quite possibly the greatest mogul skier of all time, with a 2018 Olympic gold abutted by two silvers, alongside world champ titles in both moguls and dual moguls, as well as the record for the most FIS World Cup wins.
Donna Weinbrecht
America's own Weinbrecht bagged the inaugural Olympic gold medal for women's moguls in 1992, helping to popularize the sport back home and inspire a generation of female skiers.
Perrine Laffont
One such woman was France’s Perrine Laffont, who bagged gold in 2018 and has collected numerous world championship and overall World Cup titles along the way, making her one of the most successful mogul skiers in history.
Other names to watch include Kazakhstan's Yulia Galysheva, who took bronze in PyeongChang, and rising Japanese moguls expert Anri Kawamura, who's one of the top contenders on the FIS World Cup circuit and a Junior World Champion. Finally, at just 23, New Zealand’s Nico Porteous is an all-rounder who made history in 2021 as the first New Zealander to win gold in the freeski superpipe event at the X Games in Aspen.
Mogul skier Anri Kawamura
© Suguru Saito
As for standout mogul runs, you'd be hard-pressed to beat Champion in Deer Valley, Utah, USA. It's a World Cup course widely regarded as one of the most challenging in the world, with a no-nonsense steepness testing the technique of the world's best skiers.
Outer Limits, in Killington, Vermont, is another legendary spot known for massive moguls and, again, a ferocious gradient. As well as hosting the annual Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge, it's also home turf to Donna Weinbrecht meaning, if you're lucky, you might just pick up some expert tips while you're there.
Further afield, the Swiss Wall (Chavanette), Portes du Soleil, straddling Switzerland and France, is another holy name in mogul skiing. It's an un-groomed course, meaning gigantic moguls are allowed to amass. Coupled with a massive vertical drop and a steep average grade, you have a recipe for a must-visit location.
Finally, Triftji, located in Zermatt, Switzerland, is another must-visit and arguably one of the world's most famous mogul spots. Located at extremely high altitude, it has one of the longest and most challenging descents in the world. But, like all good things, it isn’t assured: numerous rocks dot the descent and it takes a powerful snowfall to cover them all. When conditions are prefect, this makes for one of the most special mogul routes you'll ever experience.
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