How Moguls Scoring Works

Freestyle Skiing Moguls Scoring: Turns, Air, and Speed

Moguls is the original freestyle skiing event and remains its most technically scored discipline. The scoring system, governed by FIS, combines three distinct components into a single result — making it one of the few Olympic events where artistic quality, acrobatic skill, and raw speed all count in the same run.

The Three Components

1. Turns (60% of the final score)

Five judges score the quality of bump skiing from 1.0 to 5.0 (in 0.1 increments). The highest and lowest scores are dropped; the remaining three are averaged. This average is multiplied by a factor to bring it into the correct score range.

Judges evaluate:

• Fall line: is the skier skiing directly down the hill, or drifting laterally?
• Absorption: how smoothly the skier absorbs the moguls (bumps) with their knees.
• Carving: are the turns clean and controlled, or skidded and survival-mode?
• Upper body: is the torso quiet and facing downhill, or rotating with each turn?
• Consistency: maintaining quality from top to bottom, not just in front of the cameras.

Turn scoring is the largest component for a reason: moguls is fundamentally a turning event. An athlete who nails both jumps but turns poorly will lose to one with excellent turns and average jumps.

2. Air (20% of the final score)

Two jumps are performed on designated kickers placed on the course. Each jump is scored by two judges for form and technique (0–5 scale), then multiplied by the jump’s Degree of Difficulty (DD).

The DD is pre-assigned by FIS for each trick:

• Back layout: ~2.05
• Back full twist: ~2.75
• Cork 720: ~3.52
• Double full-full: ~4.53

Higher DD jumps carry more risk but more reward. The two jump scores are averaged for the air component.

3. Speed (20% of the final score)

A pace time is set for the course based on its length and difficulty. Skiers who beat the pace time earn maximum speed points. Those who are slower lose speed points proportionally.

Speed scoring prevents athletes from skiing slowly and carefully to maximize turn scores. It ensures that competitive moguls rewards aggressive, dynamic skiing.

The Final Score

Final score = Turns (weighted 60%) + Air (weighted 20%) + Speed (weighted 20%)

When Walter Wallberg won gold at Beijing 2022 with 83.23 points, his breakdown showed strong turns (the foundation), two high-difficulty jumps with clean form, and competitive speed. His margin over silver medalist Ikuma Horishima — just 0.27 points — illustrated how closely balanced the three components were.

Competition Format

Olympic moguls uses a multi-round format:

1. Qualification 1: all athletes compete; the top ~20 advance.
2. Qualification 2: remaining athletes get a second chance; the top ~10 advance.
3. Final 1: top 20 (combined from both qualifying rounds) compete; top 12 advance.
4. Super Final: the top 6 from Final 1 compete for medals. Only the super final run counts for the medal positions.

This format means the gold medalist must perform under the maximum pressure of the super final — one run, winner takes all.

Common Strategic Choices

• Jump selection: athletes balance DD against their consistency. A riskier trick with a fall is catastrophic; a clean easier trick keeps you in contention.
• Speed vs. turns: skiing faster improves the speed component but may compromise turn quality. Finding the optimal balance is the key tactical decision.
• Adapting to conditions: mogul courses deteriorate throughout competition as athletes carve ruts and reshape bumps. Later competitors face a different course than early ones.