Freeskiing is an extension of freestyle." Freestyle now encompasses moguls and aerials. Many people were skiing moguls in the 80s and 90s, and they were fed up with the judging system; it didn't allow for people to have any style in their form. That segment of the skiers began to go and do tricks elsewhere on the mountain for fun, and it grew quite quickly."
"The biggest difference in equipment between your downhill skis and freeride skis is that freeride skis typically have twin tips." That is to say, the tail of the ski is curved upwards like the tip so that you can ski backwards. The boots are quite a bit softer and more playful than normal boots. The clothing is also a bit bigger normally, allowing you to be free to move around.
The road to becoming a strong freeskier is quite simple. Begin on small features, like jumps and rails, and as you become more comfortable you work your way up to bigger things. It might look easy, but there's definitely room to get hurt, so go at a reasonable pace. It helps to be a strong skier in general before you get started, so if you're able to begin in a race program or something like that, that's a big help. Almost every mountain now has a terrain park and they typically offer terrain park specific lessons.
There are countless skiers who have made a name for themselves in freeskiing, but some of the biggest right now are Bobby Brown, Tanner Hall, Kevin Rolland, and Simon Dumont. As for the women, Jen Hudak and Sarah Burke are some the best. New fans of freestyle skiing can find lots of event and athlete coverage, tips and information in FREESKIER Magazine, Powder Magazine, and New Schoolers to name a few!
Park and pipe terrain is fairly new to the ski resorts, but the passion that fuels the skiers who ride it is as old as the sport itself. Back in the day it was called hot-dogging, with skiers throwing tricks off what they had access to: moguls and backcountry cliffs. Then aerial jumps were built to shoot skiers vertically in the air for acrobatic maneuvers; as you still see today in the Olympics. The most recent reincarnation of freestyle skiing utilizes snow cats, the mountain's advanced terrain building machinery, to build giant skate park-like snow features: jumps, half pipes, rails and boxes in every combination and size you can imagine.
As the terrain parks progressed, so did the technology in ski equipment to support the skiers riding them. In the late 1990's, skis were developed with turned up tails, referred to as twin-tip, to enable skiers to ride backwards like snowboarders - thus perform never before seen tricks on skis. These skis became more symmetrical in shape for equal performance in both directions, the flex became softer making them more playful, and they are now available in every width for added stability and float. Today's freestyle skis are made in every shape, flex and length you can dream up. Skiers now have the ability to constantly have fun progressing and dreaming up their own future for the sport, throwing new tricks from the park, the powder and even the city streets. With the right equipment the entire mountain can become your own personal terrain park.