ASTANA — Shymbulak Mountain Resort in Almaty will host a stage of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Freestyle World Cup from Feb. 28 to March 2. Athletes from 18 countries will compete. According to an Informburo news article on Feb. 25, the resort has made extensive preparations to ensure the event meets international standards and fans can easily support the athletes.
Photo credit: Shymbulak mountain resort
Track preparation and construction
Shymbulak has prepared two specially designed tracks for the competition: mogul skiing and ski acrobatics. The mogul track is 230 meters long and includes 44 mounds and two jumps. The ski acrobatics track includes jumps with a 70-degree slope, built to challenge the best freestyle skiers in the world.
Creating these world-class tracks requires significant effort. According to Ramil Nasyrov, head of the track construction team, it took around 15,000 cubic meters of snow to build the mogul track and 35,000 cubic meters for the jumps. Snowcats and winches were used to shape the snow, with manual shaping for the mounds and jumps. Sergey Ivanov, an international master of freestyle sports, personally ensures the quality of the tracks, measuring every detail to ensure they meet international standards.
Freestyle disciplines
The FIS Freestyle World Cup features two disciplines. The first is mogul skiing, when athletes ski down a steep track with artificial mounds and perform acrobatic jumps, including somersaults and spins. Judges evaluate the technique, speed, and complexity of the jumps.
The second discipline, ski acrobatics, involves complex aerial maneuvers like somersaults and twists. Up to three somersaults and five twists can be performed in the air. The difficulty of the jump, the execution, and the landing technique are all judged.
Kazakhstan’s competitors and medal hopes
Over 100 athletes, including Olympic and World Championship medalists, will compete in the World Cup. Kazakhstan will be represented by top freestyle skiers such as Yulia Galysheva, a bronze medalist at the 2018 Winter Olympics and World Champion in moguls in 2019, as well as Anastasia Gorodko, Pavel Kolmakov, and other promising talents.
Fan information
The events will kick off on Feb. 28 with the Individual Mogul competition, followed by Parallel Mogul on March 1, and conclude with Aerial Skiing on March 2.
Fans can attend the event without needing a special ticket for the competition. A ski pass or cable car ticket is sufficient for access. A special Freestyle Competitions tariff of 11,500 tenge (US$23) will allow spectators to use the cable car all three days. Popular viewing spots include the La Scala restaurant terrace for mogul events and the Shymbulak base station for ski acrobatics.
