How ski freestyle courses are prepared for World Cups and the Olympics.

From February 28 to March 2, the World Cup stages in freestyle skiing will take place in Almaty at Shymbulak, featuring mogul (individual and parallel) and acrobatics disciplines. A correspondent from Caravan.kz visited the competition site a week before this significant event and learned about the preparation of the tracks.

Almaty is a key location in the global freestyle mogul and acrobatics calendar. In addition to the Winter Asian Games in 2011 and the Winter Universiade in 2017, which awarded medals in mogul and acrobatics, Almaty has hosted separate competitions in these sports. In 2019, a World Cup stage in mogul was held at Shymbulak, and in 2020, before the announcement of the quarantine, World Cup competitions in mogul (Shymbulak) and acrobatics (Oy-Karagay) took place. In 2021, Almaty hosted the adult World Championships in these disciplines, and since 2022, Almaty has been hosting World Cup stages annually in these fields. In January 2025, Almaty will welcome the junior World Championships in these disciplines and is now looking forward to the traditional adult World Cup.

High speeds, spectacular jumps and flips in the air, and precise navigation through the bumpy track — all these vivid moments performed by the world’s best athletes (including Kazakhstani competitors!) undoubtedly enhance the competitions in the mountains of the Zailiyskiy Alatau. However, behind the scenes, there is meticulous work by specialists preparing these tracks, which begins almost a month before the events. For over 7 years, the construction of the tracks at Shymbulak has been overseen by track construction manager, international class sports master in freestyle mogul, and Olympic participant, Russian specialist Sergey Ivanov. He recalls how the mogul track in Almaty searched for its place on the numerous slopes of Shymbulak — he prefers its current location near the terminal of the KCD-4 cable car the most. Additionally, during his tenure, a whole team of local specialists has formed, who, through years of working alongside the international team, have developed their skills and qualifications in creating mogul and acrobatic tracks.

He explained that creating a mogul track is not a quick process. Initially, snowmaking is done on the slope, meaning snow generation, during which about 10,000 to 15,000 cubic meters of snow are produced, taking around a month. Following this, the grooming machine comes into play: experienced groomers at Shymbulak, who have built World Cup tracks multiple times, prepare the surface, which also takes time.

After this, a team of shapers comes to the track, and you can see them at work when we arrive: the groomer creates mounds, followed by a team of 10 shapers who manually form these mounds. After this work, two jumps according to FIS (International Ski Federation) standards need to be installed. The mogul track at Shymbulak will have about 44 mounds and is divided into three sections. The first section is short with 15% mounds leading to the first jump, then comes the middle with a greater number of mounds, and the remaining 15-20% is after the second jump, all according to international standards. The length of the Almaty track is 234 meters.

The challenge of mogul skiing lies in the insane speeds, especially in parallel mogul.

“An athlete’s fear is completely overridden, and they simply fly down the track at speeds of about 60 km/h in paired mogul. Meanwhile, they have to manage mounds about a meter high, with only 4 meters between them,” Ivanov explained.

Regarding the acrobatics track, there are also specific nuances. Initially, snow generation is done, and the surface is groomed, but this is much more complicated due to the discipline's characteristics. As the athlete approaches the jump at a speed of 70-72 km/h, the takeoff angle is 71° (which is practically a wall in front of the athlete), making the accuracy in setting the jump crucial — tilting it even half a centimeter can cause the athlete to veer off course. Furthermore, from the highest point, where athletes perform their twists after taking off from the jump, to the landing, it is 15-17 meters (equivalent to a 5-story building). Therefore, special instruments are used, after which coaches finalize the track for their athletes. According to standards, the jump for acrobatics must be as hard as ice.

“In March, it’s warm in Almaty, and we lay pipes under the track, creating dry ice at a temperature of minus 100 degrees, which we freeze to preserve the jump for decent leaps. A total of 35,000 to 40,000 cubic meters is needed for both tracks. Here at Shymbulak, we work within the limits of the natural landscape as we have environmental considerations,” Ivanov explained.

Both tracks will be inspected on February 24 by the FIS technical delegate, Matthews Craig from the USA — an international technical expert who has overseen both the Olympics and World Championships. Sergey Ivanov notes that there have never been issues with track certification in Almaty throughout its history, but there are occasional adjustments made for the safety of the athletes. For instance, at the delegate’s request, a couple of mounds may be removed to slightly shorten the track and extend the finish area.

The main feature of the Almaty stages of the World Cup is the complexity of the track.

“I can tell you that the snow here at Shymbulak is about 20% faster than anywhere else in the world. This will pose a challenge for the athletes. It’s very difficult to control speed on the mogul, and in acrobatics, the challenge lies in finding the right speed for landing. Freestyle has many subtle nuances that significantly impact preparation for competitions and the final results,” Ivanov said.

The athletes and coaches also participate in preparing the tracks, but to a lesser extent. In mogul, they usually pack down some “nuances” with their skis, while in acrobatics, coaches have more “authority” — they monitor the jump angle, the snow condition, and request adjustments for a softer or harder landing. Such aspects are also controlled using nature-friendly reagents (salt).

How much does the work of the “invisible front” employees cost during the World Cup stages in freestyle skiing in Almaty? Sergey is not allowed to answer this question due to commercial confidentiality. However, for general understanding, he revealed one secret from his international experience, as he has overseen the preparation of mogul and acrobatic tracks for two Olympic Games.

“At the Olympics, freestyle tracks are prepared by 70 people, while here, there are about 12. At the Olympics, I can speak for myself; each groomer and track chief have different salaries. Here at Shymbulak, I was invited to optimize this process to make it cheaper than at the Olympics. I am currently working at Shymbulak, inviting an international team and training local specialists. As a result, based on my 25 years of experience in creating freestyle tracks, I can say that the ones in Almaty are of Olympic quality,” concluded Sergey Ivanov.

Very soon, instead of the groomer, there will be full mounds for mogul and a flat surface for acrobatics. Jumps will be installed, and the tracks will be tested by teams arriving in Almaty from Beijing, where the preceding World Cup stage is taking place this weekend (from February 21 to 23). And the celebration of mogul and acrobatics will begin, where Kazakhstani fans will have plenty to cheer for in both disciplines.