All About Big Air, the Newest Olympic Snowboarding Event

Big air, the Winter Olympics’ newest snowboarding event, is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Riders barrel down a 160-foot tall ramp that curves up to launch them into the air, where they perform one single, epic trick.

Because the ramp is so steep (Pyeongchang’s is the largest in the world, reaching 40 degrees at its steepest point), boarders get extreme height on the jump, which allows them to attempt the toughest—and most mesmerizing—maneuvers in the sport.

Take a look at the beastly ramp in Pyeongchang:

Although big air is a brand new Winter Olympics event for both men and women, joining halfpipe and slopestyle as another freestyle snowboarding event, it’s been a component of the world championships and the X Games since 2003—and in the sport of snowboarding for much longer.

“Big air has been a part of snowboarding essentially as long as there have been snowboarding competitions,” KC Gandee, coach representative of the USASA Executive Board of Directors, USSA level 300 snowboard cross certification and snowboard program director for Maine-based Gould Academy, tells SELF.

Riders on the “snurfer,” the predecessor to the snowboard that had no bindings (the straps that attach a rider to the board), began practicing big air nearly five decades ago, and big air competitions are now held annually across the U.S. and throughout Europe and Asia, Gandee explains.

In big air, you'll see the biggest, most badass tricks in all of snowboarding.

In Pyeongchang, the most challenging big air trick you’ll see from the men will likely be the quad cork, which involves an off-axis spin that brings the heels above the head four times. (Depending on the conditions on competition day, riders may or may not attempt the move, explains Gandee.)

The top female competitors may attempt the double cork, which is the hardest trick in women’s snowboarding today—a twisting double backflip of sorts—or a variation of the 1080, which involves three full spins.

With the supreme height of the drop, the blazing speeds at which riders approach the jump, and the difficulty of the tricks attempted, big air has been described as snowboarding’s most dangerous event.

“Visually, yes it does look dangerous,” says Gandee, “and if things go wrong, they can go wrong catastrophically.”

Don't expect lots of cringe-worthy wipeouts, though.

Because of the Olympic boarders' high level of experience, you won’t find the rate of injury to be on a catastrophic level. Instead, the most common big air injuries are muscle pulls or strains, says Gandee. “The athletes you’ll see in the Olympics have practiced this over and over and over,” he explains.

Many of the elite training facilities today have various tools that help boarders safely master their tricks before taking them to the actual big air course, including an Olympic flybed trampoline, a foam pit, and an on-slope airbag landing, Gandee says.

What’s more, big air jumps are constructed with careful geometry so that the angle and height of the takeoff minimizes the impact of the landing, says Gandee.

In terms of the specific skills and training needed to master big air, “it’s similar to all snowboarding events in that you need strong legs and a strong core,” says Gandee. “Stretching and yoga is also important. Snowboarding and gymnastics are really sharing with each other right now.”

Judges assess riders on four major components.

These include the difficulty of the trick attempted, the execution of the trick, the amplitude (i.e. how high the rider launched into the air), and the stability of the landing.

“You’ll see the most differences in the landing,” explains Gandee. “It’s all about who can show the most balance and control as they touch the ground.” Dragging a hand on the ground, for example, will cost boarders points, as will reverting, or switching your stance. Scores range on a scale of one to 100.

Here’s how you can catch all the high-flying action:

The ladies’ big air qualifiers were held on Monday, February 19 (Korean time), and each athlete performed two jumps. The 12 athletes with the highest combined scores—including Americans Jamie Anderson, Julia Marino, and Jessika Jenson—will compete in the women's big air finals on Wednesday, February 21, 7:30 P.M. EST (Thursday, February 22, 9:30 A.M. Korea time). In the finals, each rider will attempt two different tricks—not just one trick, like some do in the prelims—over the course of three runs. The two highest scores will be combined for an overall score.

The men's big air qualifier is scheduled for Tuesday, February 20 at 7:30 P.M. EST (Thursday, February 21, 9:30 A.M. Korea time), and the finals will go down on Friday, February 23 at 8 P.M. EST (Saturday, February 24 t 10 A.M. Korea time). American competitors include Chris Corning and Ryan Stassel.

Austrian Anna Gasser (a former gymnast) and Canadian Mark McMorris are gold medal favorites, but when it comes to big air, “it’s really anybody’s game,” says Gandee.

Mens’ Big Air Qualifying Round

• Date: Tuesday, February 20

• Time: 7:30 P.M. EST (9:30 A.M. Korean Standard Time on 2/21)

• TV channel: NBC

• Livestream: NBCOlympics.com

Ladies’ Big Air Final

• Date: Wednesday, February 21

• Time: 7:30 P.M. EST (9:30 A.M. KST on 2/22)

• TV channel: NBC

• Livestream: NBCOlympics.com

Mens’ Big Air Final

• Date: Friday, February 23

• Time: 8 P.M. EST (10 A.M. KST on 2/24)

• TV channel: NBC

• Livestream: NBCOlympics.com

To learn more and for live updates, including possible schedule changes due to weather delays, visit nbcolympics.com.