Carving
The ski tips carve down the fall line and the tails follow the same track. The less the skis skid or slide sideways, the cleaner the turn and the better the speed control. This is half the turn score on its own.
Education
Turns & line
The biggest part of the score. Five judges watch how the athlete skis the bumps from the start gate to the finish. Here is exactly what they reward.
The score, split three ways
Turns & line are the biggest part of a moguls score
Air and speed decide the podium among skiers who all turn cleanly. Turns are where the run is won or lost.
What makes up a turn score
Within that 60%, judges weigh three things. Tap a band to see what each means.
Absorption
The legs soak up each bump so the upper body stays quiet and the skis stay glued to the snow. Knees move up and down; the pressure between ski and snow stays even instead of spiking.
Upper body
Head still and facing downhill, chest square and upright, hands in front with light pole plants. The calmer and quieter the upper body, the higher the score.
The one thing that matters most: carving
A carved turn keeps the skis on their edges down the fall line. A skidded turn slides them sideways and scrubs speed. Judges can see it instantly.
A little steering to start a turn is unavoidable; judges reward keeping the ski carving through the rest of it.
What judges actually watch for
The same run, from the judging checklists. Flip between a clean run and the common mistakes.
What it costs
Mistakes come off the turn score. The bigger the error, the bigger the bite, from a light touch to a full stop.
How a turns score reads
Each judge scores turns from 0.1 to 20.
Judging criteria paraphrased for parents from the FIS Freestyle Skiing Judging Handbook (moguls, November 2025) and the Rocky Mountain Freestyle Competition Guide.