Moguls arguably is freestyle skiing's most traditional event, having been part of every Winter Olympics since the sport debuted in 1992. But the Milan Cortina Winter Games will bring a change: the addition of dual moguls to the program.

Skiers like Mikael Kingsbury and Jaelin Kauf now have twice as many medal opportunities as they have in the past. But what is dual moguls, and how does it differ from the classic moguls competition?

Read on to learn nearly everything there is to know about moguls and dual moguls, including the different competition formats and scoring that each event will use for Milan Cortina 2026.

What to know about other disciplines: Halfpipe | Slopestyle | Big Air | Aerials | Ski Cross

What moguls events will take place at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

There will be two different types of competitions taking place at Milan Cortina 2026 for moguls. Alongside the traditional moguls event that has been on the Olympic program since 1992, dual moguls will be making its debut at the Winter Games.

What is the schedule for moguls and dual moguls at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Mogul skiing competitions will take place on the following days at the Milan Cortina Games:

• Tuesday, Feb. 10 (Day 4): Men’s and women’s moguls first qualifying round
• Wednesday, Feb. 11 (Day 5): Women’s second qualifying round and final
• Thursday, Feb. 12 (Day 6): Men’s second qualifying round and final
• Saturday, Feb. 14 (Day 8): Women’s dual moguls
• Sunday, Feb. 15 (Day 9): Men’s dual moguls

What are the quota limits for men’s and women’s moguls at the Olympics?

There are 30 quota spots each for men and women. Moguls and dual moguls are treated as one event for qualification purposes, and athletes who qualify for Milan Cortina 2026 are eligible to compete in both disciplines.

How does a mogul run work?

Mogul courses feature a series of bumps, and skiers carve through them as they make their way to the bottom. Along the way, the course also has two jumps which skiers use to execute aerial tricks.

Although skiers try to navigate the course as quickly as possible, speed only is one (small) part of the equation. A panel of judges evaluates aerial tricks and technique during each run.

What are the scored elements of moguls and dual moguls?

Every moguls event features three important pieces of criteria that determine the results:

• Turns: A technical evaluation of how well an athlete turns through the moguls. In forming a base score, judges will consider whether the turns properly were carved (the tail of the ski should follow the track made by the tip), whether the skier absorbed and extended properly (they should use their body to follow the shape of the moguls), and whether the skier’s upper body remained in the correct position throughout the run. Deductions can be issued for speed checks, stumbles, fall line deviations and other errors.
• Air: An evaluation of the skier’s two aerial tricks. Each trick has a degree of difficulty assigned to it, and that number will be multiplied by the score that judges give for form. When considering form, judges evaluate the quality of the trick from takeoff to landing, the height and distance of the skier in the air, and whether the skier was able to maintain the rhythm of their turns prior to the jump.
• Speed: The time it takes a skier to complete a run. A point value automatically is calculated based on the skier’s time relative to the pace time for that course.

However, these criteria are applied differently in moguls and dual moguls.

What deductions can occur during a mogul run?

Judges evaluating a skier’s turns can issue deductions for mistakes such as:

• Speed checking or coming to a complete stop mid-run
• Deviating from the fall line (the shortest path through the course from start to finish)
• Touching the ground with one or both hands
• Stumbling or falling
• Sliding instead of carving through the moguls (the skis will be perpendicular to the fall line when significant sliding occurs)

Deductions are issued as a negative point value and are subtracted from the skier’s base score for turns.

What tricks can skiers do during a mogul run?

There are five different categories of jumps skiers can do during a moguls run:

• Inverted flips (e.g. backflip)
• Loop jumps
• Straight rotations (e.g. 360)
• Off-axis rotations (e.g. cork 360)
• Upright tricks (e.g. spread eagle)

Skiers are not allowed to repeat the same trick during a moguls run, but there are ways that a skier can differentiate certain tricks, such as by adding a grab to one but not the other.

What are the rules for Olympic moguls?

Each skier takes an individual run through the mogul course. Judges evaluate aspects of the run, and a score is awarded based on three components (turns, air and speed). The scores determine each skier’s placement in the final results.

How does the scoring work for Olympic moguls?

Each run receives a score of up to 100 points, with the three components weighted as follows:

• Turns: 60%
• Air: 20%
• Speed: 20%

Each of the three components is described in more detail in an earlier section.

In total, there are seven judges for a moguls competition. Five of those judges evaluate turns scores, and the other two evaluate air scores. 

What is the competition format for moguls at the Olympics?

Men’s and women’s moguls are divided into two qualifying rounds and a series of final rounds.

How do the Olympic moguls qualifying rounds work?

In the first qualifying round, all 30 skiers take one run, and the top 10 advance directly to the final.

The remaining 20 skiers compete in the second qualifying round and take one run each. Afterward, 10 more skiers advance to the final. Skiers can advance based on either their first- or second-jump score, whichever is higher.

At the 2026 Winter Olympics, the two qualifying rounds will happen on separate days. None of the scores from either qualifying round carry over to the final.

How do the Olympic moguls final rounds work?

The moguls final consists of three rounds, and skiers are eliminated at the end of each round. All participating skiers take one run per round. Scores do not carry over between any of the rounds.

In Round 1, the field is trimmed from 20 skiers down to 12. In Round 2, the field is cut even further from 12 skiers down to six.

The final-six skiers participate in Round 3, and the scores from that round determine the final medal results.

How is the start order determined for the Olympic moguls final rounds?

For Round 1 of the moguls final, the start order is the inverse of the qualification results, so the skier with the lowest ranking goes first and the top-ranked skier goes last.

For Rounds 2 and 3, the start order is the inverse of the previous round’s results, so the top skier from the previous round goes last.

What are the rules for Olympic dual moguls?

Two skiers compete head-to-head on adjacent courses. The winning skier moves on to the next round, and the losing skier is eliminated from the competition.

Although the skiers compete side-by-side, this event is not a race. Speed just is one component of the final results, so the first skier to cross the line is not necessarily the winner.

How does the judging work for Olympic dual moguls?

There are seven judges for a dual moguls event, and each one evaluates a specific component:

• Turns: 4 judges
• Air: 2 judges
• Time: 1 judge

Each judge has five votes, which they can split between the two skiers however they want. For example:

• A 5-0 vote in favor of one skier would indicate a dominant performance for that component
• A 3-2 vote in favor of one skier would indicate that the two skiers’ performances were relatively close for that component

With seven judges and five votes each, there are a total of 35 votes up for grabs. Whichever skiers garners the most votes is the winner of the head-to-head matchup.

What is the competition format for dual moguls at the Olympics?

The competition is a head-to-head elimination bracket, which starts with the Round of 32. (Because there are only 30 skiers in the field, though, the top skiers receive first-round byes.)

From there, the competition progresses to the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and medal finals. The medal finals consist of a big final, in which two skiers compete for the gold medal, and a small final, in which two skiers compete for the bronze medal.

How is the bracket determined for dual moguls at the Olympics?

A seeding list will be established after the conclusion of the individual moguls competitions at the Milan Cortina Games. Athletes then will be placed into a 32-skier bracket.

Because the competition only will have 30 skiers, the top two seeds will have a bye in the first round. Those top two seeds will be placed on opposite sides of the bracket, so they would never face each other before the final round.

Learn about the other events on the freestyle skiing program for the 2026 Winter Olympics.