<P> Slopestyle is a winter sport in which athletes ski or snowboard down a course including a variety of obstacles including rails, jumps and other terrain park features . Points are scored for amplitude, originality and quality of tricks . The discipline has its roots in action sports like skateboarding and BMX and has very successfully crossed over into the snow sports worlds of skiing and snowboarding . Twin - tip skis are used and are particularly useful if the skier lands backwards . Slopestyle tricks fall mainly into four categories: spins, grinds, grabs and flips . </P> <P> Slopestyle is one of the freestyle disciplines, along with moguls, aerials, cross, and half - pipe . </P> <P> Slopestyle became an Olympic event, in both skiing and snowboarding forms, at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia . The very first Olympic champions in Slopestyle Skiing were American Joss Christensen for the men and Canadian Dara Howell for the women . The first Olympic champions for Snowboarding a big ball Slopestyle were both Americans, Sage Kotsenburg for the men and Jamie Anderson for the women . </P> <P> In competition athletes are judged on: </P>

When did slopestyle snowboarding start in the olympics