Dozens of skiers will try to dazzle a panel of judges with their aerial acrobatics in halfpipe qualifying in men’s and women’s freestyle skiing, which begins on Thursday.
But how are halfpipes made?
Halfpipes are like baseball stadiums: No one is the same as any other, according to Jake Ingle, 44, a former U.S. team halfpipe contractor who helped build the halfpipe at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Dirt walls make up the shell of the pipe, and the structures are typically packed with artificial snow. Specialized snow machines with blades and other equipment are used in digging out and shaping the halfpipe.