Moguls, Aerials World Cup heats up on Almaty snow
Feb 27, 2025·Freestyle
The snow has barely settled from Beidahu, but there is no time for skiers to take their foot off the pedal, as the World Cup circuit moves to the next stop on the horizon.
Next up: Almaty, Kazakhstan, where stakes are only getting higher.
As the penultimate contest for Moguls, Dual Moguls and Aerials, there is understandably more attention on where the Crystal Globes are leaning this season. This stage of the competition is prime time for athletes to lock in their positions on the Cup standings, or make a late surge.
There are some whose consistent showing all season means they could secure a Crystal Globe in Almaty, even before World Cup competition moves back to Europe for the final showing.
Jaelin Kauf (USA) is among them.
The American, known for her speed down any slope, is in red-hot form as she continues her winning streak. Her last victory in Beidahu was her fifth in a row, going back to Val St. Come at the start of February.
With six wins out of 10 podium finishes so far this season, it is no surprise Kauf leads the Dual Moguls and Overall standings coming into Almaty.
The women’s competition this season has mainly been a tussle between Kauf and Perrine Laffont (FRA). The ever consistent Laffont leads in Moguls and is a mere 26 points behind in Overall Moguls.
But with the Frenchwoman absent from Kazakhstan, Almaty will be a chance for Kauf to build on her standing.
On the men’s side, Mikael Kingsbury (CAN) has once again positioned himself as the one to beat after chalking up six wins this season.
The Canadian can also possibly wrap up the chase for the Crystal Globe in Kazakhstan, but will have to fend off Ikuma Horishima (JPN).
The Japanese, never one to shy from a difficult trick, has been consistently landing his 1440s, producing them even in Duals. The owner of the blue bib is currently second to Kingsbury in all three standings.
Over in Aerials, Qi Guangpu (CHN) could be rewarded for his consistency and retain his Crystal Globe early. The 2022 Beijing Olympic champion is being buoyed by his back-to-back wins in Lac-Beauport last month, and also has a second-place finish most recently at Beidahu.
The women’s competition, however, remains anyone’s for the taking. Laura Peel (AUS) is top of the table with 342 points, after a string of three wins in North America.
But she is just 58 points ahead of Xu Mengtao (CHN), who missed the Deer Valley competition in favour of the Asian Winter Games held at home. Danielle Scott (AUS), last season’s Crystal Globe winner, is also on 284 points.
Competition will begin on Friday with Moguls. Women’s Qualifications start at 09:30 local time, then Men’s Qualifications at 11:30. Finals start at 14:00.
On Saturday, preliminary rounds for Dual Moguls start at 11:45, before finals take place from 14:00.
Aerialists take the slope on Sunday, with Women’s Qualifications starting at 09:15 while Men’s Qualifications will be at 11:45. Finals begin from 14:00.
WATCH LIVE
TV broadcasts will be available for fans to follow the action live, while there will also be live streaming on FIS TV.
Here are the links and information about geo-restrictions –
Friday, 28 February
Saturday, 1 March
Sunday, 2 March
Please note that due to broadcasting rights restrictions, live streaming availability may be limited in certain regions.
However, the livestream for the finals is accessible in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Singapore, and South Korea. For the qualifications, the livestream is available globally, with the exception of geo-restrictions in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
QUICK LINKS
Almaty World Cup FIS data page (start lists, results, etc)
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