China’s Sun Jiaxu flips through the air during the men’s qualification round of the FIS Freestyle Aerials World Cup in Lake Placid on Saturday. Jiaxu won the men’s aerials competition. (Provided photo — Lou Reuter)

LAKE PLACID — U.S. Ski and Snowboard recently announced that the aerials portion of the Freestyle World Cup event, originally scheduled to take place at Deer Valley Resort, will be moved to Lake Placid between Jan. 16 to 18.

The move comes following unseasonably warm weather out west, replacing the originally scheduled aerials mixed team event. Lake Placid will now host back-to-back individual Aerials competitions — the first event being held on Jan. 11 and 12 — and will serve as the FIS Freestyle Aerials World Cup Finals, ahead of the upcoming Olympic Winter Games.

“While this year’s weather has created some challenges, our priority is ensuring athletes have the best opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Winter Games,” President & CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Sophie Goldschmidt said in a statement. “We are grateful to both Lake Placid and Waterville Valley for stepping up quickly and collaboratively to find the best solution. At the same time, Deer Valley remains one of our most important and cherished partners. The legacy of hosting World Cups at Deer Valley is unmatched, and we look forward to returning to the resort next season.”

The moguls and dual moguls World Cup events, originally scheduled in Deer Valley, will also now take place in New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort from Jan. 15 and 16. Both moves were a result of insufficient snowpack and persistently warm temperatures, which are expected to continue into early January and have significantly impacted snowmaking efforts.

Lake Placid returned to the aerials World Cup calendar last season, and is now the only North American stop this year. Freestyle Aerials has been a Winter Olympic discipline since the 1994 Lillehammer Games, captivating audiences with its high-flying flips and twists. Athletes are judged on air, form, and landing precision. Lake Placid’s Olympic Jumping Complex has hosted FIS Aerials World Cups and other major freestyle skiing events since the 1980s. During Lake Placid’s run of FIS Freestyle World Cups between 1985 and 2019, the aerials competition would take place at the Olympic Jumping Complex with the moguls at Whiteface Mountain on consecutive days.

Freestyle aerials is known as one of the most electrifying spectator sports on snow, with athletes dropping in from a steep slope before launching high into the air off single, double or triple kicker jumps to execute twists, turns and flips before landing in an outrun area lined with cheering fans. Points are awarded for height, level of difficulty, technique and landing. Excitement builds as the field narrows throughout the day, leaving a final group of six athletes to battle for podium spots and coveted points in the overall World Cup standings.

For more information and to purchase tickets to the event, visit tinyurl.com/3upf597j.