THE OLYMPICS / WINTER GAMES AT ALBERTVILLE : FREESTYLE SKIING : Hold the Mustard, Hotdoggers Make It to the Olympics

On Feb. 12 and 13, hotdogging will become an official Olympic event for the first time.

It’s not an eating contest involving bratwurst or Ballpark Franks, but a form of skiing that quite literally has bounced along a bumpy road to respectability.

Of course, no one calls it hotdogging anymore. Freestyle skiing, please.

But about 25 years ago, when some free spirits got together on Aspen Mountain in search of the outer limits, everyone thought they were just showing off. Nothing serious.

What evolved was a kind of triathlon, held on separate days, consisting of aerials, ballet and moguls. For a time, the aerials were a problem as skiers tried to outdo one another with outrageous airborne, twisting flips and somersaults. After several serious injuries occurred, most ski resorts banned such competition because it created problems with their liability insurance.

Finally, controls were established that enabled aerials--the most spectacular part of the sport--to resume and for freestyle skiing as a whole to continue its growth.

The Winter Olympics, however, are not quite ready for aerials, nor for ballet, a form of dancing on skis that depends heavily on subjective judging. Both will be demonstration sports at Albertville, as they were at Calgary, Canada, in 1988.

But moguls have arrived, and medals will be awarded to the top three men and women skiers who survive a series of elimination rounds at Tignes.

Briefly, the idea is to ski fast and aggressively down a slope pocked with moguls, or bumps in the snow, while interspersing a few tricks along the way. Speed is important, but judges also award points on the technique and quality of the skiers’ turns and maneuvers.

From a U.S. standpoint, this may be one of the shining moments during the extended fortnight beginning next Saturday, since Donna Weinbrecht, 26, of West Milford, N.J., is the world’s No. 1 female mogul skier, winning seven of eight events on the World Cup circuit this season.

Nelson Carmichael, 26, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., gives the United States a good shot at a men’s medal against strong French competition. Still, it’s Weinbrecht who may provide the United States with its only gold medal in the skiing events of these XVIth Olympic Winter Games.