SuperUnknown XX

SuperUnknown XX was the twentieth edition of the Level 1 Productions freeski talent search, held at Mammoth Mountain in California from April 19 to 26, 2023 | Venue: Mammoth Unbound South Park | Disciplines: freestyle park skiing, technical rail tricks and filmed sessions | Winners: Mikkel Brusletto Kaupang (NOR) and Caoimhe Heavey (CAN) | Format: international video submissions followed by a week of park filming and rider voting with 16 finalists and more than 40 professional skiers.

Twenty Years of SuperUnknown Return to Mammoth

SuperUnknown XX brought the twentieth edition of Level 1 Productions' freeski talent search to Mammoth Mountain, California, from April 19 to 26, 2023. The anniversary event assembled 16 finalists and more than 40 established professional skiers at Mammoth Unbound South Park. The session combined the competition's original purpose of discovering new talent with a reunion of riders connected to different generations of freestyle skiing.

Organized by Level 1, SuperUnknown XX was built around a format different from conventional slopestyle and big air contests. Athletes earned their invitations through submitted ski videos, then spent a week riding and filming together. Rather than competing for standardized numerical scores, the finalists demonstrated their creativity, consistency and ability to stand out in a park filled with established professionals.

The twentieth anniversary gave the gathering additional significance. Founded as a video talent search in 2004, SuperUnknown had developed into a recurring opportunity for emerging skiers to gain industry recognition. Mammoth Mountain provided a spring park environment suited to the filming format, with dedicated terrain and enough variety for participants to demonstrate individual approaches to freestyle skiing.

Sixteen Finalists and the Mammoth Unbound South Park Session

The 2023 finalist roster included ten men and six women selected through Level 1's video entry process. Their submissions represented different approaches to freestyle skiing, from technical park tricks and rail combinations to street-inspired creativity. The final selection brought together skiers from North America and Europe, with participants representing countries including Norway, Canada, Finland, France, Austria and the United Kingdom.

Among the men's finalists were Mikkel Brusletto Kaupang, Aki Vallioniemi, Andrew Egan, Carson Sharp, Julius Champion, Justin Kennedy, Phil Gaucher, Ridge Dirksmeier, Will Griffith and Chris Boyer. The women's finalists were Caoimhe Heavey, Audrey Friess, Drew Hooker, Isabelle Lacour, Laura Wallner and Connie Brogden. Their invitation to Mammoth followed the submission and selection stages that had taken place before the April finals.

The gathering went beyond the sixteen finalists. Level 1 invited a large group of professionals, including Tom Wallisch, Keegan Kilbride, Jake Mageau, Kuura Koivisto, Quinn Wolferman, Taylor Lundquist and Tereza Korábová. Several had previously participated in or won SuperUnknown events, creating an environment in which younger skiers could ride alongside athletes whose films and performances had influenced their development.

Mikkel Brusletto Kaupang Wins the Men's SuperUnknown Title

Norwegian freeskier Mikkel Brusletto Kaupang won the men's SuperUnknown XX title after the week-long Mammoth session. His victory brought attention to his technical rail skiing and creative approach to park features. Representing Norway in a field of international finalists, Kaupang secured one of the two main awards presented during the anniversary edition.

Kaupang had developed his skiing through the Norwegian freestyle scene, particularly around technical jibbing and rail-focused park riding. At Mammoth, the format gave him an opportunity to demonstrate those skills outside a conventional competition run. SuperUnknown's filming environment placed individual style and creative execution at the center of the experience, allowing skiers with different strengths to distinguish themselves.

The men's title included a $2,500 cash prize and a 2023-2024 Ikon Pass. Level 1 announced Kaupang as the winner in its official May 8, 2023, release, which accompanied an edit featuring the two champions. His success added his name to a winners list that already included Tom Wallisch, Magnus Granér, Keegan Kilbride and Mathieu Dufresne.

Caoimhe Heavey Takes the Women's Championship

Canadian skier Caoimhe Heavey won the women's SuperUnknown XX title, completing the twentieth-anniversary competition with a second champion from the international finalist field. Heavey entered the Mammoth finals at eighteen years old, joining five other women selected through the video submission process.

The women's roster included athletes with different freestyle backgrounds and approaches to skiing. Audrey Friess represented the United States, while Isabelle Lacour joined Heavey from Canada. Laura Wallner traveled from Austria, Connie Brogden represented Great Britain and Drew Hooker completed the six-woman field. The group participated in the same anniversary gathering as the men's finalists and established professional riders.

Heavey's victory earned her the women's SuperUnknown title, a $2,500 cash prize and a 2023-2024 Ikon Pass. Level 1 confirmed her success alongside Kaupang in the official winners' announcement. The recognition placed her among the women who had won the competition since female finalists became part of its history, following names such as Rosina Friedel, Giorgia Bertoncini, Skye Clarke and Tereza Korábová.

From Video Submissions to a Week of Filming

SuperUnknown XX began with a video-based selection process rather than an on-snow qualification contest. Skiers submitted edits demonstrating their ability, and Level 1 reviewed entries to identify potential semifinalists and finalists. The judging process considered different styles of skiing, including park, street and powder footage, rather than requiring every applicant to perform on an identical course.

The preliminary stages took place in March and early April 2023. Newschoolers published the semifinalist selection and wildcard voting information before announcing the final roster on April 11. The invited athletes then traveled to Mammoth Mountain for the April 19-26 gathering, where the emphasis shifted from submitted footage to riding and filming alongside other participants.

During the finals week, athletes used Mammoth Unbound South Park to produce footage and demonstrate their abilities. The group included returning winners and established professionals, providing a direct connection between the competition's past and its current generation. The final selection was made through athlete voting, preserving SuperUnknown's emphasis on recognition from fellow skiers rather than traditional competition scoring.

Forty-Plus Professionals Join the Anniversary Gathering

The presence of more than 40 professional skiers distinguished SuperUnknown XX from smaller finalist-only editions. The invited group included former SuperUnknown champions, established film athletes and contemporary freestyle specialists. Tom Wallisch represented one of the competition's most recognizable success stories, having won SuperUnknown IV in 2007 before developing an influential career in slopestyle and freeski filmmaking.

Returning figures included Mathieu Dufresne, winner of SuperUnknown XIX in 2022, along with riders such as Oscar Weary, Skye Clarke and Rosina Friedel. Their participation connected several periods of SuperUnknown history within the same Mammoth session. Riders could exchange approaches to rails, jumps and transitions while working with the filming crews documenting the gathering.

The 2023 production involved filmmakers and editors associated with Level 1's established visual style. Thomas Crandall and Conor Smith worked on the anniversary recap edit, while the filming credits included Arttu Heikkinen, Gavin Rudy, Owen Dahlberg, Brady Perron, Josh Berman and other contributors. The resulting footage documented both the selected finalists and the wider professional session.

The May Winners Edit and October Anniversary Recap

Level 1 announced the champions on May 8, 2023, with an official winners' edit featuring Kaupang and Heavey. The announcement confirmed that both athletes had earned $2,500 and an Ikon Pass for the following season. It also established the scale of the twentieth edition, with sixteen finalists and over forty professionals participating in the Mammoth gathering.

The production team subsequently developed a longer recap of the anniversary week. Released in autumn 2023, the extended edit brought together more of the footage captured during the sessions. The project documented the technical skiing, group atmosphere and interactions between emerging athletes and experienced professionals that formed the foundation of the event.

The anniversary was supported by Mammoth Mountain, Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale, Newschoolers and Ikon Pass. Those partnerships helped bring the competition back to Mammoth Unbound, where the spring terrain and extensive filming setup provided the setting for one of the largest SuperUnknown gatherings up to that point.

SuperUnknown XX in the History of Level 1

By 2023, SuperUnknown had established a record of identifying freestyle skiers outside traditional results-based competition. Earlier winners included Corey Vanular in 2004, Tom Wallisch in 2007, Magnus Granér in 2013 and Keegan Kilbride in 2016. The twentieth edition maintained that original talent-search objective while placing the finalists alongside an expanded group of established athletes.

SuperUnknown XX also followed the competition's return to Mammoth Mountain in 2022, when Tereza Korábová and Mathieu Dufresne won the women's and men's titles. The 2023 gathering continued the location's role in the series before SuperUnknown 21 returned in 2024. Its expanded professional roster and anniversary production distinguished the twentieth edition from the previous year's finals.

The event concluded with two new champions, Mikkel Brusletto Kaupang and Caoimhe Heavey, whose victories were formally announced on May 8, 2023. Their titles extended the SuperUnknown winners list into its third decade, while the Mammoth sessions brought together sixteen emerging finalists and more than forty professional skiers for the twentieth edition of Level 1's freeski talent search.