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Profile and significance

Benjamin Carlund is a Swedish freeski original whose reputation has been built in front of the camera more than under a start wand. Born in 1997 and FIS-registered for Sweden, he moved past the traditional contest track to become a film-first rider with a distinct, highly technical approach to rails and resort features. His name reached a global audience as a Level 1 SuperUnknown finalist in Mammoth, a springboard that confirmed what European crews already knew from his edits and spring sessions. He rides for Armada Skis, and his presence each May at Kimbo Sessions—the style-driven “anti-contest” staged at Kläppen—has turned him into a reliable source of clips that travel fast across the park-ski internet.

What sets Carlund apart is the way his skiing reads without slow motion. He favors deliberate approaches, clean lock-ins, and trick selection that values line continuity over one-off bangers. That philosophy translates from purpose-built park lines to urban features, and it’s why his parts with Sweden’s Suéde crew—along with his SuperUnknown raw cut from Mammoth—have become reference points for skiers who study speed control as closely as trick lists.

Competitive arc and key venues

Although he has entries in the FIS database, Carlund is best understood through filming blocks and rider-led events rather than ranking tables. The turning point for international visibility came with Level 1’s SuperUnknown finals at Mammoth Mountain, where a week of high-frequency laps spotlit his timing on rails and medium-to-large jumps. At home in Sweden, the annual Kimbo Sessions at Kläppen has been his perfect habitat: long spring days, dense creative features, and a culture that rewards flow and originality. He has also featured in SLVSH-format games and crew shoots that prize style over scores, further anchoring his identity as a rider whose “contest” is the final export edit.

These venues matter because they explain his composure. Mammoth’s speed and scale force disciplined takeoffs; Kläppen’s custom builds demand decision-making between features; and urban sessions insist on exact approach angles with no room for panic scrubs. Linking those environments, Carlund developed a toolkit that looks the same whether a camera is ten meters away on a park booter or tucked into a stair set downtown.

How they ski: what to watch for

Carlund’s skiing is economical and readable. On rails, he commits edges early, centers his mass on contact, and exits with speed preserved for the next setup. Expect surface swaps that finish cleanly, presses that have shape rather than wobble, and landings that stay over the feet. He often uses nose or tail touches as punctuation—think switch 720 tail taps on wall or pole features—to add flavor without breaking cadence. On jumps he prefers full-value grabs and measured spin speed; axes stay tidy, so the trick resolves into a calm outrun instead of a save.

For viewers, the tells are subtle: quiet shoulders on impact, grab timing that stabilizes rotation instead of decorating it, and tiny speed checks that never spill into the next feature. For skiers studying his clips, notice how he creates space between tricks—each move sets up the next one rather than stealing from it.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Carlund’s footprint is strongest in film. With Suéde, he appeared in street-driven projects that highlight long rails, directional changes, and the Scandinavian habit of letting the spot dictate the trick. The SuperUnknown week added volume to that story by showing his park laps at pace, while subsequent short edits and brand pieces kept the line fresh into the mid-2020s. In 2024 he entered a rider-submitted, street-first video contest chapter that continued to showcase his ability to turn compact city features into tightly edited sequences.

The influence is practical. Younger riders pull ideas from his clips because the choices feel replicable: pick lines that protect speed, set edges early, and favor tricks that look as good at normal speed as they do frame-by-frame. In an era where some videos chase shock value, Carlund’s segments hold up on rewatch because the craft sits in the details—clean lock-ins, controlled exits, and tricks that belong to the spot.

Geography that built the toolkit

Sweden’s park-and-street loop shaped Carlund’s approach. Spring laps at Kläppen provide repetition on creative features, teaching speed discipline and how to link ideas without stalling. Winters add the urban ingredient—municipal handrails, flat-light sessions, and firm entries that punish sloppy edge angles. When his calendar stretches beyond Scandinavia, places like Mammoth Mountain scale those habits to faster in-runs and bigger takeoffs, while summer training blocks on the Palmer snowfields at Timberline Lodge offer stable conditions for refining grab timing and axis control.

Across those environments, the constants are the same: protect line speed, make early commitments, and choose tricks that leave room for the camera to breathe. That geographic mix is visible in his edits year after year.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

As part of the Armada Skis family, Carlund rides park- and street-capable shapes built for repeated rail contact and consistent takeoff feel. For progressing skiers, the lessons are straightforward: pick a symmetric or near-symmetric park ski with reinforced edges and a mount point that supports presses without sacrificing stability; keep edges tuned enough to hold but dull enough to avoid unwanted bites on swaps; and tune bases for predictable glide in spring salt or winter cold.

Equipment doesn’t replace the habits that make his skiing pop, but the right platform makes those habits repeatable. If your rails are locking and your outruns look calm, the camera—and the line—will reward you the same way it does for Carlund.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Benjamin Carlund matters because he represents a complete, film-first vision of modern freeskiing. He took a global stage like SuperUnknown and used it to underline his identity rather than pivot away from it, then kept delivering edits where style and structure rule the day. For fans, his clips are satisfying without commentary. For skiers learning the craft, they are a blueprint: manage speed, hold grabs, exit clean, and let the spot decide the trick. That’s why his best work from Kläppen to Mammoth continues to circulate far beyond Sweden’s borders.

Profile and significance

Harald Hellström is a Finnish street-skiing standout from Helsinki whose heavy urban clips and calm, readable style have pushed him from crew films into the global spotlight. A core member of Finland’s Forre collective, he helped headline the crew’s breakthrough era and later appeared in Level 1’s 25th-anniversary feature “Wasteland,” a placement that brought his skiing to a mainstream freeski audience. In 2022 he turned professional with Surface Skis, which now issues a limited Hellström graphic on his preferred Give’r platform, and in 2024 he joined the footwear label Phaenom. The profile is unmistakable: a rider defined by no-fall-zone street spots, precise rail work, and jump tricks that stay crystal-clear for viewers without slow motion.

Competitive arc and key venues

Hellström’s résumé is film-first. He was a featured skier in Forre’s all-Finland street movie “Forrmula,” a 2021 release that many fans cite as a line in the sand for modern urban skiing. He also appeared alongside The Bunch in “Love You Too” in 2021, proof that his street instincts translate across creative film projects. In 2024 he carried that momentum into Level 1’s “Wasteland,” where his parts read clean even when stacked against a cast of big-name park, pow, and street specialists. Rather than chase federation podiums, he has treated judged showcases and premieres as punctuation marks on seasons built around filming.

The venues behind the footage explain the polish. Early- and mid-season repetitions on the long, consistent lines at Ruka sharpen timing, speed control, and both-way entries that survive TV-style builds. Compact night laps at Talma Ski hardwire movements and make the “first try has to count” reality of street filming feel normal. Back home, Helsinki’s dense winter infrastructure provides the real-world textures—short in-runs, imperfect landings, low-light windows—that make a film part memorable. When a week at Ruka opens the throttle and a night at Talma compresses it again, the result is skiing that holds form from a municipal handrail to a film-festival screen.

How they ski: what to watch for

Hellström skis with measured economy. On rails he stays centered with quiet shoulders, choosing approach angles that look conservative right up to the moment of commitment. Lock-ins carry through kinks and gaps without chatter, and pretzel or continuing-spin exits land with glide so momentum survives into the next feature. He links rails as if they were a slopestyle deck, which is why the final feature still has room for an ender rather than dying on the flat.

On jumps—whether a hand-built step-down in the streets or a maintained booter in the park—the hallmark is clarity. He places the grab early and holds it through rotation so axes are obvious at real speed. Rotation scales to the day’s speed window; he would rather preserve landing quality and line continuity than force a late cork for numbers. That discipline is why his heaviest clips look inevitable instead of lucky and why editors lean on his shots to anchor a segment’s pace.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Street skiing compresses the margin for error: short run-ins, limited light, and landings that punish imprecision. Hellström treats those constraints as a craft. The workflow—scout the spot, measure, shovel and salt, test speed, refine angles, then roll on the version that will cut clean—shows up across his parts, from Forre films to “Wasteland.” That process is also why his clips travel well online: the decisions are visible, the grabs are held, and the makes look as composed as the takeoffs. Within Finland’s deep urban lineage, he reads as a standard-setter for consequence and execution, the skier others reference when they talk about no-fall lines that still look smooth on camera.

The brand and community context matters too. Turning pro with Surface Skis codified his preferences in a consumer-facing way, while appearances in projects presented by major film houses demonstrated how street craft can live comfortably beside backcountry and resort-park narratives. Several Forre releases have been supported by culture staples like Arsenic Anywhere, a signal of the lane he occupies: rider-driven films that reward originality and repeatability more than scorecards.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place explains the feel of his skiing. Helsinki provides dense, renewable spot options and the winter consistency that street crews need to keep a project moving. Talma Ski adds the short-lift, high-frequency rhythm that turns spin-on precision and both-way exits into muscle memory under lights. Northern blocks at Ruka contribute long-season access, firmer mornings, and bigger shapes that keep grab duration honest. Stitch the three together and you get “any surface, any speed” comfort—why a bluebird park day and a frozen stair set both end up reading the same on film.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Hellström’s setup choices are transparent in his parts. His limited-edition graphic lives on Surface’s Give’r, a true-twin park ski tuned for predictable swing weight and stability when you need to exit a rail at speed; if you are reverse-engineering the feel, think centered mount to support both-way spins and switch landings, plus a balanced flex that does not punish imperfect run-ins. Keep a consistent edge tune with thoughtful detune at contact points to reduce hang-ups on steel without dulling pop for lip-ons. Choose boots with progressive forward flex and locked-in heel hold so landings finish stacked when the snow is fast or chattery. For footwear and off-snow moves, his association with Phaenom underscores the “function first” sensibility that shows up in his skiing.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Hellström matters because he turns fundamentals into footage people replay. If you are learning to read modern freeskiing—freeski slopestyle logic applied to urban features—watch how he preserves glide across multi-feature rail sections so the closer still has room to breathe, how he puts the grab in early and keeps it there so axes remain obvious, and how he scales rotation to the available speed without sacrificing landing quality. For filmers and crews, his seasons provide a repeatable template: plan carefully, accept the constraints, and commit to tricks that will look inevitable at full speed. Add a pro-model collaboration with Surface Skis, appearances in Forre’s cornerstone films, and a turn in Level 1’s “Wasteland,” and you have a rider whose influence bridges core street culture and the broader freeski audience.

Profile and significance

Joel Magnusson is a Swedish freeski original whose name has become synonymous with high-level rail craft and clean, rewatchable street parts. Born in 1998, he surfaced on the wider scene through the European film collective Suéde and a run of standout appearances at rider-led gatherings, then carried that reputation into invite-only showcases like Red Bull Unrailistic. Earlier in his career he logged federation starts—his FIS bio lists him as Swedish with a 1998 birth year—before focusing on projects that prize style as substance. Today he’s recognized as one of Scandinavia’s most dependable rail specialists: calm approaches, decisive lock-ins, and landings that keep momentum alive for what comes next.

Brand footprints mirror that identity. Magnusson rides for the outerwear label LEAD Fabrics, and earlier made noise with the rider-run ski brand J Skis during Level 1’s SuperUnknown XV era. The common thread is rider agency and durable tools—gear that supports measured spin speed, deep grabs, and rail work that reads clearly at full speed.

Competitive arc and key venues

Magnusson’s résumé tilts toward filmed output and culture-first events rather than a long World Cup tour. The inflection points are easy to spot. He was a SuperUnknown XV finalist with Level 1’s pipeline before turning heads at Sweden’s Kimbo Sessions, where he even lined up for a filmed SLVSH game against Eirik “Krypto” Moberg. In 2023 he debuted at Red Bull Unrailistic as a perceived wildcard and impressed with heavy, technical rail choices; he returned for the 2024 edition in Åre with even more confidence. In June 2025 he stepped into the Scandinavian Team Battle at CopenHill in Copenhagen, replacing an injured Jesper Tjäder on Team Sweden and helping the squad to a runner-up finish in a format that rewards flow, creativity, and crowd energy as much as raw trick count.

Venue context explains his toolkit. Spring laps at Kläppen and other Scandinavian parks honed cadence on dense rail panels and medium booters. CopenHill’s dryslope rails compress decision-making into short in-runs and quick outruns, demanding early commitments and airtight exits. In Åre’s Unrailistic build, the features are unforgiving but consistent—perfect for someone who protects speed and finishes tricks early. Layer in the travel-heavy street missions across Sweden and Finland with Suéde, and you get a rider whose habits survive different surfaces and setups without losing clarity.

How they ski: what to watch for

Magnusson skis with deliberate economy. On rails, he squares up early, centers his mass on contact, and locks in decisively rather than theatrically. Surface swaps resolve completely; presses have visible shape; exits protect enough speed that the next feature arrives naturally. On jumps, he manages spin speed with deep, functional grabs—safety, tail, or blunt depending on axis—arriving early enough to quiet rotation and keep his hips stacked over his feet. That discipline makes his bigger spins look unhurried and explains why editors can present his clips at normal speed without slow-motion rescue.

Two cues help you read a Magnusson clip in real time. First, spacing: every trick creates room for the next one, so the run feels like a sentence rather than disconnected words. Second, grab timing: the hand finds the ski early and stays long enough to stabilize the axis, not just decorate the frame. Those habits translate whether the camera is ten meters from a city down-flat-down or perched above a spring booter.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Street seasons and rider-led events reward process—shovel and salt, rebuilds after busts, and the judgment to walk away when the approach won’t hold. Magnusson leans into that rhythm, which is why his segments age well. With Suéde he contributed to widely circulated shorts like “What’s for Breakfast?” and took part in community projects such as the Forre Megasessions, where spot selection and line design are scrutinized by peers. Those parts underline a core message: style is technique. It’s the spacing between moves, the functional grab that calms rotation, the centered landing that preserves momentum for the next decision. Younger riders see a blueprint they can copy, and event organizers know his skiing reads cleanly for a live audience.

The influence is amplified by consistency under pressure. At Unrailistic, where the best rail skiers on the planet converge, Magnusson’s trick choices are heavy but legible; at Team Battle, his pacing and teamwork keep runs coherent even as the format turns chaotic. That combination—difficulty plus clarity—has made him a go-to name when a crew wants lines that hold up on the tenth watch.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place is the skeleton of Magnusson’s skiing. Scandinavian parks like Kläppen supply repetition and firm, honest snow where late commitments get punished. Åre’s Unrailistic build—staged within the resort footprint—adds high-consequence rail geometry that demands precise entries and tidy exits. Copenhagen’s CopenHill dryslope, with its short in-runs and plastic surface, sharpens approach angles and speed protection in a way that few winter venues can match. Street trips across Sweden and Finland round out the education with quick redirects, short runouts, and spots that reward obstacle-spanning tricks. Stitch those environments together and the habits become portable: protect momentum, finish movements early, and let the line keep its shape from first hit to last landing.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Magnusson’s setup is built for repeatability. Outerwear from LEAD Fabrics keeps mobility high and weather out during long street days, and his earlier association with J Skis underscored a preference for predictable swing weight and edge life on steel. For skiers translating that into their own choices, think category fit over model names. Choose a symmetrical or near-symmetrical park ski and mount it so presses feel natural without compromising takeoff stability. Keep bases fast so cadence doesn’t depend on perfect weather; tune edges to hold on rails yet soften contact points enough to avoid surprise bites on swaps. Treat the grab as a control input—lock it early to stabilize the axis—and protect speed through the outrun so the next setup arrives on time.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Joel Magnusson matters because he turns elite street difficulty into runs that anyone can follow in real time. The résumé spans culture-defining venues—Kimbo Sessions laps, Unrailistic in Åre, Team Battle at CopenHill—and film parts that travel far beyond Scandinavia. The skiing itself is readable at full speed: decisive lock-ins, functional grabs, centered landings, and lines that breathe. For viewers, that makes his clips endlessly replayable. For developing riders, it offers a checklist you can practice on your next lap—square the approach, make early commitments, finish the trick with time to spare, and leave every feature with speed for whatever comes next.

Profile and significance

Lauri Kivari is a Finnish freestyle skier born on March 23 1996 in Helsinki, Finland. He competed internationally in slopestyle and halfpipe events, and notably represented Finland at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in the men’s slopestyle competition. His early medal at the Youth Olympic level combined with Olympic participation mark him as an athlete of interest in the freestyle ski world, especially from the Nordic freeski scene.

Competitive arc and key venues

Kivari’s breakthrough moment came at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck/Kühtai, where he won a silver medal in the boys’ halfpipe event. He then went on to qualify and compete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in slopestyle, finishing 29th. His World Cup and FIS results include slopestyle and big-air/halfpipe starts, though he did not reach a podium at senior World Cup level. Key venues in his competitive career include Kühtai (Austria), Ruka (Finland) and various World Cup stops across North America and Europe.

How they ski: what to watch for

Kivari’s skiing style shows strong fundamentals from Nordic training with a clear eye for transition features and park terrain. While he may not have the amplitude or signature tricks of the top slopestyle stars, he demonstrates smooth flow between features and a disciplined rail/box skill-set. For watchers, his runs combine creative rail entries, solid grabs on jumps and a balanced approach that reflects his early halfpipe training mixed into slopestyle format.

Resilience, filming, and influence

As a young athlete representing a smaller freeski powerhouse compared to the U.S. or Canada, Kivari’s path required resilience. Transitioning from youth success to senior competition is challenging, and the fact that he made the Olympic start by age 18 speaks to his ability to build that leap. While there is no widely publicised filming portfolio or urban-street ski card for him, his presence in the Finnish freeski scene contributes to the broader wave of Nordic park/rails talent emerging in the 2010s.

Geography that built the toolkit

Based in Finland and originally from Helsinki, Kivari trained in Nordic conditions rather than the large alpine resorts that dominate many freeski athletes’ development. This environment meant smaller parks and a need to adapt creative terrain solutions, which likely helped him develop a strong rail/box game and technical style rather than sheer amplitude. The Finnish ski touring and park infrastructure also tends to reward discipline, which shows in his runs.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

While specific long-term sponsorship details for Kivari are not widely documented, the general takeaway for skiers inspired by his path is to invest in a versatile park setup that allows both rails and jumps. Since Kivari moved between halfpipe and slopestyle, having gear that transitions between disciplines (such as slightly softer flex skis and park-tuned bindings) can help develop a hybrid skill-set. For younger athletes in smaller ski nations, the message is clear: build fundamentals, pursue local competitions, then step into international starts.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans of park and slopestyle skiing should care about Lauri Kivari because his journey highlights the valuable route from youth success to Olympic representation—even if he did not become a world champion. For progressing skiers, his path reminds us that entering the elite field at a young age, coming from a less-publicized skiing nation, and maintaining versatility across halfpipe and slopestyle can open doors. His career underscores that podiums aren’t the only measure of influence—joining the Olympic start list and inspiring other Nordic freeskiers is meaningful.

Profile and significance

Oliver Karlberg is a Swedish freeski athlete whose passion for skiing and creative terrain exploration have made him a noteworthy figure in the street/urban ski world. While not a household name in mainstream competitive ski events such as the Olympics or FIS World Cups, Karlberg has earned recognition through film edits, street sessions and work with independent freeride and freeski brands. He brings a raw, inventive approach to skiing that resonates with the community of skiers seeking alternatives to standard competition formats.

Competitive arc and key venues

Karlberg did not follow the typical path of an alpine racer turned slopestyle competitor. According to interviews, his early years included time in a ski race programme in Sweden before he shifted his focus to freeskiing and street stylings. He has been featured in independent ski films and edits—one notable piece being his edit for Movement Skis and participation in films by Level 1 Productions. Karlberg cites his home resort area near Kläppen as formative, but many of his shoots and sessions have taken place off-the-beaten-path in Swedish terrain and forested zones rather than major contest venues.

How they ski: what to watch for

Karlberg’s skiing is defined by a creative use of terrain, unconventional spots and a strong tree-run or forest-style freestyle component. He frequently merges rails, natural features, urban inserts and forest exits—rejecting textbook park lines in favour of raw location scouting. What to watch: his edge control during tree dips, the way he links small rail hits into big exit manoeuvres and his sense of flow in natural terrain. His style may lack the high-amplitude airs of top slopestyle competitors but offers a gritty, inventive alternative to standard competition skiing.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Karlberg’s journey shows a strong independent streak. Early on he left home at age fifteen to pursue skiing more seriously than many in his region. In interviews he describes how he used a local ski club with racing focus to establish basic technique before making the leap into freeskiing. He has embraced film parts, edits and creative projects rather than chasing podiums in the standard competition circuit. Through films and online edits he has influenced younger skiers interested in street and forest freestyle rather than strictly park or back-country competition.

Geography that built the toolkit

Growing up in Sweden outside of the major alpine resorts gave Karlberg a perspective different from many freeski athletes based in big mountain hubs. His frequent sessions around Kläppen and Alvdalen gave him access to smaller terrain parks, forested slopes and natural features as opposed to large competition parks. This geography fostered a creativity in locating features, jumping into natural terrain transitions and mixing park with forest and urban terrain elements. In that sense his toolkit is grounded in self-scouting and unconventional spots rather than standard mega-parks or urban city sections alone.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Karlberg is part of the Movement Skis team—Movement is a brand known for independent manufacture and creativity, and Karlberg’s riding aligns with their ethos. For progressing skiers who admire his style, the practical takeaway is that a strong ski setup combined with adaptability to varied terrain matters more than chasing park-only gear. Investing time in your environment, scouting features and using gear that allows for versatility (rails, jumps, forest runs) helps emulate aspects of his approach.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans of skiing beyond the contest circuit gravitate toward Oliver Karlberg because he offers a style rooted in terrain exploration, street/forest freestyle and film-culture rather than medals alone. For progressing skiers, his journey shows that making your own line, scouting your own features and developing creativity can provide a meaningful alternative path. While he may not have a trophy cabinet like top slopestyle Olympians, his influence in the street/urban scene and his independent route make him a figure worth following for those seeking authenticity.