capeesh season 4

Profile and significance

Daniel “Dani” Bacher is an Austrian freeski standout whose rapid rise from the Stubai Valley to the sport’s biggest stages made him one of Europe’s most closely watched slopestyle and big air riders. Born in 2004 and based around Innsbruck, he represents Austria’s A-Team and TU Innsbruck in park-and-pipe disciplines, translating junior promise into senior-level hardware with uncommon speed. The headline results arrived early and emphatically: a Big Air bronze at X Games Aspen 2024 at Buttermilk, a World Cup podium with second place at Big Air Chur in October 2023, and Olympic starts at Beijing 2022. Add in double silver medals at the 2021 Junior World Championships and solid Youth Olympic Games finishes in 2020, and the picture is clear: Bacher is a proven contest closer with a style the camera loves and judges reward.

Equally important is how those results were earned. Bacher’s calling card is “playful power”—tail-butter initiations into high-value doubles, precise grabs held long enough to stabilize axis, and a habit of using course architecture in surprising, judge-legible ways. That mix has carried him from local lines on Stubai Glacier to stadium-lit scaffolding and live broadcasts without losing the clarity that drew attention in the first place.

Competitive arc and key venues

Bacher’s pathway tracks cleanly through modern benchmarks. As a teenager he logged sixth in big air and seventh in slopestyle at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, then converted that momentum into two silver medals at Junior Worlds in 2021. The senior leap came fast: he qualified for Beijing 2022 at age 17, finishing 21st in big air and 17th in slopestyle in his Olympic debut. The following season opened with a breakthrough World Cup podium—second at the festival-style Big Air stop in Chur—before he stepped onto the biggest non-Olympic stage with bronze in X Games Big Air at Buttermilk in January 2024. The consistency across formats matters: stadium big air, long-panel slopestyle, and pressure-heavy finals have all yielded high-end runs.

Venues explain the shape of that résumé. Stubai’s autumn parks on Stubai Glacier provided early-season repetitions on large, cleanly shaped features, ideal for dialing speed and takeoff timing. The Chur big air—set in Switzerland’s oldest city—demanded precise approach mechanics on a single, consequential jump under lights and cameras. And Buttermilk, home of X Games, rewarded the full package: rail economy, directional variety on jumps, and the composure to adapt when the broadcast environment adds noise.

How they ski: what to watch for

Bacher’s skiing is instantly readable because he makes deliberate choices that keep a run’s shape intact. On rails, approaches are squared early and body position stays stacked, so lock-ins look decisive rather than dramatic and exits preserve speed into the next setup. On jumps, he favors measured spin speed and deep, stabilizing grabs that let him hold axis through the apex and land centered. The signatures that popped on his X Games bronze run—creative use of the lip with tail taps, and a switch leftside tail-butter double cork 1440 safety—show how he layers difficulty without sacrificing cadence. When he changes direction or stance, the line keeps breathing; there’s space between moves, which is why his runs look smooth to casual viewers while still scoring with technical panels.

Two tells help you evaluate a Bacher lap. First, the grab timing: he commits early and holds long enough to influence rotation, not just decorate it. Second, the way he “borrows” from buttered entries on the snow to set clean takeoffs for high-risk tricks. Those habits are portable across venues and conditions, which is why his contest skiing seems to travel well from one build to the next.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Bacher’s 2023–24 season highlighted composure as much as difficulty. In Aspen he mixed heavy tricks with showmanship—without letting novelty overwhelm execution—and even handled an in-run mishap without losing momentum in the overall performance narrative. That balance has helped him resonate beyond raw results sheets. Brands have taken notice—he rides for Armada Skis and appears on Monster Energy’s roster—and media coverage has emphasized that his creativity is anchored in fundamentals. For younger skiers, his approach validates a modern blueprint: rehearse clean mechanics at home, bring a distinct trick vocabulary to big builds, and let originality live inside a structured run rather than replacing it.

While contests are the spine of his career to date, Bacher’s clips also translate to film. Short pieces and team edits underline the same values—economical body position, held grabs, and smart speed checks—so his skiing remains watchable on replay without slow-motion crutches. That rewatchability is part of his influence; it turns “style” from a vibe into a set of teachable details.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place explains a lot about Bacher’s control. Growing up in the Stubai Valley meant frequent laps on the Stubai Glacier, where the early-season park is famous for consistent lips, honest speed, and firm landings that demand centered technique. Innsbruck’s scene adds dense repetition and community—athletes share lines, coaches emphasize detail, and the calendar offers frequent chances to scale tricks before winter arrives in full. When his schedule pulls him outward, those habits stick: in Chur he manages a single-feature spotlight; in Aspen at Buttermilk he sustains momentum across a deep, televised field.

That geographic loop—home repetitions on glacier parks, European city big airs, and North American major-event venues—shows up in how he visualizes courses. Speed control stays honest, trick choices fit the available runway, and landings arrive over the feet rather than as saves.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

With Armada Skis underfoot and Monster Energy support, Bacher’s kit reflects durability and predictable platform feel—exactly what repeated rail contact and high-risk jump attempts require. For progressing skiers, the actionable lessons are straightforward: choose a symmetrical or near-symmetrical park ski with reinforced edges and a mount point that supports presses without compromising takeoff stability; keep edges tuned to hold on steel but detuned at contact points to avoid surprise bites on swaps; and maintain fast bases so cadence doesn’t depend on perfect weather. Equipment won’t replace technique, but the right platform makes Bacher-style repeatability possible across long contest or filming days.

Beyond hardgoods, look at venue choices as part of the “kit.” Early laps on Stubai Glacier and big-event exposure at Buttermilk create a feedback loop: refine on consistent features, then test under pressure when lights and cameras add variables. That rhythm is a practical template for anyone trying to scale from local parks to international starts.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Dani Bacher matters because he blends creativity with contest-grade clarity. He’s already delivered at X Games, stood on a World Cup podium in Chur, and represented Austria at the Olympic Games—and he did it with runs that make sense in real time. For viewers, that means performances worth rewatching; for skiers, it offers a blueprint built on timing, held grabs, and momentum management rather than on single-use spectacle. If you follow freeski for slopestyle and big air that hold up long after the broadcast, keep Bacher on your radar—the toolkit is proven, and the ceiling is still rising.

Profile and significance

Isak Lorenzo (registered with FIS as Isak Lorenzo Hammer Stien) is a Norwegian freeski athlete associated with Tromsø Alpinklubb. Born in 2005, he appears in the FIS database as a men’s freestyle skier who competed in freeski slopestyle events in Norway between 2022 and 2024. While he has not yet built a headline international résumé, his profile is still valuable for a video-first freeski archive because it represents a real and common pathway: young athletes who stack domestic starts, learn judged-run discipline, and gradually raise their baseline through repetition rather than a single breakout moment.

His significance is also geographic. Tromsø sits far north in the Tromsø region, and athletes coming out of northern Norway often have to be intentional about where and when they compete, simply because most major terrain parks, competitions, and training hubs are farther south. That travel-and-training reality shapes a certain kind of skier: one who learns to make the most of limited competition weekends, adapt quickly to unfamiliar parks, and keep progression moving even when the schedule is scattered. For developing slopestyle athletes, that adaptability is not a side detail; it is part of the skill set.

Competitive arc and key venues

Stien’s verifiable competition record is centered on Norwegian FIS slopestyle starts, with multiple appearances at Vassfjellet, plus events at Myrkdalen and Dombås. In the FIS results database, he recorded a 19th-place finish at Vassfjellet in March 2022, improved to 12th at Vassfjellet in March 2023, then added starts in January 2023 at Dombås (42nd) and in March 2023 at Myrkdalen (28th). He returned to Vassfjellet in February 2024, where he placed 33rd in the FIS slopestyle field on that date. These placements are typical for an athlete in the “building” phase: the focus is on getting runs down, learning how judging reads a line, and turning training tricks into contest tricks.

On the Norwegian domestic side, official result documents from Norges Skiforbund show him competing in the NOR Freeski Cup slopestyle series. In March 2023 at Vassfjellet, he placed 7th in the junior category, and in January 2023 at Dombås he placed 38th in the junior category. By February 2024 at Vassfjellet, he appeared in the senior category results and placed 8th there. That junior-to-senior transition matters: it often changes how athletes approach risk, consistency, and run construction, because the scoring expectations and the depth of field increase quickly as the category steps up.

The venues themselves help explain what these events teach. Vassfjellet, outside Trondheim, is a frequent stage for Norwegian competitions and is built to be a community-accessible winter park that still supports structured events. Myrkdalen is known as a major Western Norway winter destination with freeride terrain and park potential, and contest days there can challenge athletes with changing visibility and snow textures that force quick adjustments. Building a résumé across multiple Norwegian resorts is an important part of becoming “competition-proof”: the goal is to make your skiing look the same even when the park, speed, and snow are different.

How they ski: what to watch for

Because Stien’s documented results are in slopestyle, the best way to evaluate him is through the logic of slopestyle scoring rather than isolated trick hype. Slopestyle rewards complete runs: rail sections that stay stable and deliberate, jump hits that look controlled, and transitions that preserve speed. When you watch a developing athlete, the key question is not “How big is the biggest trick?” but “How repeatable is the whole run?” A skier can have one impressive jump trick and still struggle to score if the rail section is shaky or if landings force speed checks that break flow.

In practical viewing terms, focus on three indicators. First, rail entry and exit quality: does the skier enter the rail with a calm upper body and exit in a stance that sets up the next feature? Second, takeoff timing: does the skier look early and composed, or late and rushed? Third, landing discipline: does the skier land centered and ready to continue, or does the landing create a visible fight for balance? Those details are exactly what allow an athlete to convert starts into points, and points into confidence.

Resilience, filming, and influence

At this stage, Stien’s story reads more like a work-in-progress than a finished “pro career,” and that’s precisely why it’s relevant. The freeski pipeline is full of athletes who need several seasons of starts before the results reflect their ability. Resilience here is less about dramatic comebacks and more about staying in the process: traveling to events, taking mid-pack results seriously, and returning with better execution the next winter.

Being tied to Tromsø Alpinklubb also situates him inside a Norwegian club structure that emphasizes long-term athlete development. Clubs are where freeskiers learn the unglamorous skills that decide contests: practice habits, safety culture, and repetition under coaching eyes. Even if a viewer only sees the final run on camera, that “club work” is often what makes the run possible.

Geography that built the toolkit

Training and competing out of the Tromsø region can shape a skier’s approach to progression. Northern winters offer long seasons and real storm cycles, but contest parks and event calendars often require travel. For a young slopestyle athlete, that combination can build strong adaptability: you learn to ski different snow in different places, and you learn to treat limited competition weekends as opportunities to test what’s stable rather than gamble on what’s brand new.

His competition footprint—multiple trips to Vassfjellet plus appearances at Myrkdalen—reflects that Norwegian domestic circuit reality. These are not “one mountain, one park” seasons. They are travel seasons, where athletes must arrive, learn the build quickly, and execute with minimal warm-up time. That environment can be a powerful teacher, especially for slopestyle where speed and rhythm are everything.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Stien’s publicly available FIS biography does not list skis, boots, or other equipment partners, so it would be misleading to assign a sponsor roster. Still, his discipline and result history make the functional equipment needs clear. Slopestyle demands a durable twin-tip setup that feels balanced in both directions for switch takeoffs and landings, and that holds up to repeated rail impacts and hard jump landings. For developing athletes, reliability matters more than novelty: a consistent feel helps build muscle memory, and muscle memory is what makes a contest run repeatable.

For progressing skiers watching his stage of development, the takeaway is simple: choose gear that removes surprises. Prioritize boot fit, keep bases fast enough that your speed is predictable, and maintain edges so you can trust takeoffs without getting “hooky” on rails. When the goal is putting down a complete slopestyle run, consistency is the real performance upgrade.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Isak Lorenzo Hammer Stien is the kind of athlete that dedicated freeski fans often appreciate most: a real competitor in the Norwegian slopestyle system whose story is still being written. His record shows repeated appearances at Vassfjellet and starts at Myrkdalen, plus domestic NOR Freeski Cup results that include a notable junior top-10 (7th) at Vassfjellet in 2023 and a senior-category appearance at Vassfjellet in 2024. Those are credible building blocks for a skier moving through the pathway years.

For progressing skiers, he’s also a reminder of what the slopestyle grind looks like in reality. Development is not a straight line. It’s a sequence of travel weekends, imperfect runs, and small improvements in execution that eventually add up. If you watch an athlete like Stien with the right lens—run quality, flow, and repeatability—you learn to evaluate freeski the way the sport actually rewards it, not just the way highlight clips suggest.

Profile and significance

Matěj Švancer is a Czech-born, Austrian-representing freestyle skier who has rapidly established himself as one of the most complete and dangerous athletes in slopestyle and big air. Born March 26, 2004 in Prague and based at SC Kaprun in Austria, he burst from junior dominance into elite status in just a few seasons—capturing his first World Cup win in October 2021 at the Big Air in Chur and eventually earning the overall Crystal Globe for the Freeski Park & Pipe category in the 2024-25 season. His mix of amplitude, trick innovation, and execution excellence positions him as a generational athlete and a key figure for media, fans and aspiring skiers alike.

Competitive arc and key venues

Švancer’s rise is steep but structured. After early success in junior events—including gold at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Big Air and dual junior world titles in 2021 in Slopestyle and Big Air—he entered the senior World Cup circuit in 2019 and quickly escalated. He began winning major events in the 2021-22 season with back-to-back Big Air World Cup victories in Chur and Steamboat Springs. He represented Austria at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, placing 8th in slopestyle. In the 2024-25 season he captured his first Slopestyle World Cup victory in Stoneham, Canada, and dominated the Park & Pipe overall ranking after wins in Chur (Big Air), Aspen (Big Air) and Stoneham (Slopestyle). Venues that define him include Chur (Switzerland) for Big Air standardization, Aspen Buttermilk (USA) for contest pressure, Stoneham (Canada) for the rise of North American Slopestyle circuits, and Kaprun (Austria) for his training environment.

How they ski: what to watch for

Švancer skis with a tall, composed take-in, minimal upper-body noise, and an uncanny ability to land high-degree spins with smooth axis control and grab clarity. In Big Air sessions he has pushed trick boundaries, notably landing a nose-butter triple-cork 1980 safety in Steamboat Springs—an execution-driven trick that earned his win and signalled his readiness for elite status. He executes switch and natural spin families both ways, mirrors left/right hits fluidly and constructs runs that balance amplitude with grab integrity rather than relying solely on rotation count. On slopestyle courses he is equally comfortable; he links rails, jumps and features with speed, technique and composure so the final booter feels like a natural continuation rather than a standalone spectacle.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Švancer’s competitive consistency amid rapid progression speaks to resilience: transitioning from junior to elite level without the typical dip, navigating judging evolutions and feature-changes while still raising the bar on trick difficulty and style. He has steadily built a brand via projections (his athlete profile is featured on Red Bull) and sponsors such as Faction (skis) and Red Bull, increasing his influence among emerging riders. His combination of results and style makes him a template for how to ski at the highest level today—where execution and innovation matter almost equally.

Geography that built the toolkit

Though born in Prague, Švancer relocated to Kaprun, Austria, at about age ten, integrating into a high-performance winter sports environment and attending a sports-gymnasium in Saalfelden. That base provided access to groomed jump lines, rail terrain and high-altitude repetition—essential to his trick mechanics. European appearances at Chur and Kreischberg sharpened his adaptation to differing light, snow and wind. North American events in Steamboat Springs and Aspen added contest volume, large scaffold features and media exposure. The blend of early repetition at Kaprun, European technical venues and global contest stages underpins his full-toolkit readiness.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Švancer is supported by a gear and partner roster that aligns with his demands: he is listed on the Faction Skis team, riding park/big air models designed for pop and durability, and backed by Red Bull among other sponsors. For progressing skiers, the lesson is to match gear with target features: choose a dedicated park-/big-air ski with predictable pop, mount near center for switch balance, and bind it to absorb high-amplitude landings without chatter. Off-hill, emphasize training terrain with repeatable features, seasonally both in Europe and North America if possible, chase amplitude and build both-way trick literacy—and don’t neglect grab execution just because you can spin high.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Švancer matters because he is not just winning—he is redefining how modern freeski slopestyle and big air are ridden. Fans can expect signature runs with high-amplitude jumps, inventive grabs and mirrored spin sequences executed with composure under pressure. Progressing skiers should study his run construction, late spin initiation and how he builds up to the final hit with momentum and control. His ascent also highlights a reality: in today’s environment you need all-round competence (rails, jumps, switching directions) plus trick innovation—and Švancer embodies that blend. Whether watching the World Cup livestream or studying footage for technique, he is a reference figure for the next era of freeski performance.