CATPISS

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

Édouard “Edjoy” Therriault is a Canadian freeski original from Lorraine, Québec, born in 2003, whose blend of creativity and big-ticket execution made him a fixture on World Cup broadcasts and a cult favorite in modern park skiing. After grabbing global attention with big air silver at the 2021 World Championships in Aspen, he added World Cup podiums in both slopestyle and big air, a start at the Olympic Winter Games, and multiple appearances at the X Games. In June 2025, still only 22, he announced he was stepping away from the World Cup start gate to pursue film-forward, art-driven skiing—leaning into the same “frequenski” ethos that has always set him apart. His partners mirror that identity: he rides for Atomic and pours creative energy into projects with Monster Energy, streetwear collective Capeesh Supply, and Québec core retailer D-Structure.

Therriault’s nickname hints at the program. “Edjoy” is both a persona and an instruction: make skiing read like live music. The approach shows up in trick selection, in how he punctuates lines, and in edits that mix painting, filming, and sound design. He is a true crossover—contest-tested yet unmistakably an artist on skis—whose output resonates with park skiers, judges, and casual viewers in equal measure.

Competitive arc and key venues

The progression beats are clear. In 2019 he won junior world slopestyle gold at Sweden’s Kläppen, a venue renowned for shaping world-class park skiers. Two seasons later, at Aspen’s Buttermilk, he landed a clutch final-run switch double bio 1800 to claim silver at the FIS World Championships—Canada’s best big air result at that level at the time. He followed with a first World Cup podium in slopestyle at Font-Romeu in January 2022 and then a big air silver on the stadium jump at Beijing’s Shougang Park in December 2023. Along the way he earned starts at the X Games in Aspen, a setting that rewards both amplitude and personality.

These sites are more than pins on a map. Kläppen compresses decision-making into clean rail work and measured jump speed. Buttermilk demands multi-feature flow under cameras and crowds. Font-Romeu’s Pyrenean light and rhythm emphasize landings that preserve speed. Shougang’s permanent city big air, framed by repurposed steelworks, tests commitment under pressure. As he transitions from tour stops to film missions, expect those habits to translate: precise approaches, trick variety with purpose, and outruns that stay quiet without showy recoveries.

How they ski: what to watch for

Edjoy’s trademark is timing. He commits to grabs early—safety, tail, or blunt to taste—and holds them long enough to calm the axis and keep the shoulders stacked. It’s why his spins, even at 18 and 19 rotations, read as deliberate rather than frantic. Switch entries arrive with proper drift control, not skid; takeoffs are tall and patient; landings finish over the feet with speed intact. On rails he prefers decisive lock-ins and exits that protect line momentum. Nothing feels accidental, yet nothing feels over-coached—the rare balance of skate-inspired looseness and contest-grade precision.

When evaluating a Therriault lap, look for spacing. He leaves room between moves so each trick sets up the next one. Look also at how the grab choice stabilizes the spin instead of decorating it; that discipline keeps axes clean even when the rotation count climbs. The effect is skiing that plays beautifully at normal speed and rewards frame-by-frame rewatching.

Resilience, filming, and influence

World-level highs came early, but the story since 2024 has been autonomy. Injury spells and the grind of qualification reshaped his priorities, culminating in a 2025 decision to step away from World Cup big air and slopestyle. Rather than soft-pedaling, he redirected the same intensity toward projects that merge street features, backcountry booters, and visual art. The result is a rider who still treats difficulty as a canvas, just without the clock. Because he communicates his process—why a certain grab choice steadies a bio axis, how to build speed into short landings—his clips double as teaching material. Younger skiers imitate his patience into lips and his habit of finishing tricks early enough to ride away with composure.

Influence also comes from tone. Edjoy champions style as substance, not garnish. The mantra—be your own jazz—encourages skiers to choose tricks that suit the venue, then execute them with rhythm, not panic. That perspective travels well, whether the setting is an urban kink in Montréal, a spring line on Whistler’s public park, or a single-hit stadium jump.

Geography that built the toolkit

Therriault grew up lapping the Laurentians at Tremblant, where cold Quebec nights and compact snow teach honest edge angles and measured speed checks. As his calendar expanded, the places became teachers: junior world gold at Kläppen reinforced variety and flow; Worlds silver at Buttermilk validated composure on camera; a first World Cup slopestyle podium at Font-Romeu rewarded terrain-reading in variable light; big air silver at Shougang Park proved he could deliver under stadium pressure. Those venues—and the communities surrounding them—explain why his skiing feels centered no matter the build.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Edjoy’s current hardware is straightforward and functional. With Atomic he uses park-capable platforms built for pop and predictable swing weight, ideal for early-grab, measured-spin skiing. Energy and production backing from Monster Energy keeps the cameras rolling when a project needs multiple build days. Apparel from Capeesh Supply and shop support via D-Structure tie him to the creative, rider-run side of the sport.

For skiers trying to borrow from his playbook, the actionable notes are simple. Choose a symmetrical or near-symmetrical park ski and mount so butters and presses feel natural without sacrificing stability on takeoff. Keep edges sharp enough to hold on steel but soften contact points to avoid surprise bites. Pick goggle lenses that preserve contrast at dusk, typical of evening sessions at city-style venues like Chur and in flat light common to alpine bowls. Most importantly, treat the grab as a control input: locking it early stabilizes the axis and keeps landings clean.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Édouard Therriault matters because he reconciles freeskiing’s two big impulses—art and sport—without diluting either. He owns a world championship medal, World Cup podiums, and Olympic and X Games credentials, yet he’s equally committed to film segments that advance style, sound, and story. The skiing itself is readable at full speed, the choices are intentional, and the execution holds up under the brightest lights. Whether you watch for slopestyle craft, big air nerve, or the next wave of street-influenced edits, Edjoy offers a blueprint: creativity first, mechanics tight, momentum preserved. That combination is why he sits near the center of freeski culture even as he steps away from ranking points and leans harder into the work that made his name.

Profile and significance

Ferdinand “Ferdi” Dahl is a Norwegian freeski original whose blend of contest pedigree and culture-building has made him one of the most influential park and street skiers of his generation. Born in 1998 and raised around Oslo, he broke through on the biggest stages with multiple medals at the X Games—slopestyle bronze in 2019, slopestyle silver in 2021, and slopestyle bronze again in 2023—while stacking nine FIS World Cup podiums and two Olympic appearances, including an eighth place in slopestyle at PyeongChang 2018. Those results alone would secure his status. But Dahl’s impact extends further: he co-founded the rider-led Jib League series that reframed what a freeski “contest” could be, and he channels his design sensibility into the apparel label Capeesh Supply. The result is a rare dual footprint—elite competitor and thoughtful scene shaper—whose skiing reads clearly at full speed and whose projects elevate the wider culture.

Today, Dahl’s priorities span performance and stewardship. You’ll still see him under stadium lights at Buttermilk in Aspen during X Games week or dropping mid-winter edits from Europe and North America. You’ll also see him building spaces for others to shine, whether that’s hosting a jam-style Jib League stop with fellow founders James “Woodsy” Woods and Øystein Bråten, or releasing small-batch garments that carry Capeesh’s playful, skaterly aesthetic. He skis for Vishnu Freeski and rides with Monster Energy, a sponsor mix that mirrors his commitment to rider-run creativity and broadcast-level execution.

Competitive arc and key venues

Dahl’s contest résumé maps the modern freeski ladder. Early Europa Cup and World Cup starts led to a breakout Olympic debut at the PyeongChang 2018 Games, staged at Korea’s Phoenix Park, where he placed eighth in men’s slopestyle. World Cup consistency followed, culminating in nine podiums and back-to-back seasons ranked among the very best in slopestyle overall. In Aspen, the X Games medals arrived across four winters, validating a trick vocabulary and run composition that judges reward and fans replay.

Venue context explains why his skiing travels so well. Buttermilk rewards multi-feature flow and line design under heavy camera pressure; Phoenix Park’s Olympic stage compresses everything into immaculate takeoffs and unforgiving landings; Austria’s in-city Nordkette Skyline Park demands cadence on dense rail panels; Sweden’s Kläppen serves long spring laps where measured speed and early commitments separate a good run from a great one. As Dahl pivoted some focus toward film and rider-led events, he didn’t abandon competition; he reframed it. Jib League’s jam format—skier voting, style-forward criteria—moved the needle while keeping the difficulty and clarity that defined his World Cup and X Games success.

How they ski: what to watch for

Dahl’s skiing is a case study in readable difficulty. On rails, approaches are squared early, body position stays stacked, and lock-ins look decisive rather than dramatic. Surface swaps resolve cleanly; presses have shape instead of wobble; exits protect momentum into the next setup. On jumps, he favors measured spin speed and deep, functional grabs—safety, tail, or blunt held long enough to stabilize the axis. That early grab timing keeps shoulders quiet and landings centered, so the outrun breathes instead of becoming a last-second save. Directional variety—forward and switch, left and right—shows up without breaking cadence because every choice serves the line.

Two tells help you “read” a Dahl run in real time. First, spacing. He leaves room between moves, so each trick creates setup for the next one rather than stealing from it. Second, grab discipline. The hand finds the ski early and stays there long enough to influence rotation, not just decorate the frame. That’s why even his bigger spins look calm, and why editors can present his clips at normal speed without resorting to slow-motion rescue.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Longevity at the top level requires adaptation. After years of traveling the World Cup and major-event circuit, Dahl broadened his canvas: spring projects in the Alps, on-camera head-to-heads in SLVSH games, and the co-creation of Jib League with Woods and Bråten. The through-line is composure. Whether the setting is a single-hit scaffolding jump, a multi-feature slopestyle course, or a dense rail garden at Nordkette, he protects speed, commits to control inputs early, and finishes tricks with enough time to ride away clean. That reliability earns trust—from judges tallying slopestyle scores, from peers voting in jam formats, and from filmmakers who want clips that hold up after ten replays.

Influence shows up far beyond podium photos. Jib League’s format centers skiers as voters and storytellers, and its stops have become required viewing for anyone who cares how style and difficulty can coexist. Capeesh, meanwhile, exports the same ethos via apparel drops and creative videos—small teams, rider agency, humor intact. Add in years of high-profile clips and a deep library of World Cup runs archived at Olympics.com, and you have a body of work that doubles as instruction: honest speed, early commitments, centered landings.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place is the skeleton of Dahl’s skiing. Oslo’s compact hills and firm winter snow built edge honesty and quick decision-making; repeated laps discipline the feet and hands. The Alps supplied longer radii and faster in-runs, especially at Nordkette, where dense features reward timing and rail economy. Spring blocks at Kläppen layered in rhythm on creative setups and medium-to-large booters, and the annual pilgrimage to Buttermilk honed broadcast composure. On the Olympic stage at Phoenix Park, he proved those habits survive the brightest lights. Stitch those environments together and you get a toolkit that travels: protect momentum, manage spin speed with the grab, and keep the run’s shape intact from first rail to last landing.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Dahl’s current setup mirrors his philosophy. With Vishnu Freeski he rides a park-capable platform with balanced swing weight and reinforced edges that tolerate repeated rail contact without unpredictable flex. Energy and event support from Monster Energy keeps the spotlight on projects that showcase skier agency, while Capeesh Supply lets him translate taste into design. If you’re looking to borrow from his gear decisions, the lesson is category fit over model names: choose a symmetrical or near-symmetrical park ski, mount it so butters and presses feel natural without compromising takeoff stability, keep bases fast so cadence survives cold or salt, and tune edges to hold on steel yet soften contact points to avoid surprise bites on swaps. Equipment won’t replace timing, but the right platform makes good timing repeatable across long filming days and pressure-heavy finals.

Equally practical is how he structures a season. Early repetitions on consistent parks sharpen approach mechanics; jam-style events test composure under variable pace and crowd energy; and marquee weeks at places like Buttermilk demand the full package—rail clarity, directional variety on jumps, and airtight landings. That rhythm is a template ambitious riders can copy on the path from local edits to international relevance.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Ferdinand Dahl matters because he turns elite difficulty into clarity and then uses his platform to grow the culture around it. He owns multiple X Games medals, deep World Cup credentials, and Olympic finals experience, yet he’s just as committed to rider-run spaces like Jib League and to creative output through Capeesh. The skiing itself is easy to follow at normal speed because the mechanics are honest: early grab commitment, measured spin speed, and landings that preserve momentum for the next move. For viewers, that means segments worth replaying; for developing skiers, it offers a concrete checklist—square the approach, use the grab as a control input, finish the trick early, and let the line breathe. That combination of results, readability, and stewardship is why Ferdi sits at the center of freeski culture today, whether the backdrop is an Olympic venue, a televised course in Colorado, or a rail garden above Innsbruck.

Profile and significance

Hugo Burvall is a Swedish freeski athlete born on 19 April 1997, best known for his powerful big air skiing, creative slopestyle lines and crossover work as a filmer, musician and sound designer. Representing Sweden and the club Sundsvalls Slalomklubb, he has become one of the most distinctive all-round talents in modern freeskiing: an Olympian and multiple World Cup podium finisher who also appears in core street films and experimental projects from crews like The Bunch and Suéde. On snow he is a big-air specialist with an emphasis on long-held grabs, technical switch moves and strong competition composure; off snow he shapes the sound and feel of movies through music and sound design.

What sets Burvall apart is the way he bridges “official” freeskiing with its underground culture. He has stood on FIS World Cup big air podiums, finished a season ranked third overall in the World Cup big air standings, and represented Sweden at the Olympic Winter Games. At the same time, he is a regular at culture-defining events like Kimbo Sessions in the slushy paradise of Kläppen Snowpark and the rider-driven Jib League, and he contributes to films and brand projects not only as a skier, but also behind the scenes. That combination of contest credentials and creative depth makes him a key name for anyone following modern park, big air and street-influenced freeski.

Competitive arc and key venues

Burvall entered FIS competition in his mid-teens and made his Freestyle World Cup debut in January 2016 in Mammoth, California. His major breakthrough came the following season in big air. In November 2017 he landed on the podium at the World Cup big air stop in Milan, Italy, taking second place with a high-scoring switch double cork tail-grab combination. That result proved he could deliver on a big stage, and he backed it up later in the same 2017–2018 season with another second place at the big air World Cup in Quebec, Canada. With those two podiums he finished the season ranked third overall in the World Cup big air standings, a major achievement in one of freestyle skiing’s most competitive disciplines.

In the years that followed, Burvall became a mainstay on the international big air and slopestyle circuit. He routinely appeared in stacked start lists at venues like Chur’s city big air, Stubai’s glacier parks and other World Cup stops across Europe and North America. His career reached a new milestone in 2022 when he represented Sweden at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, competing in both men’s freeski big air and slopestyle. Results there show the reality of elite competition: he did not advance to finals, but his presence on the Olympic stage confirmed his status among the world’s best. In 2023 he added a strong World Championships performance, qualifying for and skiing in the slopestyle final in Bakuriani, Georgia, where he placed sixteenth. He also lined up in big air at those championships, further cementing his position as a dual-event threat.

How they ski: what to watch for

Burvall’s skiing is defined by a mix of power, control and playful detail. In big air, he is particularly known for tricks where the grab is not just an accessory but the centrepiece: locked-in tail grabs, tail-to-tail combos and variations where he holds the ski so long that it becomes the visual focus of the jump. Coverage from events like Big Air Chur has highlighted how narrowly missing a second grab can be the difference between a massive score and a modest one for him, because judges and fans now expect that extra technical layer in his tricks. Watching his runs, you’ll see how early he reaches for the ski, how long he keeps contact, and how cleanly he releases the grab into the landing.

On slopestyle courses and at sessions such as Kimbo Sessions in Sweden’s Kläppen Ski Resort, Burvall’s approach becomes even more creative. He often uses side hits, rollers and subtle transitions to create lines that differ from the standard contest routes, mixing technical rails with transfers, nose-butter entries and off-axis spins that read beautifully on camera. Instead of chasing the most rotations possible, he focuses on trick composition and flow: a well-timed switch 900 with a perfect tail grab and precise landing will often say more about his skiing than a rushed higher-spin trick would. For progressing riders, his style is a case study in how to combine difficulty with aesthetics.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Maintaining a presence in both the World Cup system and the film world demands resilience, and Burvall has shown plenty of it. Big air and slopestyle seasons are long, with constant travel and variable conditions, and World Cup big air venues like Milan or Quebec ask athletes to perform on scaffolding jumps in changing weather in front of large crowds. The mental resilience required to repeatedly climb those stairs and drop in with podium expectations is significant. Burvall’s ability to return year after year, adjusting to evolving trick standards while still prioritising style, is one reason he remains respected by peers and fans alike.

At the same time, he has invested deeply in filming and creative projects. He appears in The Bunch’s award-winning film “Many Fantasies Later” and in Suéde’s raw street-skiing film “Exciety Threshold,” which showcase the more experimental side of his skiing in urban and backcountry-adjacent environments. With Swiss brand Movement Skis, he’s part of movies like “Reflection,” an artistic project that blends park and freeride imagery. Beyond on-screen skiing, he has contributed sound design and music to projects such as Harlaut Apparel Co’s “It’s That,” and he has supported friends’ edits with his audio work. This dual role as skier and sound-designer reinforces his influence on how modern freeski films look and feel, not just on what tricks make the final cut.

Geography that built the toolkit

Burvall’s skiing is rooted in Sweden, and his geographic path has shaped his toolkit. Coming up with Sundsvalls Slalomklubb in northern Sweden gave him a foundation on relatively modest hills, where repetition, icy nights and compact parks train precise edge control and strong basics. As his career progressed, he spent more time in southern Swedish parks like Kläppen Snowpark—home of the now-legendary Kimbo Sessions—and in other European resorts that prioritise park design. These environments reward skiers who can spot creative lines, adjust to ever-changing features and make the most of slushy spring conditions.

International competition has taken him far beyond Sweden. Big air World Cups in urban venues like Milan, city events in places such as Chur, and major contests in North America and Asia forced him to adapt to different jump shapes, snow textures and atmospheres. World Championship events in Georgia’s mountainous Bakuriani region and Olympic starts in China added altitude, travel and global media attention to the mix. All of this has produced an athlete who is comfortable moving from a carefully shaped park jump to a less forgiving city big-air setup or a creative session at a rider-driven event like Jib League at resorts such as Sugar Bowl Resort.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

On the equipment front, Burvall spent years riding for K2 before signing with Swiss manufacturer Movement Skis. In interviews he has explained that the move was driven by a desire for a closer, more collaborative relationship with a brand where he could help shape graphics, projects and long-term direction. He now rides Movement’s FLY series—most often the FLY 95 in contests, with wider variants like the FLY 105 for more buttery, playful skiing. These skis are designed to balance quick edge-to-edge response for big air and slopestyle with enough surface area and flex to feel lively on softer snow and in creative terrain.

For skiers looking to draw lessons from his setup, the key takeaway is that equipment should match both your discipline and your personality. A responsive twin-tip ski with a medium-stiff flex, mounted centrally and paired with trustworthy bindings, will support serious park and big-air progression. But Burvall’s story also highlights the value of working with brands that support your broader vision—whether that means contributing ideas to ski design, taking part in film projects, or helping to shape a brand’s creative output. Boots, outerwear and protective gear that let you move freely and handle heavy impacts round out the package, but his career suggests that the relationship with your tools and sponsors can be as important as the hardware itself.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Hugo Burvall because he represents a complete, modern vision of a freeski athlete. He has the numbers—World Cup podiums, a top-three overall big air ranking in a World Cup season, Olympic starts and World Championship finals—but he also has the cultural footprint: appearances in influential films, a presence at core events like Kimbo Sessions, and a growing catalogue of music and sound work that shapes how freeskiing is experienced on screen. For dedicated followers of park, big air and street-style skiing, he is a rider who has earned credibility both in FIS bibs and in hoodie-and-beanie film segments.

For progressing skiers, Burvall’s journey offers a powerful blueprint. He shows that it is possible to pursue contest success without sacrificing individuality, and that you can contribute to the sport in more ways than just landing tricks—through filmmaking, music, event formats and brand collaborations. Watching his runs and edits, aspiring riders can study how he uses grabs, speed management and line choice to make difficult tricks look effortless, and how he stays true to a style-first philosophy even as the technical bar rises. In an era where freeskiing is pulled between mainstream visibility and underground roots, Hugo Burvall stands as one of the athletes successfully connecting those worlds.

Profile and significance

Jackson “Tito” Jenkins is a Utah-born freeski athlete and street-focused park skier whose name has been circulating in core ski circles since he was a kid. Raised around the Wasatch and now based in the Park City zone, he built a reputation early as a fearless jibber with a raw, DIY attitude, the kind of skier who would show up in broken boots and nearly edgeless skis and still look comfortable on handrails and kinked features. Today he is best known as part of the new-wave jib generation connected with the Capeesh crew, a finalist for Level 1’s SuperUnknown 21, and an athlete riding custom boots with DaleBoot. His path is defined less by traditional contest circuits and more by films, crew edits and an unwavering focus on rail and street skiing progression.

Jenkins has grown from a local “kid who slays” on community forums into a fixture in some of the most talked-about contemporary jib projects. His name shows up in rider lists for independent films and crew edits, from spring park movies to grittier urban-style projects, and he sits in that sweet spot where insiders know exactly who he is while the broader freeski audience is just starting to catch on. For ski fans who care about creative rails, inventive spots and the culture around modern jib skiing, he is one of the young names to watch.

Competitive arc and key venues

Jenkins’ story starts in the local-contest trenches. As a pre-teen he was already turning heads at grassroots events along the Wasatch Front, including a second-place finish at the 2013 SLUG Games “Winter Wizardry” park contest at Brighton Resort, a classic Utah rail-jam style event. Around the same time, discussions on core freeski forums highlighted him as an 11-year-old from Ogden charging rails and jumps with a level of comfort far beyond his age, hinting at a trajectory that could stretch well into his twenties if he stayed healthy and motivated.

Instead of moving into structured slopestyle World Cup programs, Jenkins leaned further into the film and crew environment. That decision paid off in 2024 when he was selected as a finalist for Level 1’s SuperUnknown 21, held at Mammoth Mountain, a proving ground where the global jib community watches very closely to see who will define the next wave. Around the same period, he appeared in “GUNS FOR HIRE”, a spring film shot at Brighton Resort, Park City Mountain and Alta Ski Area, and joined the Capeesh crew on projects that included summer sessions at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood and the multi-year Schøneben project leading into Ethan Cook’s film “Catpiss”. These venues—Brighton’s dense parks, Park City’s lines, Alta’s side-hits and Hood’s summer glaciers—form the backbone of his competitive and creative development.

How they ski: what to watch for

Jenkins’ skiing is built around a strong jib toolkit and an eye for lines that feel satisfying to watch on repeat. On rails he favours technicality delivered with calm body language rather than flailing to force tricks around. Expect to see him lock into kinks with solid edge control, hold presses longer than seems comfortable and link multiple swaps and direction changes while still exiting clean and fast. His consistency on metal allows him to experiment with unusual features—short down rails into walls, close-out options, transfers between parallel rails and improvised setups that appear only once in a spot.

On jumps, his trick selection sits firmly in the modern jib canon: spins with authority but not gratuitous spin count, grabs that are clearly visible and often tweaked, and a tendency to treat takeoffs as a canvas for creativity. Side-hits, rollers and quarterpipe-style transitions bring out some of his most characteristic movements, from nose-butter entries into spins to subtle body rotations that let him land looking relaxed instead of rushed. For viewers watching his clips from SuperUnknown, Capeesh edits or Utah park projects, the details worth studying are how early he sets his spin, how quietly his upper body behaves on rails and the way he carries speed from one feature to the next.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Part of Jenkins’ lore comes from his early years skiing on gear that most riders would consider unworkable—stories circulate of him lacing broken Raichle boots together and riding skis with almost no edges left, still finding ways to attack rails with confidence. That rough-around-the-edges phase forged a resilience that shows up in his current work: he is comfortable putting in long days on park laps, street sessions and travel days, knowing that the final film segment will only include a fraction of the attempts and hours invested.

His progression into films like “GUNS FOR HIRE” and his presence in Capeesh projects, including the Schøneben edit and the forthcoming “Catpiss” movie tour, place him inside a creative ecosystem where riders, filmers and designers are constantly pushing each other. These projects reach audiences through premiere tours in cities like Salt Lake City, Montreal, Copenhagen and Innsbruck, and through digital releases that circulate widely among core freeski fans. Jenkins’ role in these crews is not just about tricks; it is about contributing a consistent, recognisable flavour of skiing that elevates the whole project and inspires younger park skiers who see a path from local edits to international film credits.

Geography that built the toolkit

Growing up in northern Utah with a hometown connection to Ogden and a riding base around Park City and the Cottonwood canyons has given Jenkins a powerful geographic advantage. The daily cycle of lapping Brighton Resort, sessioning parks at Park City Mountain and exploring natural jibs and side-hits around Alta Ski Area creates an environment where creativity is almost unavoidable. Short, feature-dense laps and big winter snow totals mean he can try tricks repeatedly in a single day and experiment with new lines whenever storm cycles reshape the terrain.

Summer extends the toolkit. At Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood he joins the migration of park skiers who live on salted lanes and glacier-side rope tows, stacking film clips when most resorts are long closed. Internationally, his involvement with Capeesh takes him to European locations such as Schøneben, where the crew is known for turning everything—from lift infrastructure to parking-lot features—into a potential spot. The result is a rider who is comfortable whether the feature is a perfectly cut park rail, a sketchy stair set in town or a snow-starved early-season setup built by friends.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Equipment-wise, one of the most distinctive relationships in Jenkins’ setup is his connection with DaleBoot, a company specialising in fully custom ski boots. Custom-fitted shells and liners are a significant upgrade from the improvised gear of his early days, giving him the foot hold and flex pattern necessary to land big rail tricks, gap onto features and absorb heavy impacts without sacrificing comfort. For jib-focused skiers, that choice underlines how crucial boot fit is for control on metal and hardpack takeoffs.

On the softgoods and vibe side, he appears regularly with the Capeesh crew, whose fashion-house approach to outerwear and streetwear matches the aesthetic of their skiing. While not every viewer will want or need that exact kit, the takeaway is that gear should support how you ski and how you move through the park: durable pants and jackets that survive close contact with rails, gloves and helmets that can handle repeated impacts, and skis that balance flex for presses with enough backbone for bigger features. Jenkins’ evolution from taped-together boots to tailored equipment illustrates how smart gear choices can unlock more ambitious projects without compromising style.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Jackson “Tito” Jenkins because he represents a pure expression of the jib-scene dream: a kid from Utah who grew up lapping local parks, earning respect in small grassroots contests and internet edits, and then parlaying that dedication into spots in respected films and a SuperUnknown final. His skiing speaks directly to park rats and aspiring street skiers who want to see tricks and spots that feel attainable with hard work rather than just circus-level rotations on the biggest jumps in the world.

For progressing skiers, his career path offers a realistic blueprint. You do not need a national-team pipeline or a perfect training centre to matter in freeski culture; you need creativity, time on snow, a crew that pushes you and the willingness to build your own features when necessary. Watching Jenkins in Utah parks, on Mt. Hood glaciers or in Capeesh’s European segments, it is clear that his influence comes from the lines he chooses and the way he skis them, not just the trick list. That combination of authenticity, resilience and steadily rising profile is exactly why he deserves a place on the radar of anyone who loves modern freeskiing, especially on the park, rail and street side of the sport.

Profile and significance

Jackson “Wacko” Wells is a New Zealand freeski original whose imprint sits at the junction of contest progression and film-first creativity. The youngest of the Wells brothers, he emerged from Wānaka with a style-forward approach to slopestyle and big air, and a knack for doing famous tricks in unfamiliar ways. His headline breakthrough arrived in 2016 at Cardrona Alpine Resort, where he used a net landing to safely push airtime and execute what was widely recognized at the time as the first quad cork landed on skis. Two years later he represented New Zealand in slopestyle at the Olympic Winter Games, underlining that the athlete who could light up a private session could also perform on the sport’s biggest stage. While injuries and selective scheduling have kept him from stacking the volume of World Cup podiums earned by some peers, his cultural impact is disproportionate to his medal count, thanks to distinctive edits, the annual scene around the Jossi Wells Invitational, and a personality that treats freeskiing as both sport and art.

Wells’s portfolio spans youth-game credentials, an Olympic start, southern hemisphere wins, and a sustained presence in high-visibility sessions. His post-2020 return to more targeted appearances—often at Cardrona and during the spring filming window—has helped preserve quality and novelty. The result is a skier who matters not only for what he lands, but for how he frames modern freeskiing to fans and up-and-coming riders.

Competitive arc and key venues

Wells moved through the New Zealand pathway quickly, first flashing potential at the Winter Youth Olympic Games before stepping into senior World Cups and major invites. He started in slopestyle at PyeongChang 2018, experience that sharpened his ability to build runs under pressure and read judging trends. In the southern hemisphere, he has logged wins and podiums on Australia New Zealand Cup stops, including big air success during the Perisher swing, which has long served as a proving ground for Kiwi and Aussie park skiers. Perisher’s engineered jump lines and consistent winter schedule reward riders with precise speed control and confident switch takeoffs, an environment that suits Wells’s approach and timing. When spring turns to the invitational season at the Jossi Wells Invitational, he often shifts from score-chasing to moment-making, prioritizing peer-judged sessions that celebrate style and invention.

Cardrona remains the spiritual center of his skiing. The resort’s progressive park program, long jump lanes, and supportive event ecosystem have allowed Wells to iterate on trick families safely across years. The Wānaka basin more broadly has provided an ideal mix of consistent park builds, film crews, and a creative roster of visiting pros, keeping Wells at the middle of a tight feedback loop between new ideas and polished execution.

How they ski: what to watch for

Wells skis with a relaxed upper body, a tall approach, and late commitment to axis—hallmarks that make his big spins read clean rather than hectic. He often separates the impulse to spin from the impulse to grab, waiting a fraction longer than most before locking in a seatbelt safety or tweaking a safety into a different silhouette mid-flight. On rails he favors linkable lines with understated but technical step-ups, spinning both on and off without telegraphing, and riding landings deep to preserve speed. Switch entries are a specialty: he regulates approach speed with tiny feathered edge sets, then releases into rotation without visible rush. The net effect is control—he looks like he has extra time in the air, even when the rotation count says otherwise.

Run assembly is deliberate. Wells likes to balance trick families, mirroring spin direction, and building difficulty across a run so the final jump lands both technically and dramatically. In big air sessions, where everyone is chasing similar rotation counts, his differentiation comes from axis nuance and grab integrity, not just degrees of spin. If you’re watching closely, look for the clean takeoff posture, the minimal flap of arms mid-spin, and grabs held long enough to alter the trick’s silhouette for judges and cameras.

Resilience, filming, and influence

The 2016 Cardrona quad-cork moment gave Wells enduring name recognition, but his influence relies just as much on how he’s shown up since. He has leaned into projects that foreground style and location—short films from Wānaka’s parks and spring sessions that value feeling over formula. In peer-judged formats, he tends to prioritize unique trick construction over one-off difficulty spikes, contributing to a culture that rewards originality as much as raw spin.

Injury management and selective scheduling have become part of the story. By choosing windows that matter—southern winter contests that feed directly into content weeks at Cardrona and Treble Cone, or targeted appearances with a tight film crew—Wells has kept freshness in his output. That approach resonates with skiers who measure success by influence and permanence, not just hardware.

Geography that built the toolkit

Wānaka’s terrain and community shaped Wells’s skiing. The town’s proximity to Cardrona and Treble Cone means plentiful days on consistent park builds in winter and playful natural features in spring. Those ingredients—repetition and variety—produce the calm timing and edge control visible in his jumping. Trips across the Tasman to Perisher added a different flavor: longer seasonal lift hours, big standardized jumps, and a scene that encourages high-volume sessioning. The combination explains Wells’s ability to make very large tricks look unforced; he has read and re-read similar features across dozens of cycles. When he returns from the northern winter, the Cardrona ecosystem is waiting, complete with visiting pros, the invitational week, and a camera culture that captures progression cleanly.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Wells rides with support from Monster Energy, a partnership visible at invitational weeks and park sessions alike. On-snow, his setups trend toward symmetrical mounts and medium-stiff flex profiles that balance rail precision with jump stability. For progressing skiers, the lesson isn’t a single model so much as a philosophy: pick a park ski with predictable pop and durable edges, mount near center if you value switch takeoffs and mirrored spins, and pair it with a binding philosophy that tolerates cross-loaded landings. Keep outerwear light and unrestricted, and treat boots as the true steering component—fit beats any spec sheet.

Venue choice is also a piece of the equipment puzzle. Cardrona’s lengthy in-runs and Perisher’s standardized big-air builds let Wells refine speed control and axis timing; finding your local equivalents—features that repeat week after week—will accelerate your own progression.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Jackson Wells embodies a branch of freeskiing where invention and execution share top billing. He is an Olympian, a southern hemisphere winner, and the rider behind one of the sport’s most-watched progression clips. More importantly, he continues to model a sustainable, creative career: make the trick feel inevitable, value style as much as spin, and choose sessions that sharpen both. For fans, that means you’re likely to see something memorable when he drops at Cardrona or lines up a Perisher big-air session. For skiers, it’s a template—build timing on reliable features, commit to clean grabs, mirror your spin directions, and let your style choices turn difficulty into distinctiveness.

Profile and significance

Joona Kangas is one of the clearest examples of how modern freeskiing can blend contest success with a deep film and street pedigree. Born in 1997 and raised in Finland, he came up through local hills like Himos before settling in Lapland and riding for Levi Ski Club. That northern upbringing, with long winters and floodlit parks, shaped a skier who would go on to win the 2014 FIS Freestyle Junior World Championships in men’s slopestyle and later represent Finland at the 2018 Winter Olympics. For many fans, though, his legacy is just as tied to the gritty, DIY style of the Keesh collective and a steady stream of influential video parts.

Within the freeski community, Kangas is regarded as a style leader rather than a numbers-only contest machine. His best competition years overlapped with his rise online: SLVSH games, Keeshlife edits, and later full parts like “Land of the Darker Sun” turned him into a reference point for skiers looking for a loose, creative but highly controlled approach. That combination of technical depth and effortless-looking flow keeps his clips circulating on social feeds long after individual contest results fade from memory.

Today, Kangas balances life as a professional skier with business studies, using his time at Häme University of Applied Sciences to build skills that support his career off the hill. Supported by multiple international sponsors and still active at the top level of freestyle, he has shifted toward “skiing on his own terms”—fewer World Cup starts, more filming, more invitational events, and more influence on how freeski style evolves.

Competitive arc and key venues

Kangas’ competitive arc moved fast. After dominating junior ranks in Finland, he broke through internationally by winning the 2014 Junior World Championship slopestyle title in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy. That result announced him as one of the strongest young riders in Europe, especially impressive given that it came in only his first handful of FIS events. It also set up his move onto the World Cup circuit, where he began to test his rail-dominant, creative approach against the best in the world.

On the FIS World Cup tour he stacked a series of strong showings in slopestyle and big air. Key highlights include a seventh place in slopestyle at Seiser Alm, Italy, and a ninth place in slopestyle at Quebec City, Canada, in 2017—both results that put him within touching distance of the podium at fully stacked events. An eleventh-place finish at Snowmass, USA, early in the 2017–18 season confirmed that his run construction could earn serious scores when he held it together top to bottom. Those results, combined with his world junior title, were enough to secure Olympic selection.

At the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, Kangas was the only male slopestyle skier representing Finland. The course favored big, risky rail approaches and heavy trick density—conditions that matched his strengths on paper—but he was unable to land the full package in qualification and finished outside the final. Even so, his presence at the Games, backed by his World Cup top-10s, cemented his status as a world-level athlete before he chose to step away from full-time FIS competition in 2019.

Since then, “events” for Kangas have meant another kind of stage. You are more likely to see him at Jib League stops, SuperUnknown sessions, or invited shootings in parks like Kläppen than at a standard open field World Cup. A 2025 profile from Häme University of Applied Sciences highlighted that he was named best male skier at a SuperUnknown gathering in California, underlining that his peers still view him as one of the sport’s most complete riders even outside the conventional ranking system.

How they ski: what to watch for

Kangas’ skiing is built around three pillars: powerful rail precision, relaxed airtime, and a constant search for slightly different takeoffs and landings. On rails, he is known for centered, locked-on slides and presses that look casual but leave no margin for error. Watch how he uses surface swaps, quick direction changes and subtle nose or tail pressure to create lines that zigzag across an entire rail section instead of simply ticking off one feature at a time.

On jumps, the same attitude shows up as smooth, fully held grabs and spin directions that avoid the obvious choice. Switch takeoffs, off-axis rotations and late tweaks are common in his clips, but they rarely feel forced. Instead, he rides with a medium-high speed and lets the trick unfold slowly in the air, often holding a grab from the lip almost all the way to the landing. That timing, combined with soft, controlled landings, is a big part of why fellow skiers talk about his “feel” for snow as much as his trick list.

Street and backcountry shots reveal another dimension: Kangas is comfortable adapting his park skill set to handrails, wallrides and natural trannies. In these settings he often adds small but memorable details—ollies into kinks, nose-butter entries onto natural rolls, or little drifted pivots on the way out of a pillow line—that reward slow-motion rewatching as much as first impressions.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Choosing to step away from the structured life of the Finnish national team after years of investment took both courage and clarity. Kangas has described the 2012–2019 national-team period, which included Junior Worlds gold and an Olympic start, as a crucial education—but he also wanted more creative control over his skiing. Since that transition he has built a career around projects that reflect his own taste: smaller crews, longer stays in one zone, and an emphasis on filming rather than chasing ranking points.

“Land of the Darker Sun,” released in 2021, is one of the cleanest windows into this phase. Shot in Finnish Lapland, the Swiss Alps and Riksgränsen in Sweden, the short film strings together street, backcountry and resort features into a cohesive portrait of how he likes to ski when there is no start gate involved. Later appearances in Keesh full movies and in K2 team projects like “Rikka,” filmed in Tokyo and Hokkaido, pushed his profile beyond the core freeski audience and underlined his value as a film skier capable of holding down full segments, not just one-off shots.

That filming focus has also made him influential as a stylist. Younger Finnish riders and international park skiers study his Keesh and K2 segments not only for the tricks, but for choices of speed, body position, and how he uses terrain that other people might ignore. In an era when many contest runs look similar, Kangas has become an example of how to keep freeskiing’s improvisational, playful roots alive even at a very high technical level.

Geography that built the toolkit

Kangas’ skiing is inseparable from the places that shaped him. Early days at Himos and other central Finnish resorts introduced him to park skiing on compact, efficient hills where creativity matters more than vertical drop. A family move north brought him to Levi Ski Resort, inside the Arctic Circle, where he still calls home. Long winters, floodlit slopes and the repetition of lapping the same lines night after night helped him develop the consistency you see in his competition runs and film segments.

From there his circle of “home” hills expanded: Finnish resorts like Sappee hosted national-level slopestyle events he won in his youth, while European venues such as Font Romeu, Seiser Alm and Silvaplana became regular stops during his World Cup years. Backcountry trips to Lapland and heli or touring days in the high Alps introduced him to bigger terrain, which now features heavily in his film parts. More recently, projects like “Rikka” have taken him to the deep snow and compact lift-served zones of Hokkaido as well as urban backdrops in Tokyo, further rounding out the environments where his skiing feels at home.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

For viewers who also ski, Kangas’ choice of equipment offers useful cues. As a long-time athlete for K2 Skis, he rides playful, freestyle-oriented skis with enough width to feel comfortable both in parks and in softer snow. Paired with bindings from Marker, his setups are built to handle heavy rail impacts, side hits, and bigger step-down jumps. Soft but supportive boots and a progressive mounting point help explain why his switch landings and butters look so natural even on variable landings.

Outerwear and streetwear from Capeesh Supply reflects the same aesthetic as his skiing: relaxed, functional, and clearly rooted in skate and street culture. While individual gear choices will depend on a skier’s local conditions, riders looking to emulate Kangas’ feel should pay attention to how his setup supports both rail precision and all-mountain versatility. The balance he strikes—park-capable but still reliable for backcountry jumps and natural features—shows in how confidently he moves between urban spots, resort laps and powder.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

For casual viewers, Joona Kangas is simply enjoyable to watch: his tricks are big without looking anxious, his landings are soft, and his lines often include surprising details that make you rewind the clip. For core fans and up-and-coming skiers, he represents a path that values style, creativity and long-term love of the sport as much as podiums. He has proven that you can win world titles as a junior, make an Olympic team, and then deliberately shift focus toward filming, small-crew projects and building a sustainable life around skiing.

If you are a skier trying to progress in slopestyle, big air or urban skiing, Kangas is a particularly good study subject. Watch how he chooses tricks that he can land consistently rather than chasing the biggest possible rotation every time, how he keeps his shoulders calm over rails, and how often he uses speed and line choice—not just spin count—to stand out. Whether he is lapping Levi in midwinter darkness, exploring the high alpine, or drifting through Hokkaido powder with the K2 team, Joona Kangas continues to show that the most memorable freeskiing blends technical difficulty with personality and a clear sense of fun.

Profile and significance

Kai Mahler is one of the defining names of modern Swiss freeskiing, a big air and slopestyle specialist whose career helped push the sport from double corks into the era of carving triple rotations. Born in 1995 and raised in Fischenthal, Switzerland, he stepped into the spotlight as a teenager by winning the inaugural boys’ ski halfpipe gold medal at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, then quickly shifted his focus toward slopestyle and big air. Within just a few seasons he went from promising junior to regular contender at the biggest events in freeski: X Games, Dew Tour, World Cups and major invitationals.

Mahler’s competitive résumé is stacked with heavyweight results. He owns multiple X Games Ski Big Air medals, including silver and bronze from Aspen, a Dew Tour big air win in Breckenridge, victory and podiums at classic European showdowns like freestyle.ch in Zurich and Nine Knights in Livigno, plus Junior World Championship and Youth Olympic titles. He also represented Switzerland in men’s slopestyle at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, underlining his role as one of the key figures in Swiss freeski during the early Olympic years of the sport. Even after announcing his retirement from full-time competition in 2020 at just 24, Mahler has remained a reference point whenever style, progression and risk management in big air are discussed.

Competitive arc and key venues

Mahler’s competitive arc is unusually complete: Youth Olympics, junior worlds, World Cups, X Games, Dew Tour and the Olympic Games all appear in his story. The early highlight came at Innsbruck 2012, when he won boys’ halfpipe gold at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games, making history as one of the first Olympic champions in ski halfpipe. Soon after, he began transitioning toward big air and slopestyle, claiming a Junior World Slopestyle title and announcing himself as more than a pipe specialist. Those results opened the door to the main stage just as freeski was exploding globally.

The 2012–2013 seasons were his breakthrough years. Mahler took big air silver at Winter X Games in Aspen, won the Dew Tour big air in Breckenridge with a now-classic switch double misty 1440, and collected podiums at European showcase events like freestyle.ch in Zurich and Frostgun in France. Over the next few seasons he would add more X Games hardware, including a Ski Big Air bronze at Aspen, and multiple FIS World Cup podiums in big air, finishing near the top of the discipline standings in 2017. In Sochi, he carried Swiss hopes in the inaugural Olympic men’s slopestyle, ultimately placing mid-pack but showing the same high ceiling that had made him a medal threat at every big air contest he entered.

Key venues tell the same story. Aspen and Breckenridge in Colorado were the stages for his most-watched big air performances. In Europe, Zurich’s now-legendary freestyle.ch jump, the glacier parks of Stubai and Corvatsch, and big air scaffolds in cities from France to Scandinavia formed his regular circuit. On the World Cup side, stops like Silvaplana and other Swiss venues cemented his status as a home-hero whenever the tour came through. Late in his competitive career he also joined more rider-driven formats like SLVSH Cup games in Grandvalira, showing that even as he stepped back from traditional tours he still wanted to test himself against the next generation.

How they ski: what to watch for

Watching Kai Mahler, the first thing that stands out is how calm everything looks until the takeoff. He is known for long, carving approaches into the jump, building pressure smoothly through the skis before releasing into the air. Instead of a sudden snap, you see a gradual loading that turns into precise rotation—whether he is doing a clean double cork, a switch double misty, or a massive triple. That approach minimized sketchy pop and allowed him to bring huge tricks to relatively compact competition jumps.

In the air, Mahler’s signature is control. Grabs are held deliberately—often safety or mute, sometimes tweaked all the way to japan—and his head stays quiet, making it easy for judges and fans alike to read the rotation. His triple corks rarely looked rushed; even at full difficulty his tricks carried a smooth, floaty quality that separated him from riders who relied purely on huck and hope. On slopestyle courses he applied the same philosophy to rails and takeoffs: measured speed, clean edge changes and well-timed swaps rather than frantic spins with no regard for landing.

On film and in park edits, another dimension appears. Mahler is comfortable dialing down from contest difficulty and leaning into style—slow, fully grabbed 360s, switch hits that use the side of the jump rather than the obvious center takeoff, and technical rail moves that still look relaxed. If you want to learn from his skiing, focus as much on his approach and landings as on the rotation itself: how early he commits to his carve, how long he holds the grab, and how softly he rides away even from impact-heavy landings.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Big air careers are rarely smooth, and Mahler’s path was no exception. Competing at the very top of the sport during a period of rapid progression meant dealing with injuries, near-misses and the mental weight of constantly pushing the boundary of what was possible. He spent much of the 2010s in the pressure cooker of elite big air, repeatedly showing up at X Games, World Cups and major invitationals with tricks capable of winning on the night. There were seasons where he came within a single landing of outright dominance, and others where crashes or small mistakes kept him off the top step.

That context makes his 2020 decision to retire from competition at 24 feel less like a step back and more like a pivot. By then he had already contributed a decade of progression to the sport, and the grind of chasing rankings gave way to a more selective focus on projects, filming and rider-driven events. Edits from Swiss glacier parks and European resorts, as well as appearances in creative formats like SLVSH Cup, keep him in the conversation, but the emphasis has shifted. Mahler’s story now reads as an example of how an athlete can recognize when the time is right to step away from the constant contest cycle without stepping away from skiing itself.

Influence-wise, his legacy is particularly strong among European big air specialists. For a generation of Swiss and European riders, Mahler’s switch doubles, early triple attempts and high-level performances at Youth Olympics, X Games and Dew Tour showed that it was possible to come from a small Swiss village and stand toe-to-toe with North American heavyweights. Interviews over the years also revealed an athlete who cared deeply about style and creativity, repeatedly stressing that he wanted his tricks to look good rather than just score points—a message that resonates with freeskiers trying to balance progression and aesthetics.

Geography that built the toolkit

Mahler’s skiing is rooted in Switzerland. Growing up in Fischenthal, he had access to a dense network of resorts across the Alps, and he has often pointed to Swiss parks as ideal training grounds. In Q&A conversations he has highlighted destinations like Laax and Davos as his go-to spots for park, and his edits regularly feature laps through Swiss park lines and sidehits. Those home resorts gave him consistent access to big, well-shaped jumps and rail features—perfect for building the air awareness and confidence needed for world-level big air.

Internationally, his toolkit expanded through repeated trips to North America and classic contest venues. Aspen and Breckenridge provided the stage for his most famous big air results, with massive scaffolding jumps, pressure-packed night finals and the fast Colorado snowpack demanding precise speed management. Back in Europe, glacier parks like Stubai and Corvatsch gave him early-season platforms to test new tricks before unveiling them on the World Cup or X Games stage. Olympic slopestyle training and competition at Rosa Khutor above Sochi added another distinctive environment, with long, flowing courses and slightly softer transitions than some of the pure big air builds he was used to. Together, these places shaped a skier who could adapt his carving, timing and trick choice to almost any jump he faced.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Throughout his competitive career, Mahler worked closely with a stable of high-profile partners that reflected his role in freeski’s top tier. Long associations with K2 for skis and Marker for bindings formed the core of his hardware setup, pairing responsive freestyle skis with bindings built to handle repeated big-impact landings. Boots from the three-piece-boot family originally known as Full Tilt, along with goggles from Electric, helped complete a package aimed squarely at big air and slopestyle performance. Off the hill, backing from Red Bull, Audi, Buff and Swiss partners underlined his status as one of Switzerland’s most visible freeski athletes during the peak of his career.

For skiers looking to translate his experience into their own setups, the key lesson is coherence more than any single logo. Mahler’s skiing depended on skis that could be carved hard into takeoff, stay stable at big-jump speeds and still allow controlled switch landings; bindings tuned to release when necessary but not at every heavy impact; and boots that gave enough support for triple corks without feeling like race gear. Protective gear and outerwear that handled huge temperature swings—from frigid night finals to spring glacier sessions—completed the system. If you aspire to big air or slopestyle, building a similar “whole system” around your style and terrain is far more important than chasing an exact replica of his pro kit.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Kai Mahler because he represents a crucial chapter in freeski’s evolution. He arrived just as the sport moved into the Olympic era, brought Youth Olympic and junior world titles into the Swiss system, and then helped define what high-end big air looked like in the early 2010s: carving triples, clean switch doubles and an emphasis on style even at maximum difficulty. His X Games medals, Dew Tour win and long list of podiums are tangible markers of that impact, but the less visible legacy lies in how many younger riders grew up trying to copy his smooth entries, held grabs and effortless-looking landings.

For progressing skiers, Mahler’s story offers both inspiration and perspective. It shows how a rider can rise quickly through Youth Olympics, World Cups and X Games by combining park fundamentals with a clear sense of style, but also how demanding that path can be, and why stepping away from constant competition does not mean stepping away from skiing. Watching his old big air runs alongside more recent park edits and SLVSH appearances gives a full picture: an athlete who pushed the limits at the highest level, then chose to keep skiing on his own terms. Whether you are dialing in your first 360 or dreaming of triple corks, following Kai Mahler’s career is a reminder that progression, joy and longevity in freeskiing are all part of the same line.

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.

Profile and significance

Tormod Frostad is a Norwegian freeski athlete born on August 29, 2002, who competes primarily in the big air discipline. He began skiing as a child near Oslo and developed his park and jump skills at his local slope in Sandvika before rising through the international freeski circuit. He represented Norway at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in the men’s big air event, which marked his entrance into the top tier of the sport. His importance lies in the fact that he belongs to the up-and-coming generation of big air specialists in Norway, already achieving podiums in World Cup events and earning his first victory during the 2024-25 season. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Competitive arc and key venues

Frostad entered FIS competitions in his mid-teens and made his World Cup debut in 2018 with big air in Cardrona. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} Over the ensuing seasons he achieved multiple World Cup podiums and recorded his first victory in the 2024-25 season. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2} He placed 12th in the big air event at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3} Prominent venues in his career include Cardrona (NZ), Beijing (China), and World Cup stops in Europe and North America. In the 2024-25 season he ranked 5th overall in the Park & Pipe World Cup standings with 330 points and a win among his tally of three podiums. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

How they ski: what to watch for

Frostad brings a blend of amplitude and clean execution typical of modern big air freeskiers. He uses tall take-ins with late rotation initiation, which allows his grabs to read longer and his landings to settle more smoothly. On jumps he demonstrates switch and natural direction competence and holds grabs long enough that the trick silhouette becomes distinctive. For viewers, keep an eye on how he sets up the lip with edge control, then compresses rotation in the latter half of the air, reserving the earlier phase for grab posture. His run structure often features a build-up through one large trick rather than multiple trivial hits, aligning with the scoring emphasis on amplitude plus quality execution.

Resilience, filming, and influence

While Frostad is still early in his elite career, his rise from junior ranks to World Cup winner in a relatively short time shows resilience. He adapted through the pandemic-paused seasons, managed transition into senior competition and elevated his results accordingly. His Norwegian context, part of a strong freeski national system, gives him access to robust coaching and facilities. Though his filmed parts are less widely publicised compared to some peers, his contest results and growth trajectory have begun to capture attention, making him a figure for younger skiers to watch as someone evolving rapidly.

Geography that built the toolkit

Frostad grew up in Sandvika near Oslo, Norway, training at local slopes and snowparks which hone repetition and feature familiarity early. He then expanded into international training and contest venues, exposing him to glaciers, wind-affected jump lines and large-scale scaffolding. The Norwegian freeski environment emphasizes technical fundamentals and strong work ethic, which underpin his ability to manage speed, lip timing and axis control in high-stakes competitions. The transition from smaller domestic parks to global big air stages gave him a widening toolkit of feature types and judging contexts.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

According to his athlete profile, Frostad is associated with the brand Faction Skis which indicates his ski choice emphasises park/big-air performance with reliable pop and edge control. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5} For progressing skiers the takeaways are clear: when targeting big air, choose skis with strong pop, mount near centre for switch competency, and train on consistent jump lines that allow repetition of lip timing, grab integration and landing stability. Frostad’s progression underscores the value of moving from local repetition to high-stakes venues and maintaining execution quality under pressure.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans should care about Tormod Frostad because he is a rapidly rising young big-air athlete whose peak appears still ahead. His early win and multiple podiums in the 2024-25 season position him among the names likely to contend for major titles in coming years. For skiers in progression, he demonstrates that rapid ascent is possible with strong fundamentals, smart progression and exposure to international venues. Watching a Frostad run offers insight into how modern big air scoring values amplitude, clean axis control and grab quality—not just raw rotation count. He is a name worth tracking as freeski enters its next championship cycle.

Profile and significance

Trym Sunde Andreassen is a Norwegian freestyle skier from Kongsberg, born in 2000, who established himself early as one of the most stylish riders in the country’s deep freeski talent pool. He first drew international attention at the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, where he won bronze in the boys’ halfpipe and placed fifth in slopestyle, representing Norway with Kongsberg Freestyleklubb and confirming his status as a genuine multi-event threat. While he has not yet converted that junior success into senior World Cup podiums, his blend of halfpipe edge control, slopestyle rail precision and an explicit focus on style over spin-count has made him a respected name among freeski insiders following the Norwegian scene.

Beyond the Youth Olympic medal, Andreassen’s value to the sport lies in the way he bridges competition and culture. He has been part of Norway’s junior national freeski team, started in FIS World Cup big air events and appeared in edits and web videos that show his skiing in a more relaxed, film-oriented environment. For fans and progressing skiers, he represents the powerful middle ground between elite contest skiing and everyday park laps, where technical tricks are executed with clean, readable style rather than pushed to reckless extremes.

Competitive arc and key venues

Andreassen came up through Norway’s strong grassroots competition system, collecting national-level results long before his Youth Olympic medal. As a teenager he won his age class at Norwegian championships and Norgescup events, including younger junior titles and high-profile battles against peers such as Birk Ruud in domestic slopestyle contests. Coverage in Norwegian freeski media highlighted how often podium conversations in younger junior categories came down to “Birk versus Trym,” underscoring just how central he was to his generation.

His breakout on the international stage came at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, with competition held at Oslo Vinterpark. There he delivered a composed halfpipe run to secure bronze in a field that also featured future World Cup and X Games stars. After Youth Olympics, Andreassen progressed into the FIS system with appearances on the World Cup circuit, including big air starts among Norway’s senior men. Articles from later seasons describe him returning to World Cup competition after a multi-year break, a reminder that his path has included both early success and the challenges of transitioning from junior standout to senior-level consistency.

How they ski: what to watch for

Stylistically, Trym Sunde Andreassen is known for prioritising clean execution and aesthetics over the biggest possible rotation. A detailed event report from a Norgescup slopestyle stop at Oppdal described how he won without throwing double flips, relying instead on a “super-stylish” run that combined technical rails with well-grabbed spins and strong amplitude. He has spoken about wanting tricks to look light, easy and fun, and that philosophy is obvious when you watch him ski: landings are clean, grabs are held, and movements are smooth rather than forced.

On rails, Andreassen brings a competition-ready level of difficulty while still keeping his posture relaxed. Switch-on rail entries, pretzel exits and blind-swap variations appear frequently in his contest and edit clips, but he avoids unnecessary arm flailing or awkward rush between features. On jumps, he often opts for stylish off-axis spins such as bio 900s and switch 720s with tweaked safety or Japan grabs, sized correctly for the jump rather than pushed into sketchy overshoots. For viewers studying his skiing, the takeaway is that line choice, trick selection and composure can be just as decisive as adding another 180 degrees of spin.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Andreassen’s story is also one of resilience. Reports from the Norwegian Ski Federation acknowledge that he has dealt with injuries during critical development seasons, including setbacks that affected national team training blocks. Despite that, he reappeared in World Cup start lists after nearly five years away from that level, an impressive return given the pace at which modern slopestyle and big air have progressed. Staying relevant in a country that constantly produces new stars—from juniors to Olympic gold medallists—requires both physical and mental persistence.

In parallel with contests, he has contributed to the culture through edits and appearances in Scandinavian projects. Web clips from parks in Norway and abroad show him riding with other strong Norwegians, appearing in Scandinavian web series segments and taking part in collaborative videos and park shoots. Locally, his influence is visible when he returns to events like Snowstock in Kongsberg, where he not only competes but also shares tips with younger riders in special sessions. For the local kids, skiing rails with a Youth Olympic medallist from their own club is a powerful, tangible form of inspiration.

Geography that built the toolkit

Growing up in Kongsberg, Andreassen built his foundation at Kongsberg Skisenter, a hill whose parks and freeride terrain have produced several notable Norwegian freeskiers. Shorter lifts and compact parks meant repetition, creativity and the ability to dial in tricks under less-than-perfect conditions, from icy evenings to flat light. These repetitions hardened his edge control, rail precision and comfort with switch landings, traits that translated directly into his competition runs.

As he moved into national team structures, his geographic world expanded. Training camps at larger resorts like Oppdal and Hovden, and indoor sessions at facilities such as SNØ outside Oslo, provided bigger jumps and more complex rail setups. Internationally, competition and training trips have taken him to Central Europe and North America, where he could test himself on World Cup-scale features. Yet his skiing still carries the imprint of Kongsberg: efficient lines, confidence in tight courses and a willingness to trust technical rail runs and style rather than chase only the heaviest tricks.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Past season edits list Andreassen as riding with support from O’Neill for outerwear, Völkl for skis and Dalbello for boots. That combination reflects a classic competition-oriented park setup: twin-tip skis designed to balance stability on landings with agility on rails, boots that offer solid support for heavy impacts and off-axis spins, and outerwear designed to handle long, cold sessions in Norwegian parks.

For skiers inspired by his approach, the practical message is not that you need the exact same kit, but that you should aim for a balanced, all-round park setup. Look for skis that feel predictable both on rails and jumps, boots that hold your heel firmly without crushing your feet and clothing that lets you move freely while staying warm in variable weather. Most importantly, Andreassen’s career shows that how you use the gear—hour after hour in your local park—matters more than the logo on the topsheet.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans of freeskiing care about Trym Sunde Andreassen because he embodies a particularly Norwegian blend of competitive success and style-driven skiing. A Youth Olympic halfpipe bronze and domestic victories prove he can deliver under pressure, while his Oppdal win “without a single double flip” remains a standout example of judges rewarding clean, stylish runs over pure difficulty arms races. In an era where some contests can feel dominated by increasingly robotic spin counts, his skiing is a reminder that amplitude, composition and aesthetic execution still matter.

For progressing skiers, Andreassen offers a realistic and inspiring model. He shows that you can come from a relatively small hill, build your foundation in local parks, and climb all the way to a Youth Olympic podium and World Cup starts. His focus on style over reckless progression suggests a sustainable path: push your rails and spins, yes, but keep tricks clean, landings solid and lines well thought out. Whether you ride a small local park or dream of international events, following his example means chasing not only bigger tricks, but better skiing.