Kim Boberg: Real Ski 2019 | World of X Games

Profile and significance

Kim Boberg is a Swedish freeski original whose influence runs well beyond podiums. Born in 1991 and raised in the rural municipality of Älvdalen, he emerged through athlete-led films and Europe’s scene-driven culture before becoming a longtime pillar of the Armada Skis team. His career threads through Field Productions segments, a standout part in Armada’s “Oil & Water,” the web series “Shred ’n Breakfast,” and an all-urban entry at the X Games Real Ski 2019 video contest. Just as important, he created the spring gathering that many pros now circle in pen: Kimbo Sessions, hosted at Kläppen, a rider-led “anti-contest” focused on creativity and flow. Across all of it, Boberg’s skiing reads clearly at full speed—calm approaches, deep functional grabs, decisive rail lock-ins, and landings that keep momentum alive.

That clarity now carries a hardware imprint. Armada launched a pro-collab park ski built around his habits—the Kimbo/Kimbo 95—and he pairs it with dependable retention from Tyrolia. Between a decade-plus of film work and a community event that sets the tone for spring sessions, Boberg has become both stylist and steward for modern freeskiing.

Competitive arc and key venues

Boberg’s résumé favors films and culture-first gatherings, but he still took his turn under the broadcast lights. His Real Ski 2019 part—shot primarily on Scandinavian architecture—showed the same method he’s known for in longer edits: early commitments, obstacle-spanning tricks, and enough space between moves that viewers can follow the story without slow-motion. The more enduring competitive “format,” though, is Kimbo Sessions at Kläppen. Since the mid-2010s it has evolved into a weeklong lab where the world’s top riders experiment on a custom park at golden-hour pace, an approach that inspired similar jam-style showcases elsewhere. Even in years when snowpack forces changes, the concept remains a benchmark for how rider-run events can spotlight progression without a heat sheet.

Venue context explains the feel of his skiing. Kläppen’s snowpark is dense with options and tuned for rhythm rather than spectacle, which rewards patient takeoffs and tidy exits. Scandinavian street spots—Stockholm, Östersund, and beyond—compress decision-making into short in-runs and quick outruns. Those places built habits that travel: Boberg’s line design works whether the background is a city staircase or a sun-softened rail garden at a spring session.

How they ski: what to watch for

Boberg skis with deliberate economy and musical timing. On rails, approaches square up early, shoulders stay stacked, and lock-ins look committed rather than theatrical. Surface swaps resolve completely; presses carry visible shape; exits protect speed so the next feature arrives naturally. On jumps, he manages spin speed with deep, stabilizing grabs—safety, tail, or blunt depending on axis—arriving early enough to calm rotation and keep the landing centered over the feet. Directional variety is built-in—forward and switch, left and right—but never disrupts cadence because each trick serves the line rather than a checklist.

If you’re trying to “read” a Boberg clip in real time, track two cues. First, spacing: he leaves room between moves so each trick sets angle and speed for the next, turning a full run into a sentence instead of word salad. Second, grab discipline: hands find the ski early and stay long enough to influence rotation, not just decorate the frame. Those details explain why heavy spins look unhurried and why editors can present his footage at normal speed.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Street and spring filming are process-heavy—shovel and salt, rebuilds after busts, and the judgment to walk away when conditions won’t hold. Boberg leans into that rhythm. Field Productions features and Armada projects like “Oil & Water” captured his patience and trick math; later pieces such as “Butterfly” distilled years of Kimbo Sessions clips and Real Ski shots into a cohesive portrait. The influence radiates through the formats he favors. Kimbo Sessions turned a private spring shoot into a shared, rider-first canvas; The Bunch’s films reframed progression as story rather than stunt. Younger skiers study his early grab timing, obstacle-spanning choices, and the way small, on-purpose speed checks never spill into landings.

Because the message is practical, it spreads. Resorts reference the Kimbo template when shaping flowy late-season parks; brands point to his segments when they talk about predictable swing weight and edge life; and coaches use his runs to teach momentum protection and centered finishes. Boberg’s legacy is as much about how to build and share skiing as it is about what tricks to do.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place is the skeleton of Boberg’s skiing. Älvdalen’s proximity to Kläppen supplied years of repetition on firm mornings and slushy afternoons, a daily cycle that demands honest edge angles and patient takeoffs. Scandinavian cities added the urban syllabus—tight approaches, quick redirects, and runouts that punish sloppy speed checks. When The Bunch pulled projects farther afield, those habits traveled intact: protect momentum, finish movements early, and let the line keep its shape from first feature to last landing.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Boberg’s setup mirrors his priorities. The Armada Kimbo is a park-focused design with a buttery flex for presses, a full-wrap edge for durability on steel, and a tail insert that keeps response predictable under load—features that turn technique into repeatable results on rails and medium booters. Bindings from Tyrolia provide trustworthy retention and stomp feel on mixed surfaces. For skiers translating this into their own kit, think category fit over model names: choose a symmetrical or near-symmetrical park ski and mount it so butters feel natural without sacrificing takeoff stability; keep bases fast so cadence doesn’t depend on perfect weather; and tune edges to hold on steel while softening contact points to avoid surprise bites on swaps.

There’s a process lesson too. Build lines around momentum, not spin count. Treat the grab as a control input rather than ornament. Finish tricks early enough to ride away centered with time to set the next move. Those habits make Boberg’s skiing readable at full speed and give progressing riders a blueprint they can actually copy.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Kim Boberg matters because he fused elite street-and-park difficulty with a community platform that keeps the sport honest. The films prove the point; the Kimbo Sessions tradition spreads it. For viewers, his segments and spring laps are endlessly rewatchable because the decisions are clear and the execution is calm. For skiers trying to level up, the takeaways are concrete: square the approach, use the grab to stabilize the axis, leave every feature with speed, and design the run so it reads like a story. That’s the Boberg blueprint—from Älvdalen to Kläppen and into every park where style doubles as technique.