Profile and significance
Émile Bergeron (born 1995) is a Québec-born freeski original whose reputation rests on memorable street segments and a benchmark X Games result. Raised in the Lac-Beauport / Québec City corridor, he moved from early park edits into a film-first path, earning a silver medal at X Games Real Ski 2020 with a part that mixed high-consequence architecture, meticulous speed control, and clean, readable landings. Before that, he had already been on the cover of Forecast Ski Magazine and was releasing short projects such as Come Around (in collaboration with Picture Organic Clothing). Bergeron’s public footprint reflects Québec’s street tradition—methodical build days, creative trick selection, and a calm upper body through long, technical rails—along with selective appearances at style-driven events. The throughline: he’s a rider whose ideas travel beyond any one contest, shaping how fans and crews think about urban freeskiing.
Competitive arc and key venues
Bergeron’s most visible contest milestone is X Games Real Ski 2020 silver, delivered with filmer/editor support from Camron Willis and Paul “B-Paul” Bergeron. The part showcased dam-feature transfers, water-adjacent landings and heavy closeouts—big-picture line design rather than just one-off stunts. A few years earlier he placed third and took “Best Re-Direct” at Red Bull ReDirect, the Québec City street event that asked riders to change direction mid-feature, a format tailor-made for his timing and pressure management. Between film cycles he’s been a familiar face at Scandinavian sessions, especially Sweden’s Kläppen, and in long-season western parks like Mammoth Mountain to keep jump feel sharp. At home, the dense architecture and snowpack around Québec City and Lac-Beauport feed the spot-scouting that anchors his edits.
How they ski: what to watch for
Bergeron skis like a designer. Approach lines are drawn to the centimeter, with little drift and purposeful checks before gap-to-feature starts. Expect early, locked grabs on jumps; on metal, presses flow into swaps and redirects that use the entire obstacle. Shoulders stay quiet; exits square up. Even when the feature is large (dams, long kinks, wallrides), the clip reads clearly: set → grab/press → spot → stomp. That legibility is why his X Games part resonated—viewers could track each phase at full speed and still parse the trick on replay.
Resilience, filming, and influence
Street segments live or die on patience: shovel time, salting, rebuilds after warmups, and knowing when to walk away. Bergeron’s catalog shows that rhythm, alongside a pragmatic crew culture. He followed/assisted iconic Québec projects (notably with Phil Casabon) before leading his own missions, then parlayed that experience into Real Ski silver and follow-up shorts like The Grand Classik and The Big Batch. He’s also appeared in community-forward pieces and shop projects, reinforcing the idea that local ecosystems—skate-adjacent culture, independent retailers, and film-savvy friends—can produce world-class skiing. For younger riders, his influence is practical: pick spots you can build right, film with intent, and prioritize clips that will still look good five years from now.
Geography that built the toolkit
Bergeron’s toolkit is rooted in Québec’s winter cities—tight run-ins, awkward kinks, and variable salt lines—plus a circuit that keeps timing fresh. Scandinavia offers repeatable park shapes and style-led sessions at Kläppen Snowpark; long western seasons at Mammoth Mountain deliver sustained jump mileage; spring missions north to Riksgränsen add natural hits and late-light windows. Back home, Québec City’s official tourism footprint and Lac-Beauport’s compact terrain make scouting efficient, which explains the steady cadence of new spots across winters.
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Bergeron’s support list highlights both global and local pillars: skis from Armada, outerwear from Picture Organic Clothing, and scene partnership with D-Structure. If you’re trying to apply the lessons rather than copy logos, think systems: detune contact points for rails while keeping underfoot bite for icy in-runs; choose a mount point that leaves tail for presses without killing switch stability; keep boot–binding delta and swing weight consistent across your “shoot” and “training” setups. Street days are decided by repeatability—if the kit feels identical from park laps to a night mission, you’ll hold grabs longer and land more centered when it counts.
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Bergeron is a case study in readable difficulty. His Real Ski medal validated an approach that values line design, trick clarity, and build quality as much as spin count. For fans, that means edits worth replaying; for developing riders, a blueprint: map your approach first, pick tricks that use the obstacle end-to-end, and leave with a ride-away you could reproduce tomorrow. In an era where contest streams and film drops blur together, his work shows how local crews, strong fundamentals, and disciplined filming can still cut through.
Quick reference (places)
Principal sponsors
Profile and significance
Henrik Harlaut (born 14 August 1991; Stockholm, raised in Åre) is one of the defining freeskiers of the modern era—an athlete who set records at X Games, stacked FIS World Cup podiums, and still found time to re-shape contest culture through rider-driven events and films. Harlaut owns a record haul of X Games Ski medals and the most Ski golds, highlighted by a landmark campaign in Aspen 2018 when he won both Slopestyle and Big Air in a single weekend. He’s also the rider who brought the “nose-butter triple cork 1620” from idea to history at Aspen 2013 Big Air, a moment that reset what was possible while keeping his hallmark readability—clean set, long grab, confident spot and stomp. Three Olympic Games (Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022) widened the audience for his style-first approach, even as he continued to invest in culture with the B&E Invitational and film projects like The Regiment. For freeski fans and developing riders, Harlaut is the template: do the heaviest tricks, make them easy to read, and build spaces where style leads the conversation. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Competitive arc and key venues
Harlaut’s competitive résumé blends consistency with signature highs. In the World Cup era he earned multiple wins and podiums across Big Air and Slopestyle—peaks in 2017 and 2019, plus a 2021 return to the steps—while his X Games record (eight golds and a record medal total) kept him in the sport’s brightest spotlight for more than a decade. The Aspen 2018 sweep (Slopestyle + Big Air) and his 2021 Big Air gold under pressure exemplify why judges and viewers trust his skiing: he scales difficulty without sacrificing clarity. Olympic turns in 2014, 2018 and 2022 added global stagecraft; even when results weren’t the headline, the takeaway was the same—legible trick architecture at full speed. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Just as important are the formats he helped elevate. Alongside Phil Casabon, Harlaut co-hosted the B&E Invitational at Les Arcs—a skatepark-style course that let riders tell stories with lines, not just trick lists, and where peer voting reinforced culture over calculation. Those years influenced today’s style-forward events and modern jam formats. Between seasons he kept timing sharp at parks with reliable laps and clean lips: Sweden’s Kläppen (home to many style sessions), California’s Mammoth, and long-season Mt. Hood for late-spring mileage. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
How they ski: what to watch for
Harlaut skis like a director and an engineer at once. Approaches are drawn early to minimize drift; the takeoff meets the lip in balance; grabs lock as soon as the body finds axis. Whether he’s spinning forward or switch, the rotation fits the venue—no last-second scrubs, no fight with the landing. His signature buttered entries (most famously the nose-butter into triple cork) are never decoration; they set the axis so the rest of the trick reads cleanly to judges and cameras. On rails he uses the whole feature—presses into swaps, redirects, and exits that square the shoulders—so even complex lines remain legible on replay. The result is difficulty you can study, not just applaud. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Resilience, filming, and influence
Harlaut’s cultural impact extends well beyond bibs. With Casabon and producer Eric Iberg he helped popularize rider-designed courses and film projects that let style lead—culminating in the B&E years and the two-year film The Regiment, backed by core partners and retailers. He also competed in video-first formats (Real Ski, Knuckle Huck) that reward creativity, connecting contest and edit audiences. Off-hill, his Stockholm-born, Åre-raised perspective shows in Harlaut Apparel Co., an independent label that treats drops and visuals like part of the story. It all adds up to a durable influence: younger riders copy not only his axis management and grabs, but also his insistence on formats where the best skiing looks like freeskiing. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Geography that built the toolkit
Place explains a lot about Harlaut’s approach. Åre gave him the Scandinavian mix of rope-tow repetition, icy learning days, and creative park design; Sweden’s broader park ecosystem—especially Kläppen Snowpark—refined timing and line selection. Springtime moved to long-season venues—Mammoth Mountain for reliable XL jumps and clean takeoffs; Oregon’s Timberline on Mt. Hood for months of consistent practice. The B&E years anchored a French chapter at Les Arcs, while Arctic Sweden’s Riksgränsen supplied late-light windows and natural hits that sharpen creativity when most resorts are closed. That map—Åre → Kläppen → Mammoth/Hood → Les Arcs/Riksgränsen—produces exactly the composure and readability you see on snow. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Logos matter less than systems, but Harlaut’s partners tell a coherent story. His signature Armada EDOLLO ski is built for presses and pop with durability for rails—recently refreshed in the 2025–26 line—while his boot of choice is the K2 FL3X Method B&E, a three-piece design tuned for park feel and repeatable flex. For vision he runs Oakley, including signature Line Miner goggles; energy support comes from Monster Energy; and his own Harlaut Apparel Co. handles the fit. Practical takeaways for progressing skiers:
• Tune edges for the day: lightly detune contact points to avoid bites on rails, keep under-foot bite for icy in-runs, and refresh base structure before salted scaffolding jumps.
• Keep swing weight and mount points consistent across “training” and “shoot” setups so timing transfers from medium jumps to XL lines.
• Protect in-runs and landings when filming or on comp day; consistent entry speed and clean outruns make long grabs and centered stomps possible. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Harlaut bridges worlds: he took home the biggest medals without abandoning the style and storytelling that built freeskiing in the first place. Fans get rewatchable runs and parts—tricks that tell a story from approach to ride-away. Developing skiers get a step-by-step blueprint: design the approach first, size the spin to the venue, lock the grab early, and value landings you can reproduce tomorrow. That philosophy is why his Aspen highlights still circulate, why his World Cup wins feel instructive, and why park laps worldwide still carry echoes of his technique. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
Quick reference (places)
Principal sponsors