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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

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.