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Wasatchman

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As I won't be skiing for a while, I thought it might be fun to keep the stoke alive by having a discussion on what you consider iconic moments/accomplishments in freeskiing.

I'll kick off the discussion with three

1) Candide Thovex - Chad's Gap, 2000. Wow, wow, wow!! Not sure words can do it justice. Just landing that thing is nuts, but throwing down a perfectly executed 120 foot d-spin while you're at it! No way. To me, redefines what is possible. It has been 20 years since Candide threw that down, and we still haven't seen anything like it since. We may easily go another twenty years before we even see something that rivals that, much less tops it.

2) Jamie Pierre - 255 foot cliff huck, 2006. The late Jamie Pierre pushed the limits of hucking big, topped off by a crazy 255 foot huck off at Grand Targhee that was estimated got him to terminal velocity and left a 12 foot bomb hole. This record was unintentionally beat by Fred Syverson two years later, albeit unintentionally. Like Candide, in my mind redefines what is even possible.

3) Veronica Paulsen - first female backflip off Corbet's Couloir, 2020 - At this year's King and Queen of Corbet's competition, Veronica Paulsen goes big and becomes the first female to land a backflip of the famed Corbet's Couloir. It got me thinking, if you see what women are doing in gymnastics, we may be just scratching the surface in terms of the aerial maneuvers on skis that are about to come from the ladies. Veronica's backflip may be a catalyst for a lot more to come.

Lots of others out there, what comes to your mind?
 
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Bad Bob

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Sure it's lunch time I will play. It will be interesting to see what lights peoples imaginations. My moments go back a lot further than yours cause I'm probably a LOT OLDER. 2 stand out very strong and one was not a moment.

Franz Klammer 76 Olympic Downhill run. You can not ski a line any closer to disaster and win. The Kaiser changed the sport with that run. The world has watched it again and again, it is still out there floating around on YouTube.

About 67 Hans Gromer did a dog and pony show through a lot of venues promoting his new Canadian Helicopter skiing operation, and trying to drum up clients. It was not so much a moment as an event that changed skiing and took the gloves off of what was possible. I was lucky enough to go see him at Rocky Mountain College in Colorado Springs, He changed my life and put a stamp on it. By 73 I was doing some guiding in the Chugach; thanks Hans.
 

Bob Simpson

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A seminal moment for me was when Lonnie Ball of Bozeman, decided to give Corbet's Couloir a try, thus becoming the first person to ever ski it. Fast forward to what folks are doing in skiing Corbet's today! It's amazing how many skiers can make the claim of skiing Corbet's to ski accomplishment list.
 
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Wasatchman

Wasatchman

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A seminal moment for me was when Lonnie Ball of Bozeman, decided to give Corbet's Couloir a try, thus becoming the first person to ever ski it. Fast forward to what folks are doing in skiing Corbet's today! It's amazing how many skiers can make the claim of skiing Corbet's to ski accomplishment list.
Yeah. Anytime someone does a first to show people what's possible it's often a catalyst for more, just like the first 4 minute mile. Thats a good example you list.

But one thing that I find underappreciated is just how much of a leap ski technology has had. I don't think the average recreational skier has any idea just how much modern ski technology helps. Hardly anyone could ski double blacks with the old ski technology. And I have a feeling nearly all of the skiers who can add Corbett's as an accomplishment today couldn't do so on Ball's skis. Not that hitting Corbett's isn't an accomplishment, but it isn't nearly in the same league as when Ball did it on old tech.

Watching Blizard of Ahhhs is a real eye opener. What Scot Schmidt was doing in the late 80s was revolutionary, but merely mundane by today's pro freeskiing standards. The difference is today's ski tech.
 
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Bob Simpson

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Yeah. Anytime someone does a first to show people what's possible it's often a catalyst for more, just like the first 4 minute mile. Thats a good example you list.

But one thing that I find underappreciated is just how much of a leap ski technology has had. I don't think the average recreational skier has any idea just how much modern ski technology helps. Hardly anyone could ski double blacks with the old ski technology. And I have a feeling nearly all of the skiers who can add Corbett's as an accomplishment today couldn't do so on Ball's skis. Not that hitting Corbett's isn't an accomplishment, but it isn't nearly in the same league as when Ball did it on old tech.

Watching Blizard of Ahhhs is a real eye opener. What Scot Schmidt was doing in the late 80s was revolutionary, but merely mundane by today's pro freeskiing standards. The difference is today's ski tech.
You are absolutely correct! I believe Lonnie was skiing on Rossignol Stratos at the time. I hadn't considered your excellent point, but I did reflect on my trips down Corbet's. It was indeed easier on my modern skis versus my old straight skis, but still fun as hell!
 

raisingarizona

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Seth Morrison and his style, big air and integrating tricks into the back country around 98 to the mid 2000’s.

Shane McKonkey’s back flips in the early 90’s and then of course later on, ski basing.

Jeremy Nobis’s straight lines and high speed skiing down big back country lines as fat skis gained popularity.
 

Tricia

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Johnny Moseley's dinner roll at the 2002 olympics. Doing that trick on a mogul course completely upped the skill level of mogul competitions.
He sacrificed his score for change in freestyle moguls.
:thumb:
 

raisingarizona

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The Blizzard of Ahhs.

Kent Kreitler and his integration of snowboard/skateboard influenced tricks with grabs.

The 70’s hot doggers.
 

SSSdave

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yawn...
 

raisingarizona

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Johnny Moseley's dinner roll at the 2002 olympics. Doing that trick on a mogul course completely upped the skill level of mogul competitions.

Good one! This was a huge moment and the kick in the ass Olympic/World Cup competitive mogul skiing needed.

It was the 1998 olympics though.
 

fatbob

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Good one! This was a huge moment and the kick in the ass Olympic/World Cup competitive mogul skiing needed.

It was the 1998 olympics though.

No Jonny won in the first Olympic moguls in 1998 and then leaked in advance that he was intending to do an "off tarrif" off axis trick in SLC to progress the sport. Hence he was scored down. Probably wouldn't have won gold again anyway but definitely threw score away.
 
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Wasatchman

Wasatchman

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No Jonny won in the first Olympic moguls in 1998 and then leaked in advance that he was intending to do an "off tarrif" off axis trick in SLC to progress the sport. Hence he was scored down. Probably wouldn't have won gold again anyway but definitely threw score away.
Yeah, he definitely wasn't the favorite to win gold that year. I am guessing he wouldn't have thrown his score away like that if he was the favorite again but nevertheless have to agree it was an iconic moment.
 

Mike Thomas

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Bill Briggs- first descent of the Grand Teton
1971 K2 Performers
Patrick Vallencant/ Jean-Marc Boivin/ Bruno Gouvy, et al. pushing Euro (real) 'extreme skiing'.
The North Face sponsoring ski athletes that were not competitors, ie- Egans and Deslauriers
RAP Films
The Canadian Air Force
Salomon 1080/ Line skis twintips
Salomon XScream/ Rossi Bandit series/ Dynastar 4x4 Big- the start of wide freeride skis. Sure there were Rossi Axiums and Atomic Powder+ first, but these were the first 'expert' skis that got actual experts off race skis
 

raisingarizona

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No Jonny won in the first Olympic moguls in 1998 and then leaked in advance that he was intending to do an "off tarrif" off axis trick in SLC to progress the sport. Hence he was scored down. Probably wouldn't have won gold again anyway but definitely threw score away.

Ah yes, I remember now. The winning move in 98 was the 360 with the mute grab!
 

Average Joe

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A seminal moment for me was when Lonnie Ball of Bozeman, decided to give Corbet's Couloir a try, thus becoming the first person to ever ski it. Fast forward to what folks are doing in skiing Corbet's today! It's amazing how many skiers can make the claim of skiing Corbet's to ski accomplishment list.
Popular lore is that Lonnie “accidentally “ skied Corbet’s, having lost his balance standing on the edge. I wonder, since I read he was employed as a patroller at the time, if he made up the story, as Corbet’s was a closed area.
 

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