There is something about feeling the cold rush of air against your face and your skies underneath gliding across the crisp snow gaining speed up to a jump that gives a thrill of adrenaline that no other does. For these skiers, this is a way of life that they live, eat, and breath gaining massive air and performing intricate tricks. The way this will be "scored" is the skier will have placed in the X Games and hold titles vowing for their career. Keep in mind this list is in no specific order; this is just a rendition of who I believe some of the best and most influential skiers are.
Torin Yater-Wallace
Torin is a very good up and coming skier who holds a bright future for the sport of skiing, also being one of the youngest to compete at an X Games at 15. With a knack for spins and rotations he was one of the first people to successfully complete a switch 1800 in competition in 2012. With a second and third place finish at the X Games in 2011 he came back stronger in 2012 taking first at the X Games, Winter Dew Tour, and NZ Winter Games. Moving in 2013 Yater-Wallace collected a number of high ranking trophies such as first at the X Games, and 26th in the Olympic test for the Sochia, Russia Olympic Games to represent the US after getting a discretionary spot. He then collected silver at X Games, US Grand Prix, and FIS World CHampionship. After his great season in 2013 Yater-Wallace had a bout with serious illness not allowing him to continue onto the olympic final. After recovering and getting back into training in 2016 Yater-Wallace took first at the Oslo, Norway X Games in the superpipe with sights set on the 2020 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Simon Dumont
Dumont is an extremely decorated skier from Bethal, Maine; mostly competing in halfpipe events and some big air events. With many sponsors, his own clothing line, and his own ski event at Sunday River he is a very accomplished skier right here from our home state of Maine. Making his X games debut at the young age of 14, one of the youngest to ever compete, laying down a formidable run. In 2004 he took his first X Games gold medal in the superpipe event following with a gold in 2005. Then in 2007 he won three of four legs of the Honda Ski Tour taking overall winner. The year of 2008 was a great year for Dumont with winning a silver medal at the X Games and setting the world record height in the quarter pipe with 35 feet of air beating the previous holder by over two and a half feet. Then going on to decorate his walls with numerous wins eventually focusing on his clothing line Empire Attire “By the athletes, for the athletes”.
Jon Olsson
Olsson was born in Mora, Sweden starting out in more traditional downhill ski racing until he decided to make the switch to freestyle. As a car enthusiast, product producer, blogger, and skier Olsson lives his life on the edge and extravagantly. With 9 X games medals under his belt 2 golds, 2 silvers, and 5 bronze medals ranging from superpipe, big air, to slopestyle; he is definitely one of the most well known and influential slopestyle skiers. His social media influence is very strong with being a well established youtuber, his youtube channel reached 1 million subscribers in 2018, plus he owns two product companies a bag company called Douchebags and a clothing company named C’est Normal expanding his influence out from just skiing. Olsson has been able to take his fame as a great skier and brand himself as a small celebrity especially in the ski community.
Bobby Brown
With a love for corkscrews Brown became a well known skier from being the first person to land multiple variations of a triple corkscrew in practice training. Another skier with a laundry list of titles to his name he has been an avid competitor in slopestyle events. With five gold medals from the X Games, four silver medals at the X Games, and two gold medals from the Dew Tour Schiller is a very talented athlete. Brown was also one of the first people to land a triple cork 1440 in addition to being the only person to land a Switch Double Misty 1440.
T.J. Schiller
Schiller is an extremely decorated Canadian skier with many many titles under his belt. He is most well known for his style of skiing by using amplitude and spins in competition being the only person to land a 1620 double corkscrew in competition; four and a half rotations in the air with two flips. Some of his most memorable titles are his two golds at the 2006 and 2009 X Games and his 2010 silver medal at the X Games.
Tom Wallisch
Wallisch started his skiing career differently than most did where he took more of an influencer route, using social media and brand sponsorships, to promote his skiing skills. However, once he started to get noticed and entered competitions he was winning all over the world. Wallish won at the Dew tour four times from 2009 to 2012, first at the X games in 2010, then following with a second and third place win in 2011 and 2012. He then set a world record grind on a rail of 424 feet beating Simen Gjelsvki’s 405 foot record in 2016.
Grete Eliasenn
Grete Eliasenn was born in Lutsen, Minnesota before spending time in norway.
She won a halfpipe event in every year from 2004 to 2007 with winning two in 2005 and 2006.
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