The Freestyle Rundown - April 22, 2020

All this self-isolation sure provides plenty of time to peruse the ol' content mill that of social media, and the good stuff from in and around the world of freestyle skiing just keeps coming hard and fast. Luckily for you, we here at the Rundown have been on top of it yet again, collecting some of the best from the past seven days or so to send you into the back half of the week entertained. If you can't ski about it, meme about, amirite?

Let's start things off hot with the latest from Andri Ragettli, who once again teams up with his brother Gian to do a thing that lots of people are trying on the internet these days, but just so, so much better. First off, he finishes the around-the-body circuit in about 1/4 of the time it takes most people. And then...that ender? What theeee...

Keeping with the sibling theme, the Sharpe's Cassie and Darcy of Canada were not to be outdone by their Swiss counterparts, doing that other incredibly difficult balance & strength thing on the internet that lots of people are trying to do - and also doing it better than just about everyone. A backflip off Darcy's shoulders by Cass and this one might have the Ragettli's beat.

(We're stoked to see the fail edit when it drops, too, Cassie...)

Next up is maybe our favourite clip we came across this week (although it did originally drop back in March), as 10-year-old Gianni Biello aka GG dropped his first ever dub 10 a few weeks ago...ON HIS VERY FIRST TRY. What do you even say about this accept, 'wow,' 'amazing,' and 'I feel old...'

The latest Real Skifi clip dropped this week and it's one of their most insane to date, although for a different reason than usual. While the skiing itself is pretty tame compared to what we've come to expect from these Finnish geniuses, the clip is called "Social Distancing" and features Juho Kilkki all by himself bagging some self-initated panning shots the likes of which we've never seen before.

Maybe because it's never been done before...just like almost everything these guys do.

Next we'll look at something that has been done, just not for over 90 years, as Nick Goepper (USA) headed to the highest altitude hotel in the Czech Republic to recreate the iconic 1929 photo of Otto Beraur sending it off the roof of the Lucni Bouda hotel. While Goepper brought a little newschool flavour to the proceedings, a medium format camera from the period and the same angle resulted in a fitting tribute. Check out the behind the scenes clip here...

Some big news out of Canada, where Mikael Kingsbury continues to add up the accolades in the a career that is overflowing with them, as on Monday he was awarded the John Semmelink trophy, awarded to the Canadian winter sports athlete who best represents the nation through their integrity, conduct and results. Along with his Olympic gold and silver medals, four world championship titles, 18 crystal globes, 63 World Cup wins, 2018 Canadian athlete of the year award (for all sports), Kingsbury adds Canadian winter sports athlete of the year to the collection. Applause to the King yet again... Read more HERE.

Ok, how about some tricks? Here's 2019/20 aerials crystal globe winner Laura Peel (AUS) flashing back to this near-perfect lay-tuck-full from back at the start of March in Almaty (KAZ)...

And a little more aerials action for you, as the US team continues their 2019/20 season highlight series with the best of their squad's World Cup season. Read the full season recap for both the US aerials and moguls squad HERE.

Speaking of moguls, we posted the gallery of our very best photos of the 2019/20 World Cup season on the website here this week, and if you missed it it's available for your viewing pleasure.

We now interrupt proceedings to bring you what is just a straight-up awesome heat of Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup racing from Sunny Valley (RUS) back in February...

Now, if you know ski cross, you know that it takes perhaps the most-complete combination of the skills possible on skis to excel at. You've gotta be able to go fast. You've gotta be able to turn like nobody's business, oftentimes in space about the size of a shoebox. You've gotta be able to handle yourself in the air, and you've also gotta be able to keep yourself on the snow when it counts. And you've gotta do it all with three other rippers going full gas all around you...

All of which makes this multi-skill clip from Swiss up-and-comer Alex Marro seem totally logical. Getting dressed while stading on a slackline? Of course! Why wouldn't you?

A couple more clips of some good good skiing to wrap things up this week, beginning with women's moguls Rookie of the Year Anri Kawamura (JPN) who is pumped to get back to the picture-perfect course in Thaiwoo, where she made through to the superfinal to earn two top-5 finishes in the first two World Cup competitions of her career...

And then over to PyeongChang 2019 slopestyle gold medallist Oystein Braaten (NOR), who threw it back to better times last summer sessions at Mount Hood in this four-hit ripper...

And finally, we'll end things today with this adorable clip from England, where the man who might be the world's best dad created this backyard slope complete with chairlift to keep his girls shredding through the lockdown...

And with that it looks like somehow we got through the entire Rundown this week without any workout videos? Crazy!

Try and have a good one, everyone, and we'll see you next Wednesday!

❤️