What are the sickest tricks ever to grace the slopes? It's a topic sure to start a debate. Everyone has their favourites and here are Red Bull’s top ten classic moves…
Kangaroo Flip
When Jon Olsson pulls off a new trick you sit up and listen – when it’s as spectacular as the Kangaroo Flip you stand up and applaud. What exactly a Kangaroo Flip is often comes up for debate – there’s so much happening in the air – but the most popular opinion is that it’s a double flatspin 900. Sounds complicated? It is – and the move has won countless competitions since Olsson first pulled it in 2006.
Cab 1440 Mute
Henrik Harlaut was first credited with this trick – going off switch with four full spins –but TJ Schiller set the standard. Pulling off four spins is enough to send anyone’s head dizzy but Schiller stomped it and made it look easy. Freestyle skiing may be heading in the direction of ‘spin-to-win’ instead of any emphasis on style – but Schiller combined the two to perfection.
DJ Flip
The Kangaroo Flip was named as such because Olsson invented it in Australia. Well, what about the DJ Flip? It’s the Double Jon Flip – because it was the second double flip invented by Olsson. A very complicated sounding d-spin 630 to flatspin 630. We’ll leave him to it.
Cab 540 Double Grab
TJ Schiller’s Cab 1440 Mute may be mighty impressive but the Cab 540 Double Grab is an equally classic move at the other end of the scale – slow and stylish. It may not be as hard to do but it still earns a spot in our top ten. The double grab slows the rotation down so 540 is still plenty of spinning to get through. One of the coolest tricks out there.
Pistol Flip
It’s not often that a trick is invented by an Englishman so when Joe Murrell pulled off a Pistol Flip in Saas Fee it was pretty special. It’s another inverted trick – a bio 7 to misty 5. Murrell lists pulling off this move as his greatest achievement to date and so he should.
Red Bull Photofiles
Hurricane
Combining a spin and somersault is tough. Stringing together five spins and three somersaults is almost impossible. The fact that Jeret 'Speedy' Peterson was the first man to land the Hurricane – commonly thought of as one the toughest tricks going and the highest points scoring move in the World Cup – is testament to that.
Octograb
This one is the brainchild of Charles Gagnier. The Octograb is a trick that consists of grabbing one ski's tail with the right hand and the nose of the other ski with the left hand. Gagnier has pulled it off with a 1260 spin.
Hexo Flip
Jon Olsson is just being greedy, appearing in our top ten three times. But he is the greatest freestyle skier of all time and he does have three awesome double flips to his name. This one – the Hexo Flip – is a switch double rodeo 1080.
The Lincoln Loop
This is another trick that is more about style than spin. A slow-mo classic. It is a single inversion – no spin – where the rider does a barrel roll. Sounds tame? It’s not. This one is usually done off the side of a cliff and is a favourite of Seth Morrison and Eric Hjorleifson.
Quadruple Back Flip
Is there a move so difficult that it’s banned from competition? Yes – the quadruple back flip. Frank Bare, Matt Chojnaki, Eric Bergoust and Nicholas Fontaine are the only four men thought to have (purposely!) pulled off a quad back flip but it’s something we won’t be seeing for a while.
See Jon Olsson in action and find out more at his official website
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