Freeskiing
Red Bull Unrailistic 2024 pushes freeski progression thanks to huge tricks
The world’s best freeskiers just competed on the most technical and bonkers Slopestyle course. Here’s what went down at the unique rail skiing event in Åre, Sweden.
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Take a course full of huge, never-before-seen rail features and put the world's best freeskiers on it. The result? The world's most unrailistic competition of course. For the second time, the world's top skiers return to Åre, Sweden, to compete on the unique course inspired by Jesper Tjäder. Big, bold and bonkers, Red Bull Unrailistic is a competition that takes rail skiing to a whole new level. With unimaginable lines, gravity-defying tricks and pure freestyle madness, the 2024 edition gave us a glimpse into the future of the sport. Here's what went down...
Crazy tricks and bonkers features, Red Bull Unrailistic was on fire
© Adam Klingeteg/Red Bull Content Pool
01
The course was next level madness
Described as “wild,” “ridiculous” and “like being in Jesper Tjäder’s imagination,” the 2024 course was an instant hit with the skiers. A course made to push progression and celebrate creativity, its ten features are nothing less than exceptional. With multidirectional options for grinds, spins and transfers on most of them it opened room for skiers to get creative and add their own flair.
The course is designed by creative freeskiing genius Tjäder. A man who’s got creativity on tap and uses it to create the most progressive rail features in the world. Tjäder turns unrealistic features unrailistic. This course is the ultimate expression of freeskiing: you won’t find rail features like this in any competition in the world.
Ever seen a dance floor with a bar in a Slopestyle comp before?
© Adam Klingeteg/Red Bull Content Pool
02
The Best Trick competition was off the rails
Red Bull Unrailistic kicked off with a Best Trick competition where the world’s best got to take on four of the most stunning rail features ever built. Including an extremely technical double S rail called the Tjäder Twist and a 13-metre-high rainbow rail, it was a night full of big shapes.
Burmansson on her favourite feature of the evening - the rainbow
© Judith Bergström/Red Bull Content Pool
It took Švancer 15 tries before he nailed his trick - a pretty good feeling
© Adam Klingeteg/Red Bull Content Pool
Sweden’s own Jennie-Lee Burmansson impressed massively by being the only rider of the evening to grind the full length of the 40-metre-long flatdown rail, which also landed her the Best Trick win. In the men’s, it was Austria’s Matěj Švancer who outperformed everyone on the Tjäder Twist by managing a mind-twisting switch two transfer blind two on the rail.
Hunter Henderson on the Tjäder Twist
© Judith Bergström
03
The Norwegians showed who’s boss on the rails
Norwegian skiers must be made of extra strong stuff, as shown by today’s Red Bull Unrailistic winners Johanne Killi and Andreas Håtveit. The two Norwegians both stomped their runs, adding a huge amount of technicality and flair to them.
1 min
Johanne Killi wins Red Bull Unrailistic 2024
Here's what Norwegian freeskier Johanne Killi has to say about her big win at Red Bull Unrailistic 2024.
Killi was so intimated by the course at the beginning of the week that she never thought she would go near the big rainbow rail. Yet, during the competition she laid down the biggest run in the women’s field. Nailing the rainbow rail was one of her biggest feats, but her two pretzel two on the downrail was one of the most stunning tricks of the evening. Talk about turning things around.
“I was like there’s no way I’m going to hit that rainbow rail. And then I managed to hit everything. I’ve had so much fun this week, it feels amazing!” Killi said.
Håtveit stepped it up big time on his second run
© Adam Klingeteg/Red Bull Content Pool
By the end of the week Killi was killing it on the rainbow
© Adam Klingeteg/Red Bull Content Pool
On the men’s side, Håtveit cemented his role as 'King of Rails' by making it two out of two wins. Håtveit came out of an almost decade-long retirement last year to take an unexpected win. This year, he came in as the man to beat and held up to the pressure brilliantly. With the biggest smile on course all week, he was the first one to hit practice in the morning and last one to leave.
During his second run of the evening, Håtveit laid down an incredibly technical run, including a crowd-pleasing 270 nose grab-up on the rainbow. A big score saw Håtveit slide past Austrian skier Švancer in the ranking, who finished in second.
“It feels Unrailistic. This is so crazy; I can’t believe I ended up winning. This week has been a victory just being able to be here, ski with my homies and have a blast.” Håtveit said once his win was confirmed.
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Andreas Håtveit makes it two out of two at Red Bull Unrailistic
Norwegian freeskier Andreas Håtveit can't believe he's taken another win. Here's what he has to say.
04
The riders turned unrealistic in to Unrailistic
One of the most unique things about this event is that the riders get scored on their top four features on the course, encouraging riders to go big. A crash on one feature doesn’t mean the run is over. They just hit reset and go for the next one.
Is it a bird? No, just Henrik Harlaut doing his thing
© Judith Bergström/Red Bull Content Pool
Some big transfers went down on the dice
© Adam Klingeteg/Red Bull Content Pool
The stoke when a rider landed a sick trick was huge
© Judith Bergström/Red Bull Content Pool
This leads to some huge tricks being thrown down and there were some that stood out a little extra. Like Nico Porteous's alley oop 180 wallride switch 360 out on the rainbow. In non-skier language, spinning his way on and off the side of the rainbow rail using it as one big wallride. No other rider did that... or even thought of it.
Or Evan McEachran, who sent an elusive double frontswap continuing 270 out on the same feature. Or, just flipping huge and impressive in plain language. Also, Lisa Zimmerman, who missed all but one day of practice due to illness, landed herself a strong second place with a technical run that included a creative body slide on the rollercoaster rail.
05
Jesper Tjäder was the hero of the week
1 min
Jesper Tjäder and his Red Bull Unrailistic experience
The mastermind behind the event talks about his run, the other athletes and the overall vibes from the week.
The mastermind behind the event, Tjäder has been a busy bee all week juggling everything from media, towing riders into features and practicing big tricks on the course. A back three swap continuing 630 out on the rainbow heated things up in the arena, with the crowd going mad for the local hero. It's a trick he’s been trying to land all week but saved his first make for the event.
Matěj Švancer giving the crowds what they want
© Adam Klingeteg/Red Bull Content Pool
“It’s been such a good day, super good course with nice and soft landings, the athletes were stoked and there was a big crowd. My highlight of the week was landing a good run that I feel proud of seeing the other athletes land crazy runs. It feels amazing.” Tjäder said at as Red Bull Unrailistic wrapped up for another year.
Watch the full Red Bull Unrailistic 2024 replay below...
Finals
The world’s top skiers return to Åre, Sweden to compete on the ultimate course inspired by Jesper Tjäder.
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