Freeskiing
Jesper Tjäder nails what no one has tried on skis before
Never confined and always inventive: Swedish freeskier Jesper Tjäder turns yet another seemingly impossible idea into reality. All hail the world's first Open Loop rail slide.
Jesper Tjäder is used to sliding along rails both right side up and upside down and has become famous for being a progressive force within the ski world. Always thinking outside the box, Tjäder has created some of the most stunning, fun and boundary-pushing rail features ever seen. And, not surprisingly, he's back again. This time with the brand new feature: the Open Loop.
By landing the world’s first Open Loop rail slide, Tjäder once again brings his creative flair and innovative mindset to the world of winter sports. What does it take to come up with such an idea and how hard is it execute? Here’s the story behind the trick.
The man himself in front of his creation
© Judith Bergström
It feels amazing to clear this rail. It's been on my mind for almost nine years, so it’s a good feeling
Want to see more of Tjäder's rail creations? Red Bull Unrailistic, a ski event where the world’s top park skiers compete on never before seen rail features, takes place on April 25-26. You can watch the final on Red Bull TV here.
01
It was 9 years in the making…
In 2016, Tjäder landed the world's first Loop rail and an idea sprang to mind: what if you remove the top section of the loop? It would look pretty cool. The idea of Open Loop was born.
However, other things were priority in Tjäder's life. Like creating his viral edit Unrailistic 2.0, grabbing bronze in Beijing, breaking the world record for longest-ever rail grind on skis and making his very own Red Bull Unrailistic competition come to life in 2023. So, this idea got put to one side, brewing nicely in the back of his mind for nine years.
Tjäder nailing the world's first rail loop back in 2016
© Sverre Hjornevik
Fast forward to 2024 and Tjäder decides to spice things up
© Judith Bergström
02
It only took one day and 42 attempts to land
In early 2024, it was time to let his nine year old dream become reality. Once Tjäder brought Open Loop back to the forefront of his mind, it quickly came to life. He and his team built the rail in Åre, Sweden, and took to the feature to try and nail it in just one day. It took over two hours for that to happen, but Tjäder successfully rode the Open Loop on his 42nd attempt.
Let's see...
© Judith Bergström
... if it works this time?
© Judith Bergström
Nope! Let's try again
© Judith Bergström
"When I started trying out the regular loop in 2016, it was so hard to have contact on the top of the rail, so I though it would be almost easier if it was a gap. Since then, it's been on my mind," Tjäder recalls.
The word "easier" should be taken with a pinch of salt when it comes to Tjäder. Most of his tricks have taken days, sometimes even years, to complete. So, when a trick only takes a day and 41 failed attempts, it suddenly seems completely reasonable.
"In the end, it was both easier and harder than I thought, because I didn't think I was going to slip out that many times. That was probably the hardest part, not slipping out, because when you land on the second part of the feature it's a transition right away, so you've got to be super on it. But, at the same time, I came close to nailing it many times. It's hard to say, each attempt was a unique feeling."
As crazy as it sounds, 42 attempts is not that many for Tjäder
© Judith Bergström
Still feels pretty good to clear it. High fives all-round
© Judith Bergström
03
The second rail was removed for practice
In fact, Tjäder had few practice rounds before attempting the full feature. A couple of days before, half the feature was put in place so that he could practice the first part of the loop on the rail and then get a feeling for how the second part would run without it actually being there. Instead, there was a big pile of snow that gave him a softer and much-less consequential landing. Tjäder marked where he needed to land by laying out two ropes in the snow and then proceeded to attempt to land sideways, between the ropes.
Åre on a rare blue bird day is pretty magical
© Judith Bergström
04
There will always be a couple of hiccups
All-in-all, nailing this new feature went pretty smoothly, but there were a few hiccups along the way. First, the infamous Åre weather, known to be temperamental, delayed the production by about a week. A big storm came rolling in with insane winds and there was nothing the crew could do but wait it out.
When the weather finally cleared up, everything was good to get going, right? Well, yes, until the second big hiccup came along. The power unit for the whole production setup ran out of fuel, putting everything on hold. Luckily, creativity was on point and the crew decided to roll over one of the snowmobile's they'd rented and empty its fuel into the power unit instead. Filming on a mountain always requires a hint of creative thinking.
Perfection at last as Jesper Tjäder nails his open loop rail
© Judith Bergström
In the end, the project didn't have too much adversity come its way and it was a huge success by the end of the first day of filming. What more could you ask for? Tjäder sums it all up: "It feels amazing to clear this rail. It's been on my mind for almost nine years, so it's a good feeling."