Skiing
Meet Jesper Tjäder: one of the most creative freeskiers in the world
From international Slopestyle podiums to viral ski edits and world records: meet the Swedish phenomenon that takes skiing out of its comfort zone.
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Jesper Tjäder is a skier who does not like to be confined by what’s already been done, but instead, always aims to go beyond what most of us think possible. Mostly known for his state-of-the-art ski edits, Tjäder has never stopped pushing limits or learning new tricks, and, a decade into his professional ski career, continues to surprise and awe with mind-boggling tricks and creative rail combinations. On top of that, he keeps scoring big international podiums, showing he can both compete and create.
How did he become a professional freeskier and where does this insatiable desire of learning new tricks come from? Keep reading to find out more about the creative genius that is Jesper Tjäder.
Jesper Tjäder`s Loop from Supervention II
© Sverre Hjornevik
01
From humble beginnings to professional skier
Like most Swedish kids, Jesper was put on a pair of skis at an early age and quickly fell in love with the adrenaline rush and creativity that came with the sport. Born and raised in Östersund, an hour from Sweden’s ski capital Åre, there was always plenty of big features to hit and ski athletes to be inspired by. His home mountain and its people in many ways created the love Jesper feels towards the sport: “I think the ski culture up here in Jämtland made me good at skiing”.
Skiing and edits have always gone hand in hand for Jesper, who started making his own little videos early on. “The Swedish ski website freeride.se was super important to me, maybe my love for edits started there”, the skier says. Continuously capturing his progression and latest tricks on camera would also come to be the starting point of his career.
The Japanese Game show edit takes Tjäder's imagination to the next level
© Adam Klingeteg
Jesper has this strange ability to do completely bonkers stuff on skis. He slides around and plays coming up with these strange tricks. I think it’s given him a control over his skiing that most competition skiers don’t get in the same way.
It was the season that Jesper learned how to do a dub-12, a trick not many people in the world could actually do at the time, that his big break would come. Jesper, only a young teenager at the time, released a season edit showing off his latest trick and the next day he got a phone call from Jon Olsson, one of the biggest freeskiers of his generation, inviting him for a filming session.
“It was mental. First of all, getting a call from Jon Olsson was insane. Then getting to do a filming session with him, with a helicopter, hitting the biggest jump I’ve ever sent, let alone seen”. After that edit was released everything changed. ”I was thrown in to the professional side of free skiing and got my first sponsors, from there everything went super fast”.
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Jesper Tjäder | Top 5 Highlights
02
Breaking the internet
From jibbing at his local hill one day to being invited to international Slopestyle events the next, Jesper quickly made a name for himself with his creative tricks and drive to push limits. In 2011 he took home the IF3 Rookie of the Year award and the Best Rail Skier of the Year, followed by the Park Shredder of the Year Award in 2012. In 2014 he placed 3rd overall in the FIS Freestyle skiing World Cup and became European Freeski Open Champion.
However, 2015 would be his big showdown year. It was at the Nine Knight free skiing event that Jesper decided to send a huge gap between two courses. A gap not even the most experienced skiers considered doable. However, Jesper lined it up, turned on his GoPro and went for it. Three times in a row he cleared the massive double, and threw in a huge backflip on the last go just because… well, why not? His footage went viral beyond the world of snow and cemented Jesper’s name at the top of free skiing.
Jesper Tjäder in Unrailistic 2.0
© Emrik Jansson/Red Bull Content Pool
Tjäder on the Triple S Rail
© Emrik Jansson/Red Bull Content Pool
Upside down or right side up?
© Adam Klingeteg / Red Bull Content Pool
As if breaking the internet once wasn’t enough, a couple of months later Jesper followed it up by dropping his state-of-the-art ski edit Unrailistic. Taken straight from his own bonkers imagination he made a playground of never-before-seen rails come to life. The edit mixes state-of-the-game technical tricks on traditional park obstacles with completely original features such as a trampoline and a trapeze swing. It blew the collective mind of the ski world.
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Jesper’s famous notebook (and tricks)
Jesper’s main strength as an athlete has always been his ability to think outside the box. His part in the Supervention edit back in 2013 was a glimpse of what Jesper’s creative mind and skills could do, but after the release of Unrailistic in late 2015 there was no more doubt - this is a skier that puts progression at the forefront of everything he does. The following years Jesper released plenty of unforgettable edits.
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Jesper Tjäder's Loop
Freestyle skier Jesper Tjäder got the idea of building a trick loop and then he, along with Aksel Lund Svindal and Marcus Kleveland, made it a reality. Watch as Tjäder tests and perfects the loop.
Remember the loop rail from Supervention 2 in 2017, or the body slide to spin out in Unrailistic 2 released in 2019 or the fire loop in Japanese Game Show edit from 2020? It’s almost unfair to pick out specific tricks as all the above edits are jam-packed with never-before-seen features and tricks, most of them taking over 100 attempts to make. What seems like an insane amount of tries for some, is to Jesper what makes it so exciting:
“The most fun thing about video projects is the opportunity to do features and tricks you’d never be able to do in a competition run. You never know how long a trick is gonna take to land - sometimes they are pretty quick and sometimes they take days. But once you finally get it it’s a crazy feeling. And it’s that feeling that makes you push that little bit extra”, Jesper explains.
Jesper Tjäder - The Game Show - Fire hoop
© Adam Klingeteg
The crane rail
© Emrik Jansson/Red Bull Content Pool
A glimpse into Tjäder's mind?
© Adam Klingeteg / Red Bull Content Pool
All of these edits and pretty bonkers tricks make you wonder: what does the inside of Jesper Tjäder’s mind look like? Funnily enough, the answer is closer than you think. All you have to do is take a peak in one of his many notebooks. From early on Jesper always keep a notebook close and whenever an idea pops into his head he draws it in his book. These scribbles are then turned into reality in his many edits. The crazy rail combinations in Unrailsistic 1 and 2, the weird but wonderful Japanese Game show shapes… it’s all in there.
04
Unwrapping Unrailistic to the crowds
As a treat, in 2021 Jesper decided that it was time to welcome the professional world of freeskiing into his mind. He invited some of his friends, which also happen to be some of the very best skiers and snowboarders in the world, to come and try out some features from his edits. It went down a treat, making room for even bigger ideas to take shape.
This year, Tjäder is inviting the crème de la crème of the freeski world to Åre for a brand new event: Red Bull Unrailistic. On April 26-27, athletes will compete on a course that will be a celebration of innovation, imagination and creativity. Find out more about Red Bull Unrailistic and how to attend here.
The dream park, Jesper invited his friends to try his unrailistic ideas
© Adam Klingeteg
05
Sliding along, breaking world records
In 2022 Jesper decided to take his rail expertise to the next level and do something completely new. But don’t worry, still equally bonkers. He decided to break the Guinness World Record in longest rail grind on skis. Did he do it? Of course he did. It only took 127 attempts. He slid along the rail for 154.49 meters at a top speed of 77 km/h.
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The world’s longest rail
Watch Olympic freeski medallist Jesper Tjäder set a new world record by completing the world’s longest rail.
But that was of course not the only thing he did in 2022. For example, he once again proceeded to blow everyone’s minds at The Nines event by landing a Cork 540 to transition to switch backflip as well as taking some very impressive podiums in Slopestyle.
When it comes to Jesper Tjäder and his skiing, one thing’s for sure - Jesper is never done learning. There is always more skiing to be done. More tricks to learn. More creativity to unleash. Whether he’s performing in front of the world’s eyes in big competitions, breaking the internet with an edit or creating a fun tree run at home, Jesper will do it.
It’s hard to say now what I can do at 80, but if I can throw a backflip, I will definitely throw a backflip.
How about this for a balance act?
© Judith Bergström
Jesper Tjäder - world record holder
© Judith Bergström
What you been doing today? Ah, you know, just sliding along...
© Judith Bergström
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