Wintersports
Freeskiing
A celebration freestyle skiing and snowboarding's most sensational records
Snowboard sensation Valentino Guseli has just landed in the record books with the highest snowboard air ever. In honor of this feat we take a look at the best freeski and snowboard records.
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Australian snowboarding prodigy Valentino Guseli has jumped his way into the record books again at the Swatch Nines in Switzerland. So, what better time to take a look at the 10 craziest records in freeskiing and snowboarding...
01
On the right track
On May 9, 2022, Jesper Tjäder wrote his name in the history books. How did he do it? By grinding a rail 154.49 meters long. It took no less than 127 attempts for the Swedish skier (who's no stranger to rails of all kinds) to achieve this feat and dethrone Tom Wallisch, the previous record holder (129.2m). Not bad.
9 min
The world’s longest rail
Watch Olympic freeski medallist Jesper Tjäder set a new world record by completing the world’s longest rail.
02
15 years and all his teeth
Simon Dumont knows a thing or two about heights
© Christian Pondella /Red Bull Content Pool
For 15 years, American Simon Dumont has held a record that no one has yet beaten: that of the highest jump from a quarter pipe. On April 11, 2008, the freestyle skier soared 10.08 meters from the quarter-pipe at Sunday River in Maine, USA. And wrote his name into the legend. In 2019, David Wise planned to break the record with a jump to 11.7 meters. The problem? The officials couldn't approve it because the conditions weren't exactly the same. The result: Dumont still sits at the top, and no one seems ready to dislodge him.
03
Full astern
Yes, it's possible to go very, very fast skiing backwards. On the men's side, it's Switzerland's Elias Ambühl who's held the record since 2017, with a peak recorded at 131.23kph. On the women's side, it was France's Emilie Cruz who, a year later, managed to ski 'switch' [upside down] at the rather insane speed of 107.14kph. Do they go that fast when they switch? I'm not sure...
04
Valentino at the top
It's not every day you get to dethrone an absolute snowboarding legend. Yet that's what Valentino Guseli has done at just 16 years of age in 2021. The teenager from Canberra, Australia, shattered Shaun White's own record by climbing to the incredible height of 7.30m on a half-pipe. What did you do when you were 16?
And if that wasn't enough, Guselli then broke another longstanding record in April 2024 at Swatch Nines when he flew to a height of 11.5 meters [37.7 feet], topping Swiss snowboarder Christian Haller's hip air record of 11.3m [37.1 feet], set back in 2016. Guseli said: "I was just going as big as I could. I'd say it's the biggest hip I ever hit. And the thing that's gnarly about it is, when you first hit it, you already have to go big."
Valentino Guseli is one to watch out for in the halfpipe competition
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
05
Head first
Sometimes, you don't always have to land on your feet to validate a record. That's exactly what Jamie Pierre (USA) did on January 25, 2006, when he jumped, on skis, from a cliff in Wyoming... His fall, of 77m, was validated as a world record. Even though he (literally) ended up head first in the thick layer of snow below.
06
On the right track, episode 2
As Jasper Tjäder sets off down the huge rail at Are, Sweden, he may be thinking of Basti Rittig's performance. Why should he? Simply because the German snowboarder has held the world record for the longest '50-50' since 2017, with a length of 84m. Not bad either.
2 min
World record: Longest rail slide
World record: Longest rail slide
07
Simply Mad(s)
Mads Jonsson doesn't go by his first name for nothing. In 2005, the snowboarder did something pretty crazy and befitting of his name – he did a frontside 360 over 57 meters. Yes, 57 meters. That's a little more than the size of an Olympic swimming pool. So it's huge. Mads(ness).
08
Biggest air ever
Setting a world record is great. Doing it in style is even better. The year is 2007. While the world was discovering Arctic Monkeys' Brianstorm, a different kind of storm was bearing down on Oslo, Norway. It's called Terje Haakonsen and it's taking everything in its path. On the quarter pipe of the Arctic Challenge, Terje sent an over rotating backside air and into a backside 360 landing fakie. Yep.
09
Hiroto's guts
To infinity, and much further
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
"What were you doing at the age of 16", part two. Well, probably not a backside 2160 on the slopes of Crans Montana like young Hiroto Ogiwara, anyway. Oh yes, just to remind you, 2160 means six laps around yourself. Yes, six laps.
10
Mark, king of Regina
Elegance and style: Mark McMorris
© Emily Tidwell/Red Bull Content Pool
As well as being a sliding prodigy, Mark McMorris is a trailblazer. In 2012, when he was just 18 years old, he took part in the X Games in Aspen and landed, for the first time in competition, a Backside 1440 Triple Cork. And we specify 'in competition' for the first time, because the native of Regina, Canada, had already landed this crazy trick (which could be translated as 'corkscrew') the year before.
BONUS – Giant Dave
How can we finish this list without talking about Dave Lee and his Signal team? In 2014, they created the largest snowboard in history, measuring 304 centimeters. So, it's not super practical to ride, but it has the merit of existing.
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