Wintersports
Skiing
What is street skiing?
Learn about the world of street skiing, including techniques, safety recommendations and top spots to test it out.
Red Bull PlayStreets returned to Austria in 2023, after a four-year hiatus.
This unique competition featured some of the best freeskiing talent in the world tearing up the notoriously steep streets of Gastien. Freeskier Jesper Tjäder won his second title, eking out a narrow three-point victory over Andri Ragettli.
Jesper Tjäder at Red Bull Playstreets in Bad Gastein, Austria in 2023
© Simon Rainer / Red Bull Content Pool
“It's just great to win here… It’s a really difficult course that can’t be compared to any other contest. The atmosphere pushes you so hard and makes Red Bull PlayStreets unique. I’m so stoked I won my second star,” said Tjäder after winning this slopestyle-inspired, street-skiing contest.
But what exactly is street skiing? It takes the creativity you can see in the Supervention 2 trailer, and adapts it to the streets. In this article, we will dive into the world of street skiing, including techniques, safety recommendations and top spots to test it out.
01
What is street skiing?
Street skiing, or freeskiing, is a progression of freestyle that occurs either in, or near urban areas, or in areas that have urban-style features. The average speeds for recreational skiers range from ten to 20 mph. Simply skiing around or avoiding obstacles don’t truly capture the essence of what street skiing is.
Andri Ragettli at Red Bull Playstreets in Bad Gastein, Austria in 2023
© Miriam Lottes / Red Bull Content Pool
Street skiing features
- Skiers navigate through a series of rails, steps, benches and other urban elements on their runs.
- This style also incorporates some freestyle elements:
- ○ Jumps: Skiers jump from table to table, or down a set of stairs,
- ○ Grinds: Skiers grind (turn their board perpendicular to surface) on rails or benches that they find on their runs,
- ○ Tricks: Skiers built ramps so they can clear obstacles like railings and do tricks in the air.
The difference between street skiing and traditional skiing
In traditional skiing, when you’re going down slopes, obstacles are to be generally avoided. There’s a lot of open space for you to operate in. In street skiing, obstacles are to be expected and conquered. There’s a rail? Grind it. There’s a set of stairs? Jump over them. Of course, this makes street skiing more challenging and dangerous than traditional skiing, but it is also so much more rewarding.
Different types of street skiing
Samuel Baumgartner at Red Bull Playstreets in Bad Gastein, Austria in 2019
© Alexander Papis / Red Bull Content Pool
- Street skiing in its rawest form is going downhill in an urban area and using the features around you to amplify your experience.
- Slopestyle type of street skiing is what is on display at PlayStreets. This style is focused on doing the best tricks possible through a series of jumps and rails that can be natural or artificially-placed.
- There are also terrain parks at winter resorts that are dedicated to emulating the experience of street skiing, using elements like box jumps and tables to model street skiing environments.
Of course, for it to be such a unique style of skiing, street skiing also has its own technique and equipment that needs to be used.
02
Techniques and equipment used in street skiing
A key thing to remember about street skiing is that although it is a form of freeskiing, there are still a lot of freestyle elements present.
To make sure you’re prepared for that, you have to have the basics nailed down first before you try street skiing. You don’t have to be at an X-Games level, but you have to be comfortable enough to deal with subpar conditions.
Street skiing techniques
Whether you’re only doing downhill slaloms or hitting tricks off ramps, a good way to ensure success is to practice.
Hunter Henderson at Red Bull PlayStreets in Bad Gastein, Austria in 2023
© Lukas Pilz / Red Bull Content Pool
- Your leg strength is probably the most important part. If your legs are going to tire out halfway through a run, then you’re not going to have a good time.
- Another understated part of training for street skiing is your core strength. A strong core allows you to stay more stable if and when you’re making turns or get off-balanced. It also allows you to be more controlled when moving at high speeds.
- Street skiing is often done on very shallow amounts of snow on top of a blacktop or concrete, so the landings are going to be much harder than if you were to be on powder snow. We recommend keeping your knees bent and preparing for impact, rather than stalling it out. (Keeping your knees too firm could cause major pain in your legs even if you land correctly, while keeping your knees too loose could cause you to fall on every landing.)
Street skiing equipment
As important as the technique you use is the equipment you have. Street skiers typically use freeride equipment since it’s specifically designed to be usable in any type of snow.
Street skiing clothing
When it comes to clothing, whatever you’re wearing has to be suited for the weather, fitted snug but not tight to your body and allowing for a full-range of mobility. You should wear the typical recommended gear for a ski outing: a helmet, googles, gloves, a ski jacket, ski pants, boots, etc. Extra protection for your back and joints is also recommended. Remember most of your falls won’t be on powder snow; they’ll mostly be on asphalt or on an obstacle like a railing or a table.
If you are going skiing in the city, you probably don’t need a bookbag unless you plan to go across a long distance. You can just park near your spot of choice and keep all your gear nearby.
Street skiing skis
Kim Gubser at Red Bull Playstreets in Bad Gastein, Austria in 2023
© Miriam Lottes / Red Bull Content Pool
Generally speaking, freeride skis are better suited for more advanced skiers, while traditional skis suited all skill levels. This is why making sure you have a solid grasp on the basics is so important for your safety.
Compared to traditional or all-mountain skis, freeride skis are much different:
- Wider on average (10-11 centimeters, all mountain skis can range from 8 to 11 centimeters); perform better on powder snow
- More rocker (upturn at the nose and tail); more control on uneven terrain
- Larger turn radius; easier to make turns when going at high speeds
- Stiffer; more stable when going at high speeds
03
Risks and safety measures of street skiing
The risk that comes from street skiing are all the obstacles when you’re going downhill!
Of course, you have your rails, tables and other usual elements. But there are also parked cars, oncoming traffic, trash cans and potential hazardous materials hidden under the snow like broken glass or stray pieces of metal.
The inherent risk of the existence of these objects is amplified when you decide to do tricks on or off them. One slip or false step, and you’re not falling onto layers of snow, but asphalt or concrete. Trauma or impact injuries are very common when street skiing because falling is also quite common.
To mitigate these risks as best as possible, make sure that:
- You are street skiing in an area that has already been deemed safe.
- Go to areas that are popular spots or check out a potential area a day or two before and make a mental note of all the likely obstacles.
- Even if you decide to use a street-style terrain park at a ski resort, it would be best to take a look at the park first and visualize what you want to do first.
Now that you know what gear to bring and how to be safe, here are some of the best places to catch some of the street skiing action.
Famous winter resorts for street skiing
Teaser Park at Buttermilk in Colorado is a very popular location for street skiing enthusiasts. The park features 10-15 obstacles from down rails to table jumps.
The Streets at Seven Springs is another solid choice. This park has several urban-style elements including wallrides and stair sets.
Conclusion
Street skiing is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of skiing in the world. However, it takes a lot of practice and training to become skilled. So whether you want to practice your freestyle skills or your freeriding skills, both are necessary in order to truly enjoy street skiing!
