Ski ballet

What is Ski Ballet?

Ski ballet is a special kind of show done on skis. It mixes ballet dancing and figure skating. People do spins, jumps, and flips on skis. They perform for about two minutes to music.

History

In the 1970s and 1980s, ski ballet was popular in professional freestyle skiing shows. It was an official event in FIS and Olympic competitions until 2000. In the 1990s, it was called Acroski. This name change helped it become more accepted by ski competitors.

Today

Now, ski ballet is not part of competitive freestyle skiing. But it is still a fun way to mix skiing with dance-like moves, like in figure skating.

Overview

Ski ballet was a special kind of skiing where people did flips, jumps, and spins on a smooth slope. After the mid-1970s, these routines were done to music and lasted for 90 seconds. In the 1980s, there were also pair ballet competitions where two people performed together, doing tricks like lifts and moving in sync. Judges scored the performances, much like in figure skating.

Notable athletes

Suzy Chaffee

After her ski-racing career, Suzy Chaffee became a top freestyle ballet skier in the early 1970s. She was called Suzy Chapstick because she was a spokesperson for ChapStick lip balm.

Genia Fuller

In 1974, Genia Fuller became the first person to win all four events at a Freestyle Championship: aerials, moguls, ballet, and combined. She started with figure skating and later placed second in a national junior freestyle contest at age 16. She performed ski ballet without using ski poles.

Lane Spina

Lane Spina won medals when ski ballet was shown as a demonstration event at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, and the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.

Rune Kristiansen

Rune Kristiansen won a gold medal in ballet at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships 1995. He had 38 World Cup victories and competed in ski ballet at the 1992 Winter Olympics, which was a demonstration event. He was the Norwegian champion in ballet for many years.

George Fuehrmeier

George Fuehrmeier competed in ski ballet in 1985. He became popular when a video of his routine was shared online during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Richard Schabl

Richard Schabl was the FIS World Champion of 1986. He created new moves in freestyle skiing, including a one-handed pole flip.

Olympic demonstration sport and decline in popularity

Main article: Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics

Ski ballet became very popular and was shown as a special event at the 1988 Winter Olympics and the 1992 Winter Olympics. After 1992, its popularity dropped because it was not made an official Olympic sport. Other snow sports, like snowboarding, became more popular with young skiers. By 2000, ski ballet almost stopped being part of big international competitions when the International Ski Federation stopped holding events for it.