Ski ballet

Ski ballet is a special kind of performance done on skis. It is like a mix of ballet dancing and figure skating. Performers do spins, jumps, and flips while standing on skis, all in a routine that lasts about two minutes and is done to music.

In the 1970s and 1980s, ski ballet was a popular part of professional freestyle skiing tours. It was even an official event in the FIS and Olympic competitions until the year 2000. During the 1990s, the sport was called Acroski. This name change was made to help it become more accepted by the competitive ski community.

Today, ski ballet is no longer part of competitive freestyle skiing. But it remains a fun and exciting way to combine skiing with dance-like movements, similar to figure skating.

Overview

Ski ballet was a special kind of skiing where people did flips, rolls, leg crossings, 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 known as 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 competing in figure skating and later finished 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 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 grew very popular and was chosen to be shown as a special event at the 1988 Winter Olympics and the 1992 Winter Olympics. However, its popularity dropped a lot after 1992. This happened because it was not made an official Olympic sport and because other snow sports, like snowboarding, became more popular with young skiers. By the year 2000, ski ballet almost completely stopped being part of big international competitions when the International Ski Federation stopped holding formal events for it.