Origins of Freestyle Skiing

scheme began in North America in the mid-1800s when miners strapped longboards onto their feet and slid down the slopes to pass the time during the long winters in those days a good skier was someone who could just get to the bottom of the hill without falling but by the 1960s the world had more than 10 million avid skiers and a good skier was someone who could keep his skis together and make his way down the slope with a few jumps and some quick Wiggles but things change in the 70s millions of skiers created millions of mobiles and the hot dogger was born on March 10th 1971 in Aspen Colorado a hundred skiers and 3,000 spectators were on hand to take part in the world's first hot dog contest a new pair of skis would be awarded to the skier who can make the hottest fastest run down the ridge of Bell Mountain a fall was only judged as a fall if the skier came to a complete stop otherwise it was considered a recovery and great recoveries scored high the rules were made is the contest progressed and contestants received points in the judges based on the reaction of the crowd Sun Valley's Dave wheeler a dazzling off-the-wall performance and stocks and sex the crowd went wild when squirrel O'Callahan put in this winning run that covered the entire course and included a near-miss of the crowd unscheduled airtime and several disastrous Falls that O'Callahan craftily converted into incredible recoveries within two years hot-dogging became Skeens biggest spectator event and 200 competitors would show up for a contest where $50,000 in cash prizes would be awarded the winners during a three-day festival local skiers would arrive on the scene and join in just for the thrill of competition while serious skiers quit their jobs and join the circuit the name was changed from hot doggin to freestyle but the crowd still gave the biggest cheers for the biggest crashes it was because of hot doggin that the new fear binding became a big seller if you got scared enough your findings would eject these are the early 70s the golden years of freestyle where almost any skier could come out and perform as the crowd encouraged him onto new heights and out of these years came some exceptional skiers like Scott Brooks Bank one of the best freestyle runs ever made was performed in 1973 at Vail Colorado by airborne Eddie Ferguson you this run by Ferguson epitomizes the sport of freestyle it demonstrates the skill and spontaneity of the early hot dogger you freestyle today is a sanctioned part of FIS competitions and at the world championships in team France one could see the change in the organised event gone were the days of spectacular recoveries and unnecessary crashes and in its place good skiers on tough runs bashing down through moguls with precise pole plants but once in a while we see one of those all-out go-for-broke runs the remind us of the old days and proves that the hot dogger is still alive you today's all around world champion of freestyle is Canada's Greg Athens a seven year veteran and one of the few survivors of the early freestyle era after seven years of freestyle Greg proves the spectacular recoveries still score high especially with the photographer

Channel: marksjohnson5

Views: 1,078,136

Rating: 4.8769302 out of 5

Keywords: Origins, History, Hot, Dog, Skiing, Freestyle, Aspen, Colorado, Vail, Sun, Valley, Idaho, Scott, Brooksbank, Airborne, Eddie, Ferguson, Dave, Wheeler, Greg, Athens, Squirrel, O'Callahan, FIS, competition, World, Championships

Id: MGhCVifDPws

Length: 7min 56sec (476 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 12 2009

Reddit Comments

[u/Lips_of_Anubis]

Sponsored by the North American Orthopedic Surgical Society.

[u/Twinkie4sho]

/r/hotdogging for more ski action.

[u/Bmorewiser]

As a black man my first time snowboarding I got off the lift, stumbled my way to the top, and promptly followed some friends on skis down the moguls, which I destroyed by driving right through the middle of them. At the bottom the ski patrol comes up and I ask, clueless, what was with all the bumps. It was my first and only time on the slopes.

[u/PoopShootGoon]

That's not the hotdogging I was expecting

[u/9teen11]

Looks like fun, but my papa says hotdoging is for sissies

[u/BrianaRufssell]

this really is just falling with style

[u/Sinisus]

Skiing didn't fucking start in North America!

[u/nidalmorra]

I know its not the case but these guys don't look like they are in control AT ALL.

[u/boltactionmike]

3:04 "It was because of hot dogging that the new fear binding became a big seller. If you got scared enough, your bindings would eject." Wait.... what? That is literally all they say about it. Was that just a really bad joke or what?