Keep Your Clips Up #11: Best Ski Videos of the Week

Hello again. For the past several weeks of publishing this column, I’ve written repeatedly about how the North American ski season is almost over. The time has come to stop using the word “almost.” I sat by the river and drank a beer yesterday. I got a sunburn on my back. I heard fireworks as I drifted to sleep last night. If I had a lawn, I’d be puttering around it in a motorized lawn mower. With 100-degree temperatures looming, I’ve accepted that the closest thing I’ll find to powder snow for the next few months is the ice at the bottom of a cold drink, which is just fine. Seasons change.

So, instead of trying to round up what’s going on in skiing right now—in summation, buy a plane ticket to a different continent—let’s have a look backward, shall we? Here’s a selection of ski videos you may or may not have missed over the years. They all rock.

Ingrid Backstrom Leads Us Off

This is in no way a diss on contemporary freeskiing, but don’t you feel like the pros skied differently in the 2000s? I do, at least—maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic. In this segment of Matchstick Productions’ Seven Sunny Days , Ingrid Backstrom keeps it textbook. Arms in front. Athletic position. If it weren’t for all the fresh snow, you’d think she was on the race course. A mondo backflip wraps up an already stellar performance in style.

Eric Hjorleifson Finds the Transition

Speaking of precision, Eric Hjorleifson had the same thing going on during his Claim appearance. The opening shot, which sees Hjorleifson lining up—and stomping—an enormous pillow stack before leaning into some textbook turns, is pure satisfaction. Here, he doesn’t have a limb out of place, a trend that continues throughout the rest of this segment.

Parker White’s Real Ski Sessions

Remember X Games Real Ski Backcountry? Bring it back. We need a fresh crop of pros heading into the backcountry so we can get a modern rendition of this top-notch, no-BS offering from Parker White. It’s great from start to finish, but White’s triple with a freakishly solid landing is something else entirely.

Nick McNutt Lands Backwards—a Lot

Throughout the course of modern skiing’s history—call it since, say, 2000—a few video releases have taken on a certain timeless quality. If you were to update their footage quality and maybe swap out some of the skiers’ outerwear choices, you could easily persuade someone that they dropped yesterday thanks to the modernity of the tricks and style on display. Nick McNutt’s 2010/2011 edit falls into this category. Switch landings. Funky pillow trickery. It might have happened over a decade ago, but none of McNutt’s moves feel dated.

Ice and Rails With Christian Franchino

A similar effect occurs when you watch this edit featuring Christian Franchino. Yes, I know, 2016 wasn’t that long ago, but it’s a lifetime in ski years. What hasn’t changed, though, is the pleasant snappiness of a rail skier who knows what they’re doing.

Related: Keep Your Clips Up #10: Best Ski Videos of the Week

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