This season Perisher's PlayStation Terrain Park on Front Valley has been home to 19 of the top Slopestyle skiers and boarders in the world, including the first, second and third Sochi Olympic Snowboarding Podium. You wouldn’t notice most of the pros as they generally fly under the radar while here at Perisher. You never know, you could be sitting on a chairlift with them or standing in line with them as you grab a quick bite to eat.
They aren’t your regular celebrities looking for fame and fortune, but they certainly show off their skills while they’re here, taking things sky high in our terrain parks. We are going to introduce you to a few faces you will see around the mountain, so that next time you run into one of them you know exactly who you are facing.
Bobby Brown
Breckenridge is where the history making pro-skier Bobby Brown calls home, but when he’s in the off season, you’ll find him training with good friend and Aussie Slopestyle Skier, Russ Henshaw. Bobby is definitely someone to keep an eye out for as he trains for the world stage while at Perisher.
Brown was the first person to win two gold medals in one trip at the 2010 Winter X Games, scoring gold in both Big Air and Slopestyle. He was also part of the US team for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics which is no surprise considering he was the first skier to ever land a triple cork 1440.
Joss Christensen
2014 Sochi Olympic Gold Medallist, Joss Christensen calls Park City his home resort however he then travels to Perisher in the off season to enjoy the best parks of the Southern Hemisphere. Joss was the first ever Gold Medallist for Olympic Slopestyle Skiing. This was a big win as Christensen was the underdog going into the Olympics, having been selected for the US team via a discretionary spot. This guy will definitely continue to surprise you!
Eric Willett
Born and raised near Breckenridge it’s pretty clear why Eric Willett is as good as he is. He’s been riding at Breckenridge with his younger brother since the age of six and is known for his fun attitude and easy-going nature. His deep bag of tricks includes1080s, 900s and rodeos. During the 2009-10 season he landed on the podium at the first stop of the Winter Dew Tour (in front of a hometown crowd no less) and the New Zealand Open.
Willet claimed silver in his X Games debut and won the gold at X Games Europe, where he didn’t land a single run during practice and made up his winning run as he was traveling down the course.
Russell Henshaw
Starting out in the alpine world Perisher’s own Russ jumped ship to slopestyle and has never looked back, securing a place among the biggest names in skiing. Since 2006 he’s been competing in comps at home and overseas, working his way onto the podium in most of his events. In 2010 he won silver at the Winter X Games and he was a part of the aussie team at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Russ is stoked to have mates like Bobby Brown to show around his home resort of Perisher.
Scotty James
“Teen heart-throb” Scotty knew what he wanted to do early on in life and was the youngest ever male competitor at the Winter Olympics; he was yet to start year nine. The aussie competes in slopestyle and halfpipe, gracing the podiums at open halfpipe events for snowboarding and is continually pushing the limits of his sport. During the 2013/14 season he won the World Cup Title for the halfpipe, his first crystal globe.
Along with Russ, Scotty was on the aussie team on their way to Sochi, this time shifting his focus to slopestyle.
Tom Wallisch
Park City’s Tom Wallisch took a different path to other slopestyle skiers. Wallisch first became known pioneering the trend of posting videos of him riding online. After his name gained some traction he began competing and dominated the podiums at Winter X Games. He even became ESPN’s Athlete of the Year in 2012.
He’s one of the most watched skiers in the world and you can check him out in the flesh when he arrives at Perisher this season.
Oystein Braaten
This young gun skier from Norway is definitely one to keep on your radar. Together with his snowboarder brother Gjermund, they built set-ups in their backyard, exercised every day and pushed each other to take their riding to the next level. This brotherhood pushed Oystein to compete in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and he is one of the few Norwegian’s that can throw down a triple cork.
He is definitely an up and comer and we can’t wait to see what he does next!
Mark McMorris
This Canadian native scored a silver medal in the 2011 Winter X Games and since then has been scoring medals left, right and centre. 2014 proved to be a tough year for McMorris but he showed just how committed he is to the sport. Mark won silver at the Winter X Games, despite having a rail crash and then proceeded to a podium position, receiving the bronze medal for Slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics (all the while nursing a cracked rib!).
No matter what’s thrown his way, McMorris is certainly breaking boundaries, being the first ever snowboarder to complete a backside triple cork 1440.
Jamie Anderson
Representing all the women snowboarders out, please meet Jamie. This Lake Tahoe lady knows how to hold her own amongst the men and is the youngest Winter X Games athlete to win a medal. Needless to say, she took to snowboarding like a duck to water.
Jamie just keeps on racking up the medal tally which includes the prestigious gold medal for the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle event at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Torstein Horgmo
Torstein is one of the most progressive and well-rounded snowboarders ever; dominating the backcountry, street riding and competitions for a long time now. His style, innovation and technical ability makes him one of the most respected snowboarders amongst his peers. The Norwegian snowboarder was the first to land the triple cork back in 2010 and has since scored himself three gold medals for big air at the Winter X Games.
This guy is motivated and knows what he wants; you’ll be seeing big things from him in the parks at Perisher.
Stale Sandbech
Norway seems to be producing the goods with Stale Sandbech pushing the boundaries in the Snowboard Slopestyle world. He is a regular on the podium and won silver in the Snowboarding Slopestyle event at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Like most athletes, Stale started from a young age and has continually worked on his technique, pushing the sport to new heights.
Sandbech rides Half Pipe and Slopestyle at top level and is known for having one of the best riding styles on the circuit right now.
Sebastien Toutant (Seb Toots)
If it wasn’t for breaking his skis on a family holiday and having to take up snowboarding on his brother’s old snowboard, we might not have the medal winning snowboarder we know today. Sebastien, a Canadian at heart, keeps going from podium to podium. He is a four time Winter X Games medallist and took out the win at Perisher’s 2014 Mile High competition last season.
Keep your eyes peeled for this talent when you’re cruising around this weekend.
We are only skimming the surface of the who’s who in the Terrain Parks this season. It’s incredible how many pros come to train in Perisher’s first class Terrain Parks, so the next time you pass by one of our six parks, make sure you take a quick glance in and see if you spot the pros!
Get out there and get a selfie with your favourite pro's, then use #PS4SlopeStyle on your social posts to win a PlayStation each week!
