Welcome to the Show: The 2010 Visa Freestyle International

For years the Visa Freestyle International has been coming to Deer Valley, Utah to showcase the world’s best skiers in front of thousands of eager and inebriated spectators.  This year was no exception.  The festivities began Thursday with an eardrum bursting performance by The Bravery on Park City’s historic main street.  The concert was followed by a fantastic fireworks display and plenty of delicious libations for all to enjoy.  Friday, the qualifiers for the aerials competition narrowed down the field to 24 lucky men and women on Deer Valley’s famed White Owl course.  As the sun’s golden rays faded into a beautiful twilight, the crowds filed in, armed to the teeth with a spectacular selection of booze, blankets, and enough film in the camera to capture the excitement that permeated through the venue.  By eight o’clock, the first of the women rocketed into the stratosphere and dazzled the crowd with a wide array of flips and spins.  Aerial skiing is essentially a combination of gymnastic ability, art and flat out fearlessness.  The athletes propel themselves down an icy 250 foot in-run and launch off of a vertical jump measuring somewhere between 56-70 degrees.  They then perform an elaborate series of flips accompanied by a mind-boggling number of spins, only to fall out of the sky onto a steep as hell landing covered in chopped up snow and pine needles (for increased visibility).  The Chinese team made a brilliant showing, but it ended up being Lydia Lassila, a.k.a the Flying Kangaroo, who took home the gold.  Her flawless acrobatics and smooth style impressed the judges and gained her the title. 

The men’s finals pressed on immediately following the women’s, and the highly anticipated performances of Jeret “Speedy” Peterson and Warren “The Wookie” Shouldice were on display for all to see.  Speedy took off second and unleashed his patented “Hurricane,” which involves up to five twists and three spins.  Unfortunately, he didn’t quite stomp the landing and ended up double ejecting.  We will see if he can perfect it by the Olympics.  After a few more gravity defying routines, Anton Kushnir of Belarus awed the judges when he stuck his maneuver like stepping of a curb.  Although Kushnir was the winner, hometown hero, Dylan Ferguson, showed his phenomenal poise and strength and proved that he is the athlete to watch in the future.

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