Today’s lesson, ballet skiing certainly looks easy enough, and it shouldn’t be as ugly as that aerial jump I tried *** couple of summers ago. Jason Bodner of the US ski team is helping out with this project. He says ballet skiers are sometimes misunderstood. I get hecklers from the lift, but I really don’t think they understand how difficult it is. And just how difficult is it? You see the guy on the right, he tried to toss me from the ballet course, and believe me, I was ready to go. Jason though, reminded me even the big shots sometimes have rough days out here. Today’s lesson learned, ballet skiing is harder than it looks and deserves *** little respect. I think that’ll put *** wrap on it. Ow. Blaine Applegate, News 5 sports.
What is ballet skiing? Learn more about this incredible demonstration sport that took the Olympics by storm
Before there was freestyle skiing, there was ski ballet, a seemingly lost sport that is making a big comeback online during the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.The sport, formally known as acroski, combines “the grace of figure skating, the thrill of alpine skiing, and the fashion of the 1980s,” according to the official Olympics website.The sport itself involved a 90-second routine that sought to impress judges with a series of complicated move sets, often with flashy costumes of the era. The official Olympic website called it “part sport, part performance art, and entirely mesmerizing.”Ski Ballet origins and legacyOlympic officials describe ski ballet as a way for skiers to “revolt against the conformity and the rigid norms of competitive skiing.” Its origins date back to the Vietnam War era, with it gaining more widespread popularity in the 1988 Calgary Games as well as the 1992 Albertville Games. It was not included in the 1996 Games and has not been featured since.Despite being relegated to a demonstration sport in the ’80s and early ’90s, the legacy of ski ballet continues to influence modern freestyle skiing, according to the Olympics. The use of flashy moves and spins was crucial to the flavor of disciplines such as slopestyle and big air, according to freestyle skiing world champion Bob Howard. Ski Ballet was even popular in Lake Placid in the early 1990s, as evidenced by archival video of sister station WPTZ Sports Reporter Blaine Applegate.Click the video player above to watch Applegate try his hand at acroski. Spoiler – it is not as easy as it may look!PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
Before there was freestyle skiing, there was ski ballet, a seemingly lost sport that is making a big comeback online during the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
The sport, formally known as acroski, combines “the grace of figure skating, the thrill of alpine skiing, and the fashion of the 1980s,” according to the official Olympics website.
The sport itself involved a 90-second routine that sought to impress judges with a series of complicated move sets, often with flashy costumes of the era. The official Olympic website called it “part sport, part performance art, and entirely mesmerizing.”
Ski Ballet origins and legacy
Olympic officials describe ski ballet as a way for skiers to “revolt against the conformity and the rigid norms of competitive skiing.” Its origins date back to the Vietnam War era, with it gaining more widespread popularity in the 1988 Calgary Games as well as the 1992 Albertville Games. It was not included in the 1996 Games and has not been featured since.
Despite being relegated to a demonstration sport in the ’80s and early ’90s, the legacy of ski ballet continues to influence modern freestyle skiing, according to the Olympics. The use of flashy moves and spins was crucial to the flavor of disciplines such as slopestyle and big air, according to freestyle skiing world champion Bob Howard.
Ski Ballet was even popular in Lake Placid in the early 1990s, as evidenced by archival video of sister station WPTZ Sports Reporter Blaine Applegate.
Click the video player above to watch Applegate try his hand at acroski. Spoiler – it is not as easy as it may look!
