The ski season for the Untied States (and most of the Northern Hemisphere) is, unfortunately, nearing its end. Many mountains across the world are preparing to close or have already closed, the Freeride World Tour is over, and most FIS events have concluded. However, that’s not to say that there isn’t at least one more major event to get absolutely hyped for…
The Nines’22 is coming, and it’s coming fast. From April 4th-9th, the 30th rendition of the event is set to take place, and it’s setting up to be absolutely epic. So, what is The Nines? Well, to sum it up, it’s an event series set to push the boundaries of freestyle skiing and snowboarding with massive and unique features, founded in 2008 by Nico Zacek. The first quad cork 1800 was landed by Andri Ragettli in the Nine Royals 2017. In short, it’s insane, and this year, taking place in Crans-Montana, will almost certainly be no different.
In past years we’ve seen massive jumps, weird slopes, and funky gaps, but this year might just have the most unique feature of all: the first downward spiral loop for skiers and snowboarders. 6 years ago we were treated with the first downward spiral on a skateboard thanks to Tony Hawk, and in just a couple days, we’ll be treated to the first downward spiral on skis (at least that I’m aware of).
YouTuber steepsteep, who’s mostly known for playing skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking video games like Shredsauce and Riders Republic, released a video discussing The Nines’22 course and interviewing Nico Vuignier, professional skier and one of the individuals who helped to imagine and build the downward spiral. I suggest you take the time to watch the video, as it’s quite informative on both the history of the event and what’s set to take place this year. So prepare yourselves, I’m predicting some insanity.
Image Credit: The Nines on YouTube
