Fantastic new ski video from the slopes of the Saas-Fee glacier starring Fabrice Becker and Annika Johansson as they blur the lines between art and sport and revive ski ballet. The pair competed at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France, which was the last to include ski ballet. Ski ballet was sadly discontinued by the IOC before the Winter Games in Lillehammer and has slowly faded away over the years. Love to see that there are still some athletes out there who can still throw down. Cheers to MGG for putting together. They make outerwear and have a sick line ski sweaters. If that’s your jam, highly recommend checking out their gear HERE:
A romance of alpine skiing, ballet, acrobatics, musicality, and figure skating, ski ballet combines the grace of dancing on snow, with awe-inspiring spins, flips, and ski control, all of which remain eye-wateringly extreme, decades on.
Our new campaign – BALLET’S BACK – is the culmination of a dream to bridge the past with the present, and seeks to reclaim the glory of ski ballet – an extraordinary former Winter Olympic discipline, which was at its peak during the late 80s and early 90s – and to make the sport accessible for a new audience, by capturing its essence with modern photographic and videographic technology, in a way never witnessed before.
Working with Fabrice Becker (FRA), gold medallist at the ’92 Albertville Winter Olympics, and Annika Johansson (SWE), who took home 5th place at the same, and who both went on to dominate the ski ballet competition scene during the 90s and early 00s, we once again teamed up with world renowned photographer Matt Holyoak (https://www.mattholyoak.com) and videographer Scott Goedkoop (https://www.smh.art), to produce a mesmerising film and an incredible selection of still imagery, showcasing Annika and Fabrice’s exceptional mastery of mind-bendingly complex manoeuvres, the likes of which many will never have seen.
Shot at 3,500m high on the Saas-Fee glacier over the first weekend of August 2023, what started as an original way to reminisce about an era when the quality, design, and longevity of sweaters like our own was commonplace, and to be expected as standard, quickly evolved into so much more than we could ever have imagined. We have Annika and Fabrice to thank from the bottom of our hearts for the determination and expertise that they brought to a sensational and unexpectedly emotional two day spectacle.
We hope you enjoy this wonderful film, and please spread some joy by sharing it far and wide!
