Whacky French skiing in the 1960s.
Whacky French skiing in the 1960s.

If you aren’t spending at least one day a season getting whacky on your skis, you’re not really taking advantage of the ski season. I’m talking goofy outfits, monoskis, ski blades, goofy tricks, retro style, etc. Getting weird is a vital part of spring skiing. Whacky skiing has been around for decades, with activities like ski ballet, once very popular on the mountain, proving that. But this guy, french skier Jeannot Tournier (A.K.A. the Snow Acrobat) was doing it long before any of us.

This video was initially published in 1962, making it one of the early demonstrations of ski ballet technique. It also features what we believe could be among the first video demonstrations of ski blades and some of the earliest backward skiing we’ve ever seen. Skiing on stilts is epic too, no matter when it’s done.

Nolan Deck is a writer for Unofficial Networks, covering skiing and outdoor adventure. After growing up and skiing in Maine, he moved to the Denver area for college where he continues to live and work...