Near Miss: Freestyle Skier Loses Ski Mid-Air, but Somehow Sticks the Landing (Video)
Skis, as every skier knows, are usually supposed to stay attached to your feet.
Ideally, when they do release, it’s at the right moment, saving you from a torn ligament or dislocated hip.
For Austrian professional freeskier Matej Svancer, that equilibrium appeared to be disrupted when one of his skis departed right as he launched off a jump.
Still, Svancer, not one to miss an opportunity to demonstrate his air awareness, landed upright, somehow skiing away in one piece.
Check out his epic save below. Tap or click to watch.
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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4pAVtG-Isis
Svancer’s near miss took place at the slopestyle World Cup event in Laax, Switzerland, last week. Ultimately, he finished second, between Norway’s Birk Ruud and Canada’s Evan McEachran. Svancer later posted a series of highlights from the competition, sliding down the course with trademark style.
He capped the post off with a caption that nodded at another of his trademarks, his tongue-in-cheek online presence: “explaining myself is too much work PLS JUST JUDGE ME.”
Silliness aside, Svancer has a point. When you’re one of the best freeskiers on Earth, you can let your talent do the talking.
The competition was the final freeskiing World Cup stop before the Winter Olympics, which begin in early February.
Ahead of the Games, national teams are shaking out, medal favorites are being identified, and crowd-favorite stories are emerging. For instance, all eyes are on Lindsey Vonn, who, after launching a successful comeback last winter, is rolling into the Winter Olympics with multiple World Cup podiums under her belt.
Will the Games deliver another remarkable save? Hard to say. But with his one-legged stomped landing, Svancer echoed the legendary ski racer Bode Miller, who famously rode the course in Bormio, Italy, missing a ski.
In the meantime, Aspen, Colorado, is gearing up for the X Games, which are scheduled between January 23 and January 25.