FREESTYLE. We asked legendary Swedish skier Jon Olsson about the recent announcement that the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia will see inaugural skiing and snowboarding slopestyle competitions.

Jon Olsson (SWE) © Mattias Fredriksson / Red Bull

How significant is the decision to include slopestyle events in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi?
It’s great, as it draws a lot of mainstream attention and exposure to the sport, taking it to different cultures and people who currently don’t know the sport. They can get involved and promote it to the kids. I think the main reason freestyle has been so successful is because it is so free and fun.

Jon Olsson (SWE) © Daniel Ronnback / Red Bull

How well will it work, putting a creative sport into the structured Olympic framework?
The important thing is that the athletes stay in control of the slopes and course features. The problems arise when the people designing the course don’t actually ski themselves. That can happen very easily and it can change the feel of the event. At the moment, you can do all the filming, contests and trips, but having it in the Olympics can narrow the focus. It’s hard to avoid, but we’re aware of that… it’s the best we can do to keep the fun in the sport.

What’s this about a bet you made about switching to ski racing for the 2014 Olympics?
Four years ago, I made a bet with a friend that I was going to get into ski racing. It started as a bit of a joke, but I’ve done it more and more over the past four years and in the last few I’ve been 100 per cent focused on this. At the moment I’m ranked third in Sweden for Giant Slalom. My goal is now to get to the Olympics in ski racing as that is where I haven’t yet achieved my goals.

What about your celebrated freestyle achievements – have you gone as far as you can?
With freestyle, I had a ton of goals about 12 years ago and I’ve reached most of those in terms of competitions and results. I still have lots of ideas for things to work over the coming few years, though. My focus is really on ski racing now, but I’m trying to combine the two sports. I really don’t have time to be where I want to be on both, but with enough willpower I think I can make it happen. While I have my eyes on the ski racing side for the Olympics, hopefully I will still be able to be a part of making sure the freestyle sport stays fun too.

What’s been the most memorable skiing highlight so far in your career?
When I won the X Games in 2008. I had won in 2002, and then coming back and winning six years later was a fantastic feeling. To know I’d been in the sport for that long and was able to stay at the top was great. With all the young kids coming up, that’s a very tough thing.

Who do you have eye on in the freestyle world for Olympic success?
There are a ton of kids that are beyond amazing, but one that has the highest potential is Elias Ambühl, the Swiss kid. He’s young but very mature in his way of working and that will help him a lot. He’s a fantastic ambassador and I hope he leads the way with the Olympics. It’ll be interesting to follow.

You always have exciting plans up your sleeve to bring to the slopes… what’s next?
I’m trying to find my way into new things, so I have a lot of plans for things that aren’t competitive but rather creative. I’m trying to find a good balance between the two sports and not even I know how to achieve that yet! I try not to have a lot of things going on but always fail with that…

by Kirsten Corrigan / Red Bull on Jul 29, 2011

Jon Olsson in action, dazzling the crowds at his JOI event in Sweden earlier this year

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