In recent days, where all Norwegians focused on the Nordic World Ski Championship in Sweden, we remembered a forgotten winter sport branch in which Norway was equally successful: Ski Ballet.
Ballet involved a choreographed routine of flips, rolls, leg crossings, jumps, and spins performed on a smooth slope. After the mid-1970s the routine was performed to music for 90 seconds. For a short period of time (in the 1980s) there was also pair ballet competitions, a variation of ballet, where two people performed tricks that not only included spins, jumps and leg crossing but also lifts and synchronic movements. A panel of judges scored the performance.
Norwegian Rune Kristiansen was one of the greatest ballet skiers, late ’80 – early ’90.
Kristiansen won a gold medal in ballet at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships 1995, and had a total of 54 world cup victories throughout his career. He competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Ski Ballet, which was a demonstration event. He was Norwegian champion in ballet in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1993.
