Extreme skiing is a form ofskiing performed on long, steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees, or grades of 100 to 170 percent) slopes inmountainous terrain. The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s. The first practitioners includeSwiss skierSylvain Saudan,^[2] who invented the "windshield wiper" turn in the mid-1960s, and in 1967 made the first descents of slopes in the Swiss, French and Italian Alps that were previously considered impossible.^[3] Saudan's 'first descent' in America was at Mt. Hood March 3, 1971. Early American practitioners includeBill Briggs, who descendedGrand Teton on June 15, 1971.^[4] The FrenchmenPatrick Vallençant,Jean-Marc Boivin andAnselme Baud and the ItaliansStefano De Benedetti andToni Valeruz were among those who further developed the art and brought notoriety to the sport in the 1970s and 1980s.^[5]

The key North American skiers who popularized the sport include:Doug Coombs,Shane McConkey,Seth Morrison,David W. Kraft,Glen Plake andScot Schmidt, known as The Extreme-6 and all considered among the top extreme skiers in the world during their prime.^[6]

Because of the extremely long, steep slopes, and dangerous terrain, single mistakes at the wrong moment by some extreme skiers have led to them being seriously injured or killed.^[7]

Extreme skiing in the U.S. took off in the mid-1980s after the movieMaltese Flamingo came out in 1986, and John Cummings’ book,Hallowed Be the Extreme, documented the lifestyle of extreme skiers.^[8][9]

• Extreme skiing

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