- Ski Alpha records cover speed, endurance, tricks, and vertical distance milestones in skiing.
- Fastest skier ever: Simon Billy hit 158.8 mph (255.5 km/h) at Vars, France in 2023.
- Longest rail slide: Jesper Tjäder ground 154.49 meters after six years of attempts.
- Biggest trick landed: Troy Podmilsak's triple cork 2160 at the 2023 World Championships.
- Key insight: Most records depend heavily on conditions, not just athlete effort.
Ski Alpha Records: Speed Skiing Bests
Speed is the headline act of the Ski Alpha records list, and every official speed mark has been set on the same legendary course. The Chabrieres track in Vars, France features a 98% slope and is widely considered the fastest active speed-skiing track in the world. Speed records fall into two equipment classes, which keeps comparisons fair between dedicated speed racers and standard alpine gear.
| Class | Athlete | Speed | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 Men | Simon Billy (FRA) | 158.8 mph / 255.5 km/h | 2023 | Vars, France |
| S1 Women | Valentina Greggio (ITA) | 153.5 mph / 247.1 km/h | 2016 | Vars, France |
| S2 Men | Gregory Meichtry (SUI) | 131.1 mph / 211.0 km/h | 2014 | Vars, France |
| S2 Women | Valentina Greggio (ITA) | 125.9 mph / 202.6 km/h | 2013 | Vars, France |
S1 is the top class of speed skiing and requires specialized speed-skiing equipment, including aerodynamic fairings and specific skis. S2 is performed using gear suited to standard alpine skiing, which is why its speeds run noticeably lower.
Endurance and Vertical Records
Beyond raw speed, endurance skiing produces some of the most grueling Ski Alpha records. The historic Vasaloppet race in Sweden, dating back to 1922, covers 56 miles (90.1 km), and racers have just 12 hours and 15 minutes to finish.
| Record | Athlete | Result | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vasaloppet Men | Tord Asle Gjerdalen (NOR) | 3:28:18 | 2021 |
| Vasaloppet Women | Astrid Oyre Slind (NOR) | 3:50:06 | 2022 |
| Most vertical feet / year | Pierre Marc Jette (CAN), age 55 | 6,025,751 ft | 2015 |
Jette logged his vertical record on the slopes of Whistler Mountain in British Columbia, skiing up to six days a week and sometimes 15 hours a day — often eating lunch on the chairlift — to raise awareness for the BC Alzheimer Society.
Vasaloppet
- 90.1 km classic race
- Sweden, since 1922
- Endurance above all
Vertical Feats
- Whistler, BC home base
- 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. days
- First in line, 95% of days
Nutrition Key
- 50-100g sugar per hour
- Eat and drink constantly
- Never skip fuel stops
As Gjerdalen put it after his 2021 win, ski records are roughly 90% dependent on conditions and only 10% on the skier's effort. Elite racers focus on beating each other, not chasing numbers.
Freestyle Trick Records
Freestyle skiing evolves trick by trick, and setting a record here means landing something that has never been done on skis before. Three jumps stand out in the modern era.
| Trick | Athlete | Event | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quad cork 1800 | Andri Ragettli (SUI) | First ever on skis | 2017 |
| Double cork 2160 | Alex Hall (USA) | X Games Aspen Big Air | 2022 |
| Triple cork 2160 | Troy Podmilsak (USA) | FIS World Championships, Bakuriani | 2023 |
Ragettli's quad cork combined four off-axis backflips with five full rotations. Hall pushed further with six rotations and two off-axis flips — the first 2160 ever landed on skis. Podmilsak then added a third off-axis flip to the same rotation count at the 2023 World Championships in Georgia.
Alex Hall did not jump straight to the double cork 2160. He progressed through rewinding spins on 720s and 360s, then the double cork 1080. Filming also pushed progression — some of his video parts took 100 attempts to land, and that creative repetition built the skills for record-setting jumps.
Longest Rail and Training Blueprints
Swedish freestyler Jesper Tjäder owns one of the most persistent Ski Alpha records: a 154.49-meter rail slide, set in 2022 after six years and more than 120 attempts. He shattered the previous mark of 128.7 meters. As he noted, plenty of tricks had been done on rails before — but never on a rail anywhere near that long.
Study the Course
Inspect the course on practice runs before any record attempt, whether for speed or a rail feature.
Optimize the Line
Find a route that maximizes speed while minimizing air time — critical at Vars where every fraction of a second counts.
Tune Your Gear
Match equipment to conditions, such as tightening ski flex for hard-packed snow.
Progress Incrementally
Build up trick difficulty step by step, and film every session to analyze and stay creative.
Record-Chaser Essentials:
- Log consistent daily sessions, six days a week when needed
- Fuel with 50-100g of sugar per hour during endurance events
- Film attempts to track progression and spot errors
- Expect hundreds of attempts before a record falls
- Respect conditions — they decide most record outcomes
Trick-record locations vary, but they share two requirements: ramps higher than a standard terrain park, and steep drop-offs behind them that extend hang time for multi-rotation spins.
Ski Alpha Records FAQ and Summary
Skiing has a long history of firsts and bests, and these feats tell the story of the sport's evolution — from 255 km/h speed runs to six-rotation triple corks. For deeper coverage, see Red Bull's skiing world records roundup.
Treat every record here as a snapshot in time. With athletes like Podmilsak still in their teens and the Vars track getting faster each season, expect this Ski Alpha records table to keep changing.
Q: What is the fastest ski speed in Ski Alpha records history?
Simon Billy of France reached 158.8 mph (255.5 km/h) in March 2023 at the Chabrieres course in Vars, France, the fastest active speed-skiing track in the world with a 98% slope.
Q: Who holds the longest rail slide record?
Jesper Tjäder slid 154.49 meters in 2022, breaking the previous 128.7-meter mark after six years and more than 120 attempts.
Q: What is the difference between S1 and S2 speed skiing classes?
S1 is the top class requiring specialized speed-skiing equipment, while S2 uses gear suited to standard alpine skiing, which produces lower top speeds.
Q: Which record is hardest to break?
Endurance marks like Vasaloppet times depend heavily on weather and snow conditions — around 90% conditions and 10% effort according to champion Tord Asle Gjerdalen — making them especially difficult to plan for.