(Matt Heffernan performing the 7/20 blunt.
Photo by Riley Snyder.)
The cork 720 blunt grab is the quintessential ski trickthe hallmark of our sport.
But they are not as essential and iconic as the 7 blunt.
Its the ideal combination of complexity and simplicity.
When done well it looks beautifully simple, when done poorly it looks complex.
At fourteen, the 7 blunt seemed to me about as simple as going to the moon.
Making it look easy seemed impossible.
It combines its best, most laudable aspects into one crisp maneuver.
The takeoff, the grab, the axis, the landing.
Its the greatest trick because its so endlessly variable.
The blunt grab looks wild!
Its a notable absurdity.
Its the epitome of the discipline; the most exemplary slice of freeskiings heart and soul.
It encapsulates all I hold dear about skiing.
It showcases nearly every skill that exists in the sport.
It is the most interesting trick because no two skiers will do it the same way.
It stands like a statue above the pleasant mess of our ridiculous sport.
It is proud, and it is blunt.
Its a great name for the grab: immensely blunt, frank, in-your-face.
It almost seems to saunter sometimes.
Freeskiing is, mainly, an effervescent art form.
And when its over, its done.
In reality though, its irretrievably gone.
The videos more like a drawing of a statue than the statue itself.
Not to say that the videos arent impressive stuff, no.
Its just the bittersweet truth of the matter: its so damn fleeting.
The video rarely seems to do the trick full justice.
But thank god for videos regardless because damn are there some cool ass edits out there.
Truth is, freeskiing wouldnt really exist without cameras.
A good cork 7 blunt embodies the style and proficiency of the skier.
Theres no way to cover up inadequacy with fancy artifices in a cork 7 blunt.
Thats why the cork 7 blunt is so great: because its simple, beautiful, and raw.
7/20s great too because were in the depths of summer and its hot and damn do I miss skiing.
