Words & photos: Ethan Stone
February 11, 2014: A day that will live in infamy.
A day when the once-proud rebels of skiing surrendered their arms and made peace with the powers that be.
A day when the black sheep sheared his curls and returned quietly to the fold.
The mud has responded by swallowing the sod whole.
It’s like trying to cover up a swimming pool with paper towels.
A thin cloud blanket lays heavy in the sky, obscuring the heights.
What time is it?
And all at once, I crest a hill, and this is what I see.
The atmosphere is electric.
I have never seen a crowd like this gather for a slopestyle event before.
The Swedes getting rowdy during Emma Dahlstrom’s run.
Excited Brits (with a Rachy cameo)
The Kaya Turski fan club.
Apparently the polluted water from development in this area is already causing mutations.
And all of a sudden I realize that I’m not just excited, but actuallyecstatic.
And I’m thinking to myself:THIS.
Look at this huge crowd gathered here from all corners of the earth.
These are not passionate freeskiers come to watch slopestyle’s debut.
And you know what?
The girls have risen to the occasion.
They are killing it.
Wait a second, is this really WOMEN’S slopestyle I’m watching?
Dara on her way to the top qualifying score.
The crowd grows more raucous with each drop.
Julia Krass sends huge D-spin 7s and cork 7s.
Anna Segal links up clean, technical runs.
Katie Summerhayes waits for her score to drop.
Keri Herman, crossing her fingers for that finals spot.
The tricks are getting better with every run.
Okay, that’s what’s good: chicks are doing dubs in the qualifying round.
Women’s Olympic ski slopestyle, nice to meet you.
Hammers are dropping like it’s an arthritic carpenters' conference.
Devin Logan, in a field of her own.
Sweden’s Emma Dahlstrom snags cork 7 tail.
A few surprises are in store at the end of the second round.
Kaya Turski gets a much-needed hug after crashing on her second qualifying run.
The level of celebrity that Henrik commands here is insane.
Once the photo-taking starts, it’s a chain reaction, attracting more and more people.
The Swedish trio couldn’t leave right now if they tried.
Oscar, Henrik and Jesper with a new Russian friend.
All of a sudden it’s time: the finals are about to begin.
Audiences worldwide are watching live.
A new era is about to begin.
Women’s slopestyle is about to become… manifest.
Nerves are acting up in the first run of the finals, and several girls go down.
But Dara Howell’s up next, and she’s been on fire all day.
The crowd goes wild and Dara posts a score of 94.2 to take the lead going into run 2.
The speed issues seem to be increasing, and many of the ladies knuckle hard during their second runs.
Silvia Bertagna loses a ski but rides out.
She is quickly bundled off of the slope and hospitalized with a reported jaw injury.
Hang in there Yuki, we’re all behind you!
Yuki’s family was there to cheer her on.
My thoughts go out to all of you - your daughter is a champion!
I bet there’s a lot of Newschoolers who would love to take you out right now.
This, I realize, is no place to be.
Lisa Zimmermann gets blitzkrieged by the German media.
And Turpin’s got just the quote I need.
“What happened today was the best thing that could happen to women’s skiing,” says Turpin.
“The girls have been skiing reserved this year, knowing that this is the grand finale.
This is the apex, the all-or-nothing moment.
And they let it out.”
Huge congratulations to every girl who participated in the event today.
You have done the sport well!
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Did you miss the livesteam?
you might watch a complete recordinghere.
Freeskiing at the Olympics continues on February 13 with Men’s Slopestyle.
