FREESTYLE

Express Yourself

Whether you're sessioning features at an indoor set-up or searching out natural hits and lines in the mountains, freestyle is the desire to ski without limits. 

Since the introduction of the first twintips, freestyle skiing has attracted innovative riders who have pushed the evolution of skiing to the next level, whether on a global scale at the Olympics and X-Games or the local dry slope, dome or park in resort. The challenge of progression, the feeling of nailing a trick and hanging out with your crew are what keeps skiers hooked on freestyle.

At Ellis Brigham we aim to boost your stoke and make your time skiing even more enjoyable, and to do this we partner with the best brands. Their equipment, clothes and accessories are all featured on these pages.

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Freestyle skis cover a diverse range of terrain and abilities, with waists from 85mm to well over 100mm. Your choice should be guided by what terrain you prefer, your skiing style and personal preference. Narrower skis work best in the park with lower swing weights for spinning and feel more agile. Wider skis take freestyle away from man-made features and use more natural terrain as well as making amazing powder skis.

Most freestyle skis will feature rocker on the tip and tail to aid butters and forgiveness for landing rotations. In softer snow the rocker also improves flotation and handling. Having camber underfoot ensures pop for bigger tricks, provides decent grip on hardpack and boosts confidence on rails helping you to lock-in.

When deciding on what length you should ride, anything around eye level will make spins and rail tricks that little bit easier while for all-mountain shredding and extra stability at speed choose a bigger size.

Blending clean lines with function, freestyle focused ski wear is designed to not only look good but give you the range of movement needed to pull any trick you want. The advancements in fabric technology, manufacturing and fit allow for this mix of style and substance ensuring you can hit up the hill whatever the weather.

We understand that all your equipment including your clothing is going to take a beating over the season and have selected a collection that will perform day after day throughout the winter.  

This durability and dependability will keep you dry and comfortable while warding off the threat of having to buy new gear half way through the season.

The biggest difference you’ll find in freestyle orientated boots compared to others is the flex. They tend to have a softer flex to help cushion landings from rails and kickers – avoiding shin-bang. This extra softness also provides an extra bit of forgiveness when you are slightly off-line on a landing and need to hang on to it.

For bigger kickers and features, more of a medium flex is going to result in more enough support to help you stomp landings while still providing enough cushioning.

What’s important to remember is that, like with all ski boots, going to see a professional fitter who can recommend a series of boots for you to try that will suit your foot shape and then fine-tune them is the best way to find your perfect freestyle boots.

Getting just the right set-up can really improve your day with more comfort, performance and safety leading to more fun on the snow.

Low profile helmets that contain the latest safety features without the weight or bulk are going to give you a clean and understated look that blends with goggles and a face mask. Almost all helmets fuse a removable liner for space to fit a beanie and give you the option to run your goggles underneath.

Modern goggle lens technology filters certain wavelengths to help highlight undulations and obstructions, enabling you to react quickly and stay safer.

Resting comfortably under outer layers, body armour provides protection from the inevitable falls and crashes. Materials in the armour remain flexible leaving you uninhibited in movement until impact, at which point it stiffens and dissipates force.