From streets to the Olympics: How urban freeskiing shaped a Winter Games sport

In Stockholm's suburbs, American freestyle skiers have travelled thousands of miles to conquer an ordinary staircase handrail, part of a growing street skiing culture that prioritises artistic expression over Olympic competition. Urban skiing, which evolved from skateboard and snowboard movements, sees athletes document daring tricks on undesigned obstacles for social media and independent films rather than podiums. Many are former World Cup competitors disillusioned by rigid judging, drawn instead to creative freedom despite significant danger. Sweden's tolerance and accessible urban landscape have made it a global hub for this underground sport, where police often stop to watch rather than intervene. Al Jazeera's Paul Reese reports from Stockholm, Sweden. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Freeskiing #OlympicFreeskiing #StreetSkiing #UrbanSkiing #WinterOlympics #MilanoCortina2026 #FreestyleSkiing #SkiCulture #ExtremeSports #ActionSports #Sweden #SkiFilm #OlympicSports