[juicebox gallery_id=”219″]

 
When Oscar Wester was 7 years old, he competed in a big-air competition that his older brother, Jacob, was judging. Oscar’s best trick was a 360, but during his last run, he attempted a 540 to impress Jacob. He over-rotated and crashed hard, but he didn’t feel any pain after he saw his brother enthusiastically clapping and cheering.

“I still remember the feeling I got,” says Oscar, 19. “That moment was a milestone in my skiing career.”

It’s a career on a promising path. Last season, Oscar competed in the Olympic Winter Games (though he didn’t qualify for finals), he won the Nine Knights big-air showdown and also took top honors at the Jon Olsson Invitational with a lofty triple cork 1620. “It was very, very impressive for him to be able to land a trick like that in finals,” says freeskiing pioneer, Jon Olsson. “I saw him do it even better earlier on in the contest, so I can’t wait to see what he brings to the table [this season].”

Just as Oscar hits his stride in the contest scene, 26-year-old Jacob is heading another direction. Having been a top big-air competitor for the past decade, he’s trading contests for crampons, developing his backcountry and ski mountaineering skills in places like Chamonix, France, and Telluride, Colorado, and producing his own web series along the way.

Eight years separate Oscar and Jacob, but they look almost identical. Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, both brothers have flowing blonde locks, ice-blue eyes and a stylish dress code. They enjoy playing guitar, surfing and fishing. Even their skiing styles are similar, particularly their stance on takeoffs and the way they tweak their grabs.

“Oscar’s style shows some similarity to how Jacob skied six or eight years ago,” says Patric Nyberg, freeskiing coach for the Swedish Ski Association, “especially how they both keep their center of balance correctly angled through their tricks, which leads to solid landings. They differ in that Jacob explored the sport early on and became one of its most innovative individuals, while Oscar is executing higher-level slopestyle runs.”

Pages: 1 2 3