Norwegian Skier Invents New Trick to Win Olympic Gold

When everyone else goes backward, sometimes the best move is to go forward.

Tormod Frostad of Norway claimed Olympic gold in men's freeski big air Tuesday night in Livigno, Italy, by doing something no one had seen before. Instead of launching backward off the massive jump like physics intended, the 23-year-old defied gravity and spun forward, executing what's called a "nose butter" with his own twist on all three of his runs.

The margin of victory? Just 2.25 points separating Frostad's 195.50 from American Mac Forehand's 193.25 in a final that had both athletes calling it one of the greatest competitions ever.

Forehand held nothing back, landing tricks he'd only joked about trying and pulling off incredible spins and flips. But Frostad brought something different to the snowy Italian mountainside: creativity over complexity.

"It's not all about the rotations in our sport," Forehand said after winning silver. "It's about the style, the creativity."

The night turned into a showcase of progression, with athletes competing to push their sport forward. American Konnor Ralph attempted a triple-cork 2160 (that's six full spins) for the first time ever and stuck the landing, finishing fifth.

The final jump came down to pure pressure. Forehand had leapfrogged Frostad on his second-to-last attempt, forcing the Norwegian to deliver when it mattered most.

Frostad's secret to handling the moment? He stopped caring about the outcome. "I was already super happy and I could ski the last run with joy in my body and just deliver a fun trick," he said.

The judges rewarded his innovation with a gold-clinching 98.50 on that final jump. They recognized that Frostad wasn't just performing difficult tricks but reinventing how the sport could be done.

Why This Inspires

In a sport obsessed with spinning more and flipping higher, Frostad proved that thinking differently beats doing more of the same. His forward-spinning "butter double bio" wasn't about adding rotations but about reimagining what's possible when you approach a challenge from a new angle.

Even 2022 gold medalist Birk Ruud, who finished eighth after two crashes, acknowledged that Frostad's creativity had changed the game. "The progression is not just in the spinning," he said.

Despite the fierce competition in snowy conditions, both Frostad and Forehand walked away celebrating each other's performances. "I'm happy to walk away alive from that event," Forehand said with a smile. "This is a really dangerous sport."

Sometimes the biggest wins come not from doing more but from doing different.