Spandex, spins, and snow, the glorious, forgotten era of Olympic ski ballet

Before freestyle skiing went mainstream, we had ski ballet. Featuring glittery routines and gravity-defying pole flips, it was the “figure skating of the slopes” at the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics. Though it never became an official medal event, viral throwback clips are sparking a massive wave of nostalgia. Fans are now calling for a revival—because who wouldn’t want to see a triple-axel on a mountainside?