World Records For Highest Hip Air Smashed At Swatch Nines Freeski and Snowboard Festival

April 15th, 2024
Kim Gubser sets the new ski world record at 14.6m! Photo: Theo Acworth /The Nines

Mountainwatch | Press Release

Valentino Guseli, Kim Gubser and Brooke D’Hondt soar to new heights

April 14, Schilthorn Switzerland: A week of nonstop ski and snowboard action at Schilthorn, Switzerland has concluded with three new snow sports records. On a “Perfect Hip” built with the express mission of sending riders sky-high safely, two snowboarders and one skier set new highest-air world records.

The biggest air of the week was logged by Kim Gubser (SUI, SKI) who hit a high point of 14.6 meters (47.9 feet) on Friday, the 12th of April 2024, breaking the previous record of 14.2 meters (46.6 feet) set by David Wise in 2016.

The biggest air of the week was logged by Kim Gubser (SUI, SKI) who hit a high point of 14.6 metres (47.9 feet) on Friday, the 12th of April 2024, breaking the previous record of 14.2 metres (46.6 feet) set by David Wise in 2016.

“I tested it out a little bit with smaller speed, and then getting faster and faster,” said Gubser. “We were looking where the limit is, and I found it. I found my limit.” 

Just a few hours after Gubser, Valentino Guseli (AUS, SNB) flew to a height of 11.5 metres (37.7 feet), topping Christian Haller’s record of 11.3 metres (37.1 feet), also from 2016.

“I was just going as big as I could,” said Guseli. “I’d say it’s the biggest hip I ever hit. And the thing that’s gnarly about it is, when you first hit it, you already have to go big.”

Valentino Guseli, sets the snowboard big air height record at 11.5m. Photo: The Nines/ Klaus Polzer

On Thursday, Brooke D’Hondt (CAN, SNB) established the first official record for highest hip air in women’s snowboarding. She reached a height of 7.3 metres (23.9 feet), setting a formidable new bar for the female side of the sport.

“I always wanted to come to this event, and having a bigger hip feature is kind of playing to my strengths,” said D’Hondt. “It definitely does not get easier standing up there. Especially the first one of the day, it’s just as scary as the first time ever hitting it. But the feeling of stomping it, nothing beats it.”

ABOUT SWATCH NINES

Swatch Nines was founded in 2008 as a friendly antagonist to traditional contest structures. The event series provides unique playgrounds for action sports athletes to progress their skills as safely as possible in a non-competitive setting, while collaborating with a dedicated team of filmers and photographers to capture unforgettable moments.