The Greatest Skier Of All Time: According to 700+ Skiers

Posted on October 5, 2025

The query “Who’s the best skier of all time?” sparked a firestorm of responses on Fb, igniting debates that spanned a long time, disciplines, and downright absurd humor. From alpine racing legends to freeride pioneers and even self-proclaimed mountain gods, the responses have been everywhere in the map. This viral thread, with a whole bunch replies, revealed the snowboarding group’s deep love for the game, a wholesome dose of nostalgia, and a knack for comedy. I’ve sifted by means of the avalanche of responses to carry you the very best pull quotes, a chart tallying the highest names, and a few info about snowboarding’s greatest icons. Let’s dive into the powder!

The Query That Began It All

Posted on Fb 4 days in the past, the query was easy however loaded: Who’s the best skier of all time? No particular self-discipline, no period, simply pure, unfiltered ardour. The thread exploded with names like Mikaela Shiffrin, Candide Thovex, and Jean-Claude Killy, alongside obscure shoutouts, memes, and self-nominations like “Me, clearly!” What made it so partaking? Snowboarding’s variety—racing, freeride, moguls, and extra—means there’s no single metric for “greatness.” The responses mirrored this, with followers fiercely defending their picks throughout generations and types.

High Pull Quotes: The Ardour, The Humor, The Legends

Listed here are some standout replies that seize the thread’s vibe—severe takes, heartfelt tributes, and pure chaos:

@MarkTreiber: “The very best skier of all time has 100 World Cup wins. And I’m so disillusioned at her absence in your lists. Man-oh-man. Am I lacking one thing right here, or are the vast majority of males on the planet nonetheless residing within the ’50s, and sexist?” Why it hits: This fiery callout for Mikaela Shiffrin’s dominance (100 World Cup wins!) doubles as a clapback at gender bias. It acquired a whole bunch of likes for its boldness.@AndyNRachelWare: “Shane McConkey! Raced gates, professional mogul tour, skier cross, massive air, massive mountain, ski designer, ski BASE leaping pioneer… Inform me one other identify that has achieved greater than this?” Why it resonates: This passionate case for McConkey’s versatility and innovation in snowboarding is a love letter to a legend gone too quickly. Shared broadly, it struck a chord.@TylerLongpine: “Saucerboy is the one one which ever caught uphill ice.” Why it’s gold: A nod to a fictional “Saucer Boy” (a meme or inside joke?), this quip acquired laughs for its absurdity and nods from these within the know.@HansHarman: “I had the pleasure to ski with Doug Coombs. Doug typically stated the very best skier on the mountain was the one having essentially the most enjoyable!” Why it’s healthful: This tribute to freeride icon Doug Coombs, paired along with his philosophy, warmed hearts and earned reposts for its feel-good knowledge.@JasonBaublitz: “Candide can do all of it and nonetheless does. Additionally the one man everybody can establish because the dude in a ten-second clip as a result of his type is so distinctive and easy.” Why it pops: This sums up why Candide Thovex is a fan favourite—his unmistakable aptitude and all-terrain mastery make him a standout.

Charting the Favorites: Who Acquired the Most Love?

To make sense of the chaos, I tallied essentially the most incessantly talked about skiers within the thread. Beneath is a bar chart displaying the highest names by point out rely, reflecting the group’s leanings throughout racing, freeride, and extra.

What the chart reveals: Candide Thovex led with 35 mentions, reflecting his cult standing in freeride and all-mountain snowboarding. Mikaela Shiffrin (24) and Ingemar Stenmark (20) dominated the racing crowd, whereas Jean-Claude Killy (18) and Shane McConkey (14) bridged old-school and fashionable vibes. Glen Plake, Hermann Maier, and Scott Schmidt rounded out the highest eight, displaying love for freeride pioneers and powerhouses.

Attention-grabbing Details In regards to the High Skiers

To provide context to the fandom, listed below are some wild info in regards to the most-mentioned skiers:

Candide Thovex: Recognized for his mind-bending edits like Considered one of These Days, Thovex as soon as skied the Nice Wall of China for a Crimson Bull mission. He’s additionally received X Video games gold in slopestyle, massive air, and halfpipe, making him a triple-threat freerider.Mikaela Shiffrin: With 100 World Cup wins by 2025, Shiffrin broke Stenmark’s document for many alpine victories. She’s the one skier to win in all six World Cup disciplines (slalom, big slalom, super-G, downhill, alpine mixed, and parallel).Ingemar Stenmark: The Swedish legend’s 86 World Cup wins stood because the document for many years. He received slalom and big slalom golds on the 1980 Olympics, regardless of racing on primitive tools in comparison with immediately’s tech.Jean-Claude Killy: Swept all three alpine occasions (downhill, slalom, big slalom) on the 1968 Grenoble Olympics, a feat unmatched since. Enjoyable truth: He now snowboards greater than skis, citing safer enjoyable at age 82 (per @BradSilverberg’s anecdote).Shane McConkey: A pioneer of ski BASE leaping and fats skis, McConkey’s improvements formed fashionable freeride gear. His alter ego “Saucer Boy” and starring position in G.N.A.R. added comedic legend standing earlier than his tragic 2009 passing.Glen Plake: The mohawked icon of Blizzard of Aahhh’s fame introduced freeskiing to the plenty. He nonetheless skis 100+ days a yr at 61, typically on 200cm+ downhill skis for kicks.Hermann Maier: Nicknamed “Herminator,” Maier survived a near-fatal 2001 motorbike crash to win two Olympic golds. His 1998 Nagano crash, the place he cartwheeled down the downhill course and walked away, is stuff of legend.Scott Schmidt: A pioneer of maximum snowboarding, Schmidt’s descents in Warren Miller movies (just like the again wall at Bridger Bowl) impressed a technology. He skied cliffs on skinny skis, no small feat within the ’80s.

Why This Thread Blew Up

This debate tapped into snowboarding’s soul: It’s not only a sport however a life-style, with heroes who encourage throughout eras. The thread’s a whole bunch replies (and counting) present followers love arguing for his or her GOAT, whether or not it’s Shiffrin’s stats, Thovex’s type, or a random “Sizzling Canine Hans” meme. The combo of reverence for racing titans (Shiffrin, Stenmark, Killy) and freeride innovators (McConkey, Plake, Coombs) highlights snowboarding’s break up persona—precision vs. freedom. Plus, the humor (20+ “Me!” replies) and area of interest references (Harkin Banks, anybody?) made it peak X chaos.

Enjoyable Details from the Fringe

Saucer Boy & Harkin Banks: These fictional characters from G.N.A.R. (a ski movie parody) acquired a number of mentions, proving snowboarding’s meme tradition is alive and nicely.Klaus Obermeyer: At 105, the skiwear mogul nonetheless skis in Aspen. Two customers gave him props for longevity!Eddie the Eagle: The lovable underdog ski jumper acquired three nods, extra for coronary heart than {hardware}.Snowshoe Thompson: This Nineteenth-century mail service skied 90 miles throughout the Sierra Nevada to ship letters. He acquired three votes for sheer grit.

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