This Freestyle Skier’s Latest Video Left Us Seriously Confused (in a Good Way)

Have you ever done a backflip and landed with your legs crossed, as if you were sitting in an armchair?

In the unlikely event that you answered yes, you’d be in good company with Pierre Rochat, a maestro of skiing witchcraft who operates under the social media moniker @till_i_break_it. 

There are echoes of Andy Parry’s “wizard tricks” or Vincent Gagnier’s creative grabs in Rochat’s skiing, but points of reference are rare. Rochat combines butters with a dizzying manner of cross-legged tricks, twisting and untwisting himself like a pretzel before finishing a line. It’s not uncommon, for instance, to see Rochat land back on the snow with one ski facing downhill while the other faces uphill—he’s a contortionist masquerading as a skier.

Rochat’s newest edit, Till I Break It Vol 3, epitomizes this entertaining, bizarro take on skiing. Odds are good you’ve seen nothing that compares—Rochat’s in his own lane.

Watch it below, and keep reading to hear what we learned from him. Maybe, like us, you’ll be surprised to learn that he isn’t a yoga enthusiast.

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Q&A With Pierre Rochat (@till_i_break_it)

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. 

POWDER: What draws you to this unique approach?

Pierre Rochat: That’s a really tough question that could have a lot of answers. The simplest one is probably that I’ve always loved and embraced being different in a world where many people were trying to push me into a mold.

In a way, that actually gave me even more motivation to find my own path, and to ski in a way that didn’t fit their expectations. For a long time, that almost became a goal in itself. Now I just feel like I’m doing what I love, and I’m no longer trying to prove anything to anyone; I’m just following what feels right for me.

Are there skiers whose tricks and style inspire you?

PR: Magnus Graner and the Gagnier brothers had a big influence on me, maybe not for specific tricks, but for a kind of vibe and attitude on skis that I really wanted to have.

But to be honest, my first major influences were actually the Farang freerunning crew: Pavel Petkuns, Jason Paul, DK, Erik Mukhametshin… I really love how that sport is pure freedom of motion, and I try to integrate that feeling into my skiing as much as I can.

How do you dream up the tricks you want to try?

PR: I might be a bit of a weirdo on that, ahah. I basically sit somewhere alone and just stare into the void.

Most of the tricks you see in my last edit come from lists I wrote years ago. When I “find” a trick that is too hard for me at the moment, I try to break it down into all the little moves or abilities I need to train to make it possible, and sometimes that process takes years.

I spend around 3 to 4 hours a week doing that, sometimes even more. I really enjoy this part of the process, the state of flow, and that feeling when you know you’ve found something that seems doable. You know you’ve found your best trick when you’re like, “Holy shhht, how did I never think of that before?!”

Sorry, I have to ask. Are your knees doing okay? Have you had any injuries from the cross-legged landings?

PR: Ahah, no problem! They’re pretty okay.

Luckily, I never snapped any ligaments, even though I tore the lateral ones three times, and it never happened while doing Caribou or Screamin’ shit, so I’m kind of glad about that, and I’d love to keep it that way ahah.

Are you into yoga or another flexibility routine?

PR: Unfortunately, I don’t really have a super healthy routine, but I try to do more physical exercise in the pre-season.

The only thing I found to train my body without getting too bored is the balance board, and I recommend it to everyone like me who’s too lazy to go to the gym.

Related: “Skiing Is Supposed To Be Fun”—A Lesson Every Sports Dad Could Learn From