Ski ballet athlete Alan Schoenberger is inducted into the United States Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. We had never heard of ski ballet so we looked it up – and oh so glad we did.

Ski ballet is no longer an Olympic sport, but it definitely should be. As the name suggests, it’s ballet…performed on skis. However, even that mental picture doesn’t do this weird, goofy, oddly beautiful sports justice.

Watching athletes like Alan Schoenberger do it, though.

Schoenberger is in fact a great figure in the history of skiing. He is the author of technical ski techniques, inventor of the ski simulator and master alpine race coach. In his time, he coached over 400 athletes who won eight Olympic medals, three World Championships, five World Cup globes and 19 World Cup victories.

But none of that is why Schoenberger was inducted into the United States Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. This achievement is the result of his dedication to the now obscure sport of ski ballet. According to the Alf Engen Ski Museum website, between 1974 and 1976, Schoenberger finished first or second at 16 different international ballet ski competitions.

The man clearly has talent. Her dance moves in pirouettes, twists, flips and spins on skis are… well, unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Congratulations, Alan!

Duration: 26 minutes

Alan Schoenberger: Ski Ballet Master Inducted into the Hall of Fame

Here’s a little more history on Schoenberger’s ski ballet career and some throwback footage from the sport.