Freeskiing, some might say, is a reckless endangerment of skiers and the impressionable young adults who begin looking to the cliffs and steeps that are beyond their abilities as a proving ground of skill and moxie.

Is it fair to call freeskiing extreme? Shane McConkey, from Squaw Valley, California, and president of the International Free Skiers Association (IFSA) says no. McConkey, consistently among the top 10 in the highly competitive world of freeskiing, believes skiers are currently well within their ability and believes deeming freeskiing "extreme" promotes bias and reinforces the danger factor. "It's like calling big-wave surfing extreme surfing. I don't even try to argue anymore. The label 'extreme' has stuck," he says.

If kids are unwittingly skiing off cliffs under the freeskiing influence to impress their friends, injury reports don't substantiate any increase in hospitalization due to attempts at skiing cliffs; in fact, reports lend evidence to the contrary. "In recent years, the sports of skiing and snowboarding have experienced an unprecedented amount of media scrutiny, even though the number of deaths, both in absolute terms and per-million skier visits, has remained relatively low for decades. 

Extreme or free, skiing the cliffs and steeps is an endeavor reserved for the professional and expert skier. There will always be inexperienced individuals who believe skiing in dangerous environments is as easy as the freeskiers make it look, but, statistically speaking, extreme injuries have not been a result.

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