Two time Olympic gold medalist David Wise launched 11.7 meters (38 feet and 4 inches) above the coping of a quarterpipe to banked landing, logging the highest air to date on a pair of wooden planks during this week’s Audi Nines in Sölden.
Audi Nines once again played host to a record breaking feat at the incredible set up in Sölden, Austria. Designed and co-created by David, with the Audi Nines crew and the ultimate Schneestern build team, this design has been a year in the making. Already on Day 1, Wise took advantage of optimal weather conditions to test out the event’s 10-meter-high quarterpipe to banked landing feature.
“I was just enjoying myself and I started going a little higher each time,” said Wise. “I never got to the point where I was terrified. I eventually got some butterflies, but butterflies in a good way. We just kept going higher and higher.”
“It was really nice to have a measuring system in place so I could do a jump, find out immediately how high I was, and then go do another jump,” he added.
It’s the second time that Wise has set a high mark at the Audi Nines. In 2016 he shattered the record for highest air on a hip, flying 14.2 meters (46 feet, 6 inches) above the coping.
“I can’t say enough for the crew out here, from the Schneestern guys and Sölden to the whole Audi Nines team, because this is a team effort,” said Wise. “I get to be the guy who gets the highest air, but I could not have done it alone.”
The previous quarterpipe world record was set by Simon Dumont, who achieved a height of 10.8 meters (35 feet, 5 inches) in 2008. Dumont’s long-standing record was accomplished on a conventional quarterpipe, landing back on the same transition he jumped from. Here’s the video of Simon’s world-record jump for comparison.