Moritz Klein
Professional Skier
About
For me freeskiing means freedom, adventure and adrenaline.
My name is Moritz Klein, I am 22 years old and a professional World Cup & European Cup Halfpipe skier from Germany. Born and raised near Cologne, far away from the mountains, I started freeskiing in 2018 in an indoor ski slope in the Netherlands. Immediately, I fell in love and became obsessed with skiing. Since then my whole life has changed.
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I attended my first FIS (International Ski Federation) competition in December 2019 in Slopestyle. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Slopestyle and BigAir competitions were very limited. That's why I decided to give halfpipe skiing a try and competed in my first European Cup Halfpipe in March 2021. Halfpipe skiing gave me a kind of joy I had never experienced before. From that point I was very determined to progress and get better in this discipline.
In 2021 I moved to the Northern Alps of Germany and study "International Management" (B.A.) in the top athlete program of the University of Applied Sciences in Kempten.
Not even two years later, in January 2023, I competed in my first Halfpipe World Cups in Calgary, Canada. In the 22/23 season I also won my first FIS Halfpipe competition and finished 6th in the Overall European Cup.
In the 23/24 season I placed 18th in the Halfpipe World Cup in China, the best result for Germany in Men's Freeski Halfpipe in more than 10 years. Furthermore, I ranked 5th and 2nd in the two European Cups of the season, and 2nd place in the Overall Cup standing.
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When I started freeskiing, long travel to the Alps kept me from skiing on a daily basis. You would find me very often in night-trains or busses in order to make it to the ski federation trainings or competitions. The mountains were always special and magical to me but also far away. Not once did I take skiing in the mountains for granted, and I was super motivated to become a better skier. Now, that I am living in the Northern Alps, the fire inside me burns even brighter. My passion for outdoor sports and nature is always growing and even though I now get to be in the mountains on a daily basis, it still feels surreal.
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'Normal' or 'Standard' isn't something I hear very often. Because nothing about my sport or lifestyle is considered 'normal'. Freeskiing is an extreme sport that offers no rules, endless creativity and freedom, by which I can fully unfold myself. I express myself through the tricks that I do, my clothing style and my character. Creativity and respect are very important values for me and skiing gives me the opportunity to show others what that means to me.
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When I'm not skiing or studying, you will most likely find me in the gym, ice bathing or already organizing the next skiing trip. And just in case it is none of those, I am probably on the trampoline, playing table-tennis or meeting with friends :)
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