The Brothers Wester: Swedish skiers Jacob and Oscar navigate two paths in the same sport

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When Oscar Wester was 7 years old, he competed in a big-air competition that his older brother, Jacob, was judging. Oscar’s best trick was a 360, but during his last run, he attempted a 540 to impress Jacob. He over-rotated and crashed hard, but he didn’t feel any pain after he saw his brother enthusiastically clapping and cheering.

“I still remember the feeling I got,” says Oscar, 19. “That moment was a milestone in my skiing career.”

It’s a career on a promising path. Last season, Oscar competed in the Olympic Winter Games (though he didn’t qualify for finals), he won the Nine Knights big-air showdown and also took top honors at the Jon Olsson Invitational with a lofty triple cork 1620. “It was very, very impressive for him to be able to land a trick like that in finals,” says freeskiing pioneer, Jon Olsson. “I saw him do it even better earlier on in the contest, so I can’t wait to see what he brings to the table [this season].”

Just as Oscar hits his stride in the contest scene, 26-year-old Jacob is heading another direction. Having been a top big-air competitor for the past decade, he’s trading contests for crampons, developing his backcountry and ski mountaineering skills in places like Chamonix, France, and Telluride, Colorado, and producing his own web series along the way.

Eight years separate Oscar and Jacob, but they look almost identical. Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, both brothers have flowing blonde locks, ice-blue eyes and a stylish dress code. They enjoy playing guitar, surfing and fishing. Even their skiing styles are similar, particularly their stance on takeoffs and the way they tweak their grabs.

“Oscar’s style shows some similarity to how Jacob skied six or eight years ago,” says Patric Nyberg, freeskiing coach for the Swedish Ski Association, “especially how they both keep their center of balance correctly angled through their tricks, which leads to solid landings. They differ in that Jacob explored the sport early on and became one of its most innovative individuals, while Oscar is executing higher-level slopestyle runs.”

And the differences extend beyond skiing. While Oscar listens to house music, Jacob listens to Neil Young, Elliott Smith and Sigur Rós. Oscar’s outgoing personality welcomes new friends, while Jacob is a bit more introverted—selective. Oscar loves golf and gardening. Jacob is a die-hard surfer. Jacob is the intellectual. Oscar loves a good party.

Both brothers ski raced as kids. At one point, Oscar was the best junior ski racer in Stockholm. His mother, Tina, a former World Cup ski racer, says people couldn’t understand why he quit at age 10. It was the same reason his brother had left ski racing—he discovered jumping. Oscar spent his days following Jacob around the mountain, always motivated to hit the same jumps and cliffs. Whether it was on the trampoline, the ski hill or at the skate park, Jacob coached Oscar and taught him every trick he knew. He was motivated to create the ideal ski partner. “I was really tough on him, making sure he didn’t stop trying something even if he was scared,” says Jacob.

“I always looked up to him,” says Oscar. “I’d try a trick even if I was scared because I never wanted to disappoint him.”

“The last few seasons, he’s been evolving at a crazy rate and has surpassed my technical level by miles,” says Jacob of his brother.

Pro skier Oscar Wester at the 2015 Winter X Games

Oscar dreams of winning the X Games and, one day, an Olympic medal. He has some ideas for a couple of never-before-done tricks, and he’s thriving in the competition scene. “Everyone is progressing all the time, so you really have to push yourself to get a spot on the podium,” says Oscar. “I think that’s why I like it.”

His coach says he has the composure to perform under pressure and the guts to put it all on the line. “It’s amazing to see his focus before he drops in for a run,” says Nyberg. “Oscar has a way of staying present that keeps him alert and helps him progress rapidly.”

“The last few seasons, he’s been evolving at a crazy rate and has surpassed my technical level by miles…” -Jacob Wester

At the 2013 World Championships in Voss, Norway, Oscar wasn’t even sure of his entire slopestyle run as he left the start gate yet managed to place seventh. So far, he’s relied more on raw talent than a structured strategy or repetitive practice, something Jacob was always better at. His coach says we’ve only seen the beginning of what Oscar is capable of.

Skier Robby Franco met Oscar three years ago at the Trick Bag Challenge that Jacob put on at Storlien, Sweden. They’ve since become good friends. “Oscar is always trying to have fun, and he has such a unique and technical style,” says Franco. “I have been with him countless times when he finds a feature to jib in a way that others haven’t done before. His skiing is always entertaining.”

Though he draws inspiration from the likes of Tom Wallisch, Candide Thovex and Jossi Wells, in addition to his brother, Oscar says it’s less about who the skier is when he sees a new trick, interesting rotation or special grab. “I get inspired by anything that stands out from the norm,” Oscar explains.

That’s precisely how Jacob has remained in the spotlight for so many years.

“To generalize a bit, there appears to be more or less one look out there for a pro skier, and Jacob never fit it,” says photographer and Armada co-founder, Chris O’Connell, who first met Jacob at a competition in Åre, Sweden in 2001. At the time, Jacob was the only one clearing a hip jump as if it were a tabletop. “I was really impressed with his natural ability,” O’Connell adds.

When he placed fourth at the US Freeskiing Open at 16 years of age, Jacob picked up Oakley and Armada as sponsors, partnerships he’s maintained for nearly ten years. “He was a big part of the development of the AR7, the Alpha and Halo skis,” says O’Connell. “He had very specific input, and our engineers listened and created the skis that he could slam record- breaking hip airs on and win big air comps. More recently, he also has helped with development and vetting of backcountry-touring skis like the Kufo and the TST.”

Watch: Jacob Wester and Seth Morrison explore Telluride.

In 2013, Jacob joined Seth Morrison for an Oakley trip to Telluride where they skied the area’s iconic couloirs. Jacob practiced his skinning and steep skiing technique. Last season, he took two trips to Chamonix where he challenged himself on many of the classics with some of the valley’s best ski mountaineers, including Tof Henry and the late Andreas Fransson. “I knew he was really good at jumping, but I didn’t know how he would be in the mountains,” says Henry, arguably Chamonix’s fastest skier. “Wow. Just, wow. I was super impressed.”

Jacob learned how to use a rope to access steep and exposed couloirs and how to cut a cornice to get into an even steeper one. “Cham was definitely a turning point,” says Jacob. “I think every new aspect of skiing you get into will change your career in a way, whether you know it or not. But sometimes you’ll know right away, and Chamonix was definitely one of those experiences.”

“I like the idea of getting more comfortable in big-mountain environments,” he says. “It’s a really wild, untamed part of the earth, and the fact that I’m born, raised and still live in a big city makes the contrast even more special. Being alone with your friends in the backcountry, miles from anything, is one of the most powerful experiences a human could ever ask for.”

Every summer, Jacob swaps his skis for a surfboard. The last two years, he and his longtime girlfriend, Sofia, have spent a large portion of the summer in Indonesia. This year, it was Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

“Some people can ski all year round, but I think it would break me, physically and psychologically,” says Jacob. “When I ski, I am more focused, I have a plan, and I execute that plan. In surfing it’s like I’m just meditating, discovering the ocean and getting a little spiritual. I also get to be a gaper and learn things too.”

Jacob was one of the first skiers to start blogging consistently good content. He created a substantial following before social media took off, so when he decided last season to produce his own web series, Unfiltered, the audience was already there. Without a strategy or budget, Wester filmed with Daniel Rönnbäck and released a new edit almost every month from December to May.

Watch: Unfiltered, “Brotherhood”

One episode features Oscar and Jacob in Engelberg, Switzerland, making the most of slushy spring conditions, building kickers, shredding grass and having a good time. “I don’t want to fall into the too-serious and overproduced trap,” says Jacob. “I want to keep making it fun and easy, with classic ski porn shots of good locations and snow. I really hope Oscar and I can get together more this season, building jumps and daring each other to try stupid tricks.”

Heading into this season, Oscar’s plans revolve around the major big air and slopestyle comps—the Dew Tour, the World Cup stops, France’s SFR Tour, Frostgun, Nine Knights and the European Open among others. He’s hoping for an invite to X Games. And he’ll film as much as possible with his friends and coach to collect footage for the edits he’ll be a part of.

Jacob and Rönnbäck are moving to Chamonix for the winter. “We’ll be skiing without any cameras on down days, and we’ll be completely ready to throw down when it’s on,” says Jacob. “It will be a great base to work out of and an international airport is only 45 minutes away.”

As far as Unfiltered, Jacob tentatively plans on dropping three webisodes this season. “All a little more in depth and documentary style, focusing on different aspects of my skiing,” he says. “Maybe one with backcountry jumps, one with big lines and a third with an exotic trip, focusing on the cultural aspect.”

On such different paths, Oscar and Jacob won’t see each other this winter by chance. But even if they don’t make plans to ski together, they’ll continue to feed off one another’s energy and push each other as only brothers can.

Editor’s Note: Jacob Wester suffered a severe leg injury while skiing in Chamonix in January, causing him to miss the majority of the 2014-15 season.

Note: This article appears in FREESKIER magazine Volume 17.6. The issue is available via iTunes Newsstand. Subscribe to FREESKIER magazine.