Colorado freestyle skier mixes perfect halfpipe year with pranks as alter ego [Video]

Freestyle skier Alex Ferreira, who was born in Aspen, Colorado, won every contest in the halfpipe this season. His 80-ish-year-old costume-wearing alter-ego named “Hotdog Hans” also charmed unsuspecting terrain-park visitors. It added up to the perfect season of performing tricks and pulling pranks. As “Hotdog Hans,” Ferreira created all sorts of havoc on the slopes with his brash ways and beer-swilling persona. The ski-bum character is a social-media sensation, too, for tricks that defy his octogenarian age. Behind the makeup and funny scenes, though, is the driven Ferreira, a two-time Olympic medalist who’s coming off a season in which he went 7 for 7 in halfpipe contests.

Denver 7+ Colorado News Latest Headlines | April 18, 5am