Growing up in the 70’s when freestyle skiing was born, Bad Bob Salerno was a household name. Arriving on the Pro Freestyle Circuit in 1974, Bob won such a high percentage of competitions that it was chronicled in the movie Winter Equinox.

Among his many accomplishments, Bob earned international acclaim as: World Super Hot Dog Champion; Aerial World Champion; Professional Freestyle Champion; and two-time Mogul Enduro World Champion. Ski Magazine featured Salerno as Hotdogger of the Year, and as a Legend of Freestyle.

In 1978, inverted jumps were banned in the U.S.  Bob responded with the development of a water ramp and an on snow jump, pushing aerials beyond its limits and resulting in the first triple twisting triples at Nordic Valley, Utah.

As Founder of Virtual Snow Ski & Snowboard Training in Los Angeles, Bob spent years writing, filming, and developing a video system for training on simulators. Virtual Snow now has multiple locations, including Mountain High, California Snowsports School. Bob clocked tens of thousands of hours teaching all ages both on his system and on the snow. 

From his earliest days, Salerno served as coach, mentor, and trainer, bringing thousands of people to the sport of skiing and snowboarding. His legacy of freestyle greatness and his pioneering spirit landed him everything from features in iconic national ads (Bogner, McDonalds, Right Guard) to inductions into Utah’s Ski Hall of Fame in 2001 and the US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2015.

His amazing contributions to Snowsports continue as we at Virtual Snow continue the incredible work that Bob began.