BOISE - It's been eight years since Boise's Jeret "Speedy" Peterson provided the world with an unforgettable Winter Olympics moment.
When Peterson unleashed the Hurricane - an astonishing trick filled with five twists, three flips and a fearless blind landing - he put Olympic aerial skiers on notice. A new standard had just been set.
A natural at spinning in midair, Peterson added a fifth twist to his jump as a way to give him a competitive edge.
And it worked. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, he executed the Hurricane to near perfection, earning him a silver medal.
Just 16 months after the awe-inspiring moment, Peterson lost his lifelong battle with depression, taking his own life in a rural canyon outside Park City.
The energy and passion that he constantly displayed on the hill is still being felt today, and it has inspired a new generation of Olympic aerialists.
This year, for the first time since Peterson won silver in Vancouver, you could see an athlete attempt the Hurricane at the Games.
Utah's Mac Bohonnon, who grew up idolizing Peterson, says he's been practicing the maneuver and could break it out in Olympic competition - if the conditions permit and the need arises.
"It's the Olympics," Bohonnon told KTVB. "You really start to see the bar get raised, especially in the men's field with guys doing five twists and three flips. And I think that's 100 percent what it's going to take to win."
For Bohonnon, it's be a way to honor the legend he once looked up to, by attempting a jump that few would dare try.
"I always thought he was absolutely insane for doing that trick, and every time I saw him I thought it was so crazy," Bohonnon said. "And now I kinda have to think the same of myself."
The men's aerials qualifications rounds will take place at 4 a.m. MT on Saturday, Feb. 17. The finals rounds are set for 4 a.m. MT on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Learn more about the athletes we'll be following in KTVB's Road to South Korea special.
