It was a jam-packed second day of competition at the 2024 Winter X Games in Aspen with top results across the board from several U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes. 

Men's Freeski Big Air

Mac Forehand came in with a chip on his shoulder after a fifth place finish in last night’s big air and put on a show in his second run, scoring a massive 94.33 and catapulting him to the top spot. After an impressive rail section on run two, an unfortunate fall on the first of two jumps forced Hall to put all pressure on his third and final run to grab a spot on the podium. Showing no signs of pressure, Hall strung together an effortlessly clean top-to-bottom run to best teammate Forehand and grab his second silver of the weekend. Norway’s Birk Rudd was the only competitor able to best the two Americans and added another X-Games gold to his resume. Stifel U.S. Ski Team member Colby Stevenson made an impressive return to competition, just missing the podium and placing fourth overall.

Women’s Snowboard Knuckle Huck

Aspen 2024 marked the X Games discipline debut of the women’s snowboard knuckle huck, and although pulling out of competition, knuckle huck legend and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team Jaime Anderson, who competed alongside the men in 2021, was on the sidelines to support. Wowing both spectators and judges with her trick innovation and signature steeze, It was Japan’s Kokomo Murase who made history, winning the first-ever X Games gold in the discipline.

Women’s Freeski Knuckle Huck

It was then time for the X Games debut of Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Rell Harwood and the freeski women’s knuckle huck. The field of competitors included athletes who are not typically seen on the traditional competition circuit, including American Taylor Lundquist who is widely considered a street skiing pioneer. Rell showed off her style and deep bag of tricks, earning her first X Games silver medal.

Men’s & Women’s Snowboard Street Style

Although not a medal-winning discipline, attention shifted to the park for the men’s and women’s snowboard street style competition, where Luke Winkelmann represented the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team in a field of legends of the street scene. Winkelmann proved he’s becoming a staple in the rail game, hanging with the likes of Zak Hale, Darcy Sharpe, Zeb Powell and Pat Fava. Winkelmann’s teammate and former X Games medalist Dusty Henricksen served as a guest judge and ultimately helped crown Fava as the winner. Winkelmann’s teammate Judd Henkes was set to compete but instead turned his focus towards tomorrow’s slopestyle competition.

Women’s Freeski SuperPipe

It was back to the SuperPipe to watch Stifel U.S. Ski Team members Svea Irving and Riley Jacobs drop in. Irving, the 2023 X Games bronze medalist in this event, and Jacobs, an X Games rookie, had their work cut out for them competing against the most highly anticipated skier of the weekend, China’s Eileen Gu. Gu, the three-time X Games medalist, was injured during Thursday’s SuperPipe practice causing her to withdraw from slopestyle, but showed no signs of injury as she continued the longest consecutive win streak in women’s halfpipe history, grabbing the X Games Gold. Zoe Atkin from Great Britain took silver and Canada’s Amy Fraser third, barely edging out Irving in the last run. 

Irving ultimately ended the day in fourth, with Jacobs in sixth. 

Women’s Freeski Big Air

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athlete Rell Harwood was back in action for her second X Games event of the day, the women’s ski Big Air and ultimately took home her second X Games medal in the process, finishing the big air contest in third. 

This is Harwood’s second medal of X Games in her debut appearance in Aspen, putting her name at the top of the list and solidifying herself as one of the dominant athletes at this year’s event. 

Men’s Snowboard Big Air

Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athlete and previous X Games bronze medalist Chris Corning represented the team in the men’s snowboard big air competition. With three-time defending X Games champion Marcus Kleveland of Norway out with a concussion and unable to contend for the four-peat, it was anyone’s game in the field of eight riders. Japanese rider Taiga Hasegawa won his first X Games gold medal, throwing a switch backside 1980 on his final run and securing his place at the top of the big air podium. Corning was edged out of podium contention by Norway’s Mons Røisland, finishing the day in fourth.

Men’s Freeski Knucklehuck

In the final event of the evening, the corral was packed with fans to watch the men’s freeski knuckle huck event, a contest that showcases a unique style of skiing - where athletes launch themselves off the knuckle of the big air jump. Throughout the event, each athlete threw down, showcasing their style on one of the sport’s biggest stages. At the end of the night, it was Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athlete and Olympic medalist Colby Stevenson who took home the X Games gold medal. Stevenson just returned from injury last weekend in the Laax Open in Laax, Switzerland, and only a handful of days later, he’s now an X Games knuckle huck champ. Alongside Stevenson was teammate Cody LaPlante who finished within the top five in fifth and X Games legend Alex Hall in seventh. 

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team alpine men had a strong day in the Garmisch super-G with two in the top 10 and five in the top 30. River Radamus scored his best super-G result with an eighth place and his teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle continued his streak of top 10 results in 10th position.

“The surface changed a lot today but I think today I was driving strong and had a good technical foundation all the way through,” said Cochran-Siegle. “Super-G has been a process for me this year and I am happy with today,” said Radamus.

The weather Sunday was opposite of the day prior, starting out with crystal clear skies and a stronger surface underfoot. The top skiers all pushed hard on the super-G track knowing that it was just one of the last speed races of the season. This after hearing the news that the Chamonix speed series, slated for the coming week, got canceled because of poor snow conditions

“We were all looking forward to Chamonix. I've yet to race that downhill and I think finding out late notice it was a bit of a ‘what are we doing now’,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

The sport’s top male skiers pushed hard to find their way on the top of the result sheet again. The overall, downhill, super-G and giant slalom leader, Marco Odermatt, skied with fire to take the win ahead of Austrian Raphael Haaser and young swiss skier Franjo Von Allmen. Cochran-Siegle skied a very solid line to land 10th. This is his fifth top 10 result of the season. Radamus coming from behind in bib 34 had very fast splits all the way down to find his way into the eighth spot. His career best super-G result.

“I know with my best run I could have finished higher both days but I am psyched with where the skiing is at and ready to close out a busy January,” said Radamus who just wrapped up 10 races in the month of January alone. 

It was also a day of success for the rest of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. Sam Morse, or as his teammates call him “Moose” blasted up from bib 54 to the 23rd position. Veterans Jared Goldberg and Bryce Bennett cracked the top 30 in 28th and 29th place. Jack Smith made his World Cup debut in Garmisch and skied into 43rd place. Kyle Negomir, Wiley Maple and Isaiah Nelson landed in 36th, 37th and 42nd place. 

While there will not be another speed race for a little bit longer than usual, the men’s speed team is feeling the momentum building with solid results all season long. The squad is ready to rest and ramp up for the final speed series before the World Cup finals in Kvitfjell, Norway February 17-18.  It will be one super-G and one downhill race. 

RESULTS
men's super-G

Both Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team pro team rider Rebecca Flynn and Oliver Martin of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail stepped on the Youth Olympic Games podium in Gangwon, South Korea, taking the silver medal in big air.

"I’m happy to get on the podium for this because that was my goal," said Flynn. “I just wanted to land two clean runs and I think I put that down.” 

Flynn finished behind Yura Murase of Japan, who won gold. Lucia Georgalli of New Zealand was third for the bronze medal.

Martin, who hails from Colorado, was also stoked about his medal. “Today was amazing for me. I had a good sleep and everything kind of faded out,” he said. “It all went my way today, so I am really happy about that. It is super awesome. I know I could have done better, but it’s really awesome to get on the podium.”

Eli Bouchard of Canada won the gold for the men with Campbell Melville Ives bronze.

Rounding out Team USA, Brooklyn DePriest of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team was eighth for the men and Olivia Lisle, also of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, was 19th.

RESULTS
Women
Men

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team showcased an impressive performance in Goms, Switzerland, during the final race of the series. Jessie Diggins secured an incredible victory in the 20k skate, with Sophia Laukli and Rosie Brennan rounding out the top 10, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively.

As the picturesque scene unfolded on yet another sunny day in Switzerland, 58 women and 76 men set out on the crunchy cold snow and embarked on a fast-paced four-lap, 5k course from the mass start line.

Eli Brown, a wax technician for the U.S. team, captured the essence of the pre-race conditions, "we had a delightful ski in as the moon set and the sun rose. The mountains are simply beautiful; it's shaping up to be a fantastic day!"

In the women's race, Diggins dominated from the outset. Navigating the challenging course with steep uphills and winding downhills, she led the pack for the majority of the race, jumping from first to third with Germany's Victoria Carl and Sweden's Frida Karlsson; Brennan and Laukli were closely in tow.

Laukli, who was at the back of the pack at the start then faced more adversity after going down in an early crash, but quickly recovered and made her way to the front in seamless fashion, showcasing her ability to navigate a pack of skiers going top speed and to never give up. For Brennan, she maintained her position in the lead pack the entire race. 

"Today's race was hectic and stressful - this course is just so fast," said Brennan. "But, it was awesome to have three of us in the top 10, it really shows that we're coming back into form, and we just have a really strong skate squad, and it's exciting to carry this momentum as we go into the North American World Cups!"

As the athletes approached the final kilometer of the race, with the crowd's cheers echoing through Goms, Diggins put the hammer down in a thrilling neck-and-neck battle with Sweden's Karlsson. Looking back to her team sprint victory at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Diggins once again was in the finishing stretch with a Swedish athlete, in a sprint finish that would decide who was first and second. In the last several hundred meters, "Here Comes Diggins" was ringing true, as Diggins outsprinted Karlsson and crossed the line, hands in the air, for her 19th World Cup victory.

Today, Diggins celebrated her 57th World Cup podium, alongside her teammates and support staff, who had a strong weekend of results across the board. 

"To be honest, I didn't have that much faith in my very top speed, so it was a cool surprise to be able to make my body work the way I wanted it to into the finish," said Diggins post race. "I was really happy to have been able to come out of that final corner, knowing that the last couple kilometers of that race, I had to go as hard as I could. I definitely had flooded legs, it was quite painful. But really, I am just really happy. This weekend was the first series of races since my crash in the Tour that my ribs haven't hurt. My energy was back and it was a relief! It's nice to not be in pain and I was just trying to enjoy it, ski smart and ski hard."

"This result really means a lot," said Laukli. "It’s hard to compare with the Tour de Ski stage win, but I would say this top five in a so-called “regular” World Cup race means more in my overall progression as a skier. It’s hugely motivating to know I can be so close to the top, especially in a mass start race like this. I’m certainly specializing more in skate, but today's race makes me very psyched to see what I can do in the rest of the distance races this year, so basically a huge confidence booster type of day!

In the men's race, it was a similar story, the course was fast, there was little room for movement and the pack stayed intact until the final lap. Leading for the Americans was Alaska's Gus Schumacher. Schumacher skied a tactical race, maintaining a good position within the lead pack and drafting behind the leaders. Notably, Schumacher was on the fourth lap, approaching the second bonus points, he made a move and found himself at the front of the pack, right behind the two leading Norwegians, sitting third. Into the final stretch of the course, Schumacher jumped around, comfortably navigating the technical course, and ultimately crossed the line in 14th, a solid result for the young American.

"My strategy was to try to relax in the pack as long as possible so I could have the energy to move up when it got hard," said Schumacher in post-race comments. "Also, I wanted to ski the downhills well to take places where it was a bit easier. Honestly, I struggled to maintain a good position in the first couple of laps, so that part didn’t go super well, but I had energy when it started to string out and made those said “money moves” into some bonus points on lap three. Right after that, the pace got real and I had to dig to keep skiing. Happy with it! Skis were good and my body was responsive for almost all the race and I’m stoked to be back in distance top 15."

Right alongside Schumacher was another Alaskan, Scott Patterson, who ended the day in 18th, after skiing a very similar race by sticking with the lead pack, making tactical and smart moves at the right times and never getting jostled up around the tight corners.

Now, the team will pack not only their bags, but their ski bags, and head straight to the airport to head back to North America for the North American World Cup tour, including a stop in Canmore and the highly-anticipated Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

RESULTS 
Women
Men

Jaelin Kauf and Olivia Giaccio stepped on the podium in dual moguls to wrap up the weekend at the United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Kauf was second and Giaccio third.

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team women stacked it into the finals again, showing their consistent dominance this season. Seven women headed into the quarterfinals, including Kauf, Giaccio, Tess Johnson, Alli Macuga, Hannah Soar and Kasey Hogg, and swept second place through seventh. Johnson finished fourth, Macuga fifth, Soar sixth and Hogg seventh.

Kauf scored her second podium in two days, knocking out opponent after opponent throughout the day. She just lost the finals matchup to Jakara Anthony of Australia by one point, who took her second win in two days and eighth win in a row.

The crowd showed up on Waterville's historic Lower Bobby’s Run, named after Robert F. Kennedy. Fans, friends and family were thrilled to see the best skiers from around the world, as the New Hampshire fans braved fog, snow and rain to watch the head-to-head races.

“I could hear the crowd and the announcer, which was really fun,” said Giaccio, who hails from Connecticut. “The east coast is always a huge community of bump skiers so it’s awesome to have some representation.”

Kauf echoed her teammate’s appreciation of the east coast fanbase. “It’s always been fun coming out here for U.S. nationals. They’ve put on such a great event in the past and really stepped it up for the World Cup too,” she said. “And here at the birthplace of freestyle skiing, they have that history and that’s really cool to be a part of and bring the World Cup back here. I’m stoked that we’re going to have it again next year and excited to come back.”

Rounding out the Americans, Lulu Shaffer was 22nd, Skylar Slettene 23rd, Olivia Maurais 24th and Kylie Kariotis 28th

On the men’s side, Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team development team athlete Landon Wendler was the top U.S. man in eighth—his second top 10 of the weekend. Cole McDonald was ninth and Nick Page 10th.

Mikael Kingsbury took the win, his 86 career victory, which tied him with alpine skier Ingemar Stenmark as the winningest male skier in history. Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin broke the record last season and is the winningest alpine skier in history. Ikuma Horishima of Japan was second and Walter Wallberg of Sweden was third.

The FIS freestyle World Cup tour heads next to Park City, Utah for the Intermountain Health Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
Jan. 28
2:00 p.m. - men's and women's dual moguls, Waterville Valley, NH - CNBC (next day delay)

It was another bluebird day in Gangwon, South Korea at the Geongseon High 1 Ski Resort. It was the perfect conditions for Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athlete Elizabeth Lemley to clinch her second Youth Olympic Games gold medal in the same amount of days. Team USA dominated, with Lemley standing alongside Abby McLarnon of Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club with a bronze medal and Ski & Snowboard Club Vail's Porter Huff taking a silver.

Lemley wore bib one throughout the weekend and told an Olympics reporter, “I’ll bring home that I was bib one here and maintained my position, and I think I learned how to be at the top. I’m honored to have the first gold medals in dual moguls in the (Youth) Olympics. It’s a beautiful feeling.”

Lemley’s competitors understand the magnitude of her performances over the last two days. “I love Liz so much," said McLarnon. "She just knows how to do this. She is so good at finding the right things to do and when to do them."

McLarnon finished in third place, earning her second bronze medal of the weekend after winning in the small final against Manuela Passaretta of Italy. Huff, who took the top box alongside Lemley in yesterday’s team dual moguls, was on the podium again today, finishing in second place.

RESULTS
Women
Men

In one of the more demanding sprints on the 2023-24 World Cup circuit, three Americans landed in the top 15, led by JC Schoonmaker in seventh, achieving his career-best skate sprint in the process.

The rain stayed away and the sun was out for the late afternoon sprint in Goms, Switzerland. With hundreds of athletes on the start list, and thousands of fans corraled around the course, the sprint ahead was anything but easy.

Steep uphills, tight corners and fast downhills – this course featured all the challenging aspects of a tough sprint. Paired with fast conditions and high altitude, there was carnage in nearly every heat: broken poles, crashes and one broken ski.

Moving into qualifications, where only the top 30 for both men and women advance, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team sent eight athletes through, led by Jessie Diggins qualifying in ninth and Ben Ogden qualifying in third.

Women's Sprint Heats

Entering the heats, in the second quarterfinal heat, Rosie Brennan did not advance but was still proud of her effort, ultimately ending the day in 17th.

"I'm really happy that I used what I had and skied the way I wanted to," said Brennan post-race. "This course was challenging, it was a big long climb and then a fast and sketchy downhill, followed by that all again. There was full contact out there today because there was not much room to spread out, but I am happy with the way I skied and am looking forward to the challenge tomorrow!”

For Sammy Smith, one of the youngest competitors on the World Cup circuit, it was another day to gain valuable World Cup experience. Easily advancing into the heats, Smith lined up on the quarterfinal start line alongside some of the sport's leading sprinters. Off the start, she skied a smart race, choosing the inside line on the long uphill, setting herself up nicely for the long downhill. An unfortunate crash ended her day early, yet she still finished the day in 21st.

For Diggins, she easily advanced through to the semifinals, winning her quarterfinal heat. In the semis, taking an similar inside line to the long hills as her teammates, Diggins was battling for position, ultimately getting bumped from advancing to the finals due to an unfortunate fall in the last turn. Diggins, however, ended the day with another top 15, in 11th, and continues her lead in the overall World Cup standings.

In the end, the Swedish women swept the podium led by Linn Svahn in first, Maja Dahlqvist in second and Jonna Sundling in third. 

Men's Sprint Heats

For the men, Ogden, Schoonmaker and Gus Schumacher represented the red, white and blue in the heats; Zak Ketterson was right out of the top 30 bubble, finishing his qualifier race in 31st. 

In Schoonmaker's quarterfinal heat, he skied a clean race but had to turn on the gas in the final stretch alongside Sweden's Johan Haeggstroem to advance. Crossing the line in a photo finish - ultimately called in Schoonmaker's favor - Schoonmaker clocked in one one-hundredth of a second faster than Haeggstroem and secured his spot in the semifinal round.

In the last quarterfinal of the day, Ogden and Schumacher had to finish in the top two to advance or have the third-fastest time in the heat. With both Americans taking the inside line on the first big climb, they were jockeying for position into the tight downhills. Into the last horseshoe turn going into the stadium, Ogden shot into first, crossing the line in first, with Schumacher finishing fourth - only Ogden advanced to the semis. 

"I was really happy with my qualifier today," said Ogden. "I am happy with the heats played out, I crashed but that happens - I step on people, people step on me, it happens!"

In the semis, Ogden and Schoonmaker represented the U.S. men.

For Schoonmaker and Ogden, lining up on the semifinal start line was familiar, as they did together earlier this season in Östersund, Sweden, when Schoonmaker clinched his career-first sprint podium. With things getting a bit messy with the choppier snow and the tactical challenges of getting pushed around, Ogden had an untimely crash, leaving him out of contention, but teammate Schoonmaker gave it everything in the final stretch and made moves to finish the day in seventh, just outside making finals.

The day ended with Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo back on top in first, France's Lucas Chanavat in second and Haavard Solaas Taugboel of Norway in third. 

"My strategy for this course was trying to make all of my moves on the second half," said Schoonmaker. "It was a really tough first hill, so I tried to save my legs there so I could ski the downhills and corners with some energy.”

With Schoonmaker's seventh-place result, he now bests his previous eighth-place skate sprint career best and continues to make an impression. 

"Today's result feels solid," he said. "I’m happy with it but am always going to want more. To be close to the final is bittersweet, but I also think it’s cool to realize that I’m at a point where getting knocked out in the semis comes with a little disappointment. Overall I’m just happy to feel like I’m skiing well again after a challenging last few weeks.”

Now, the team resets for tomorrow's 20k skate mass start. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live at 3:30 a.m. ET for the women and 7:30 a.m. ET for the men. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle continues his strong season with another top 10 result in the Garmisch, Germany super-G. 

“I liked how I went out and skied today. You definitely need to push here,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

The weather conditions started with heavy fog, warm weather and a lot of salting facing the course workers. However, by 11 a.m. CET, the weather started to turn and the surface was manageable for the speed racers. 

Cochran-Siegle started with bib four and was in the green all the way down until the last interval when he punched the line initially just 0.09 hundredths off the pace. The favorites for the race, Marco Odermatt of Switzerland and Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin, surprisingly fell off the pace. Odermatt landed in fourth and Sarrazin 11th. 

Instead, the podium welcomed new faces. The French team, on fire this season, snagged another World Cup win with Nils Allegre. It was Allegre's his first World Cup win. Second place also went to a World Cup podium newcomer, Italian skier Guglielmo Bosca with Loic Meillard of Switzerland in third. 

“It’s one of those races where it's not that complex so you really have to give it your best and generate as much as possible with every turn,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team skier River Radamus was just shy of his career best super-G result in 17th place. Wiley Maple also landed in the top 30 in 26th. 

Jared Goldberg, Bryce Bennett, Isaiah Nelson, Sam Morse and Kyle Negomir also raced and landed in 31st, 33rd, 45th, 50th and 52nd, respectively. Jack Smith was set to make his World Cup debut this weekend but due to a lingering injury will hold off until Chamonix next week.

Overall the men’s team is excited to build on Saturday and come firing into Sunday for a second super-G. 

“I think with colder weather overnight it could be a bit of a different style of race tomorrow so it should be fun,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

The action begins again at 5:45 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Men's super-G

HOW TO WATCH 
5:45 a.m. - men’s super-G, Garmisch, Germany - LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live (on demand on Outside Watch on Monday)

The best snowboard and freeski athletes descended on the slopes of Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado for the first day of competition at the 2024 Winter X Games. Day one action included women’s snowboard slopestyle, men’s snowboard knuckle huck, men’s ski big air and men’s and women’s snowboard superpipe.

Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s Hailey Langland kicked the weekend off in the women’s slopestyle competition, replacing teammate Julia Marino, who was unfortunately ruled out of competition due to injury. Athletes had three runs to show off trick difficulty, variety, use of course and execution, and the stacked heat of eight women threw down. Despite finding out she was competing only a few hours before, Langland came out strong and put down her first and best run of the day, scoring a 70.6 and landing fifth overall. The top spot went to 17-year-old Mia Brookes of Great Britain, who threw a never-been-done 1440 on the last jump to earn her first X Games gold.

Attention turned to the women’s superpipe competition where nine-time X Games medalist and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team rider Chloe Kim made her highly anticipated return to the event since her win in 2021. Back like she never left, Kim was dominant from the start and found herself sitting in the top spot after run one. After clinching the title, Kim put on a show in her victory lap to become the first woman to land a 1260 in halfpipe competition. She is now tied with snowboard legend Kelly Clark for most X Games superpipe victories, each with seven, and her perfect podium streak is still alive, with nine superpipe medals in nine starts.

Kim was joined in the pipe by two X Games rookies and her teammates Bea Kim and Kinsley White, who both showed poise under pressure and put down solid runs under the superpipe lights. White made her X Games debut after teammate and three-time X Games medalist Maddie Mastro was sidelined due to injuries sustained from last week’s Laax Open. Mastro sets her focus on recovery and hopes to be back to full health for next weekend’s Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Mammoth Mountain, the place she calls home.

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team was represented in the men’s knuckle huck by Luke Winkelmann and Jake Canter, who took on the likes of previous knuckle huck champion Zeb Powell in the 20-minute jam-style event that prioritizes creativity and style. With 2021 X Games gold medalist American Dusty Henriksen out with a back injury and three-time gold medalist Marcus Kleveland from Norway out with a concussion, Powell was the clear favorite, but it was the Canadian X Games rookie Liam Brearley who took the top spot on the podium, followed by Powell in second and fellow Canadian Darcy Sharpe in third. Winkelmann finished just off the podium in fourth and Canter took eighth.

Unlike previous years, the 2024 X Games big air competition featured three runs per rider, the first being a “style” trick that’s scored on a 1-10 scale and compromising only 10% of their total score. The remaining jumps were scored throughout a 30-minute jam format with only the best two counting toward their overall final score.

Reigning X Games big air champion and Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athlete Mac Forehand joined teammates Alex Hall and Troy Podmilsak to compete in the lone freeski event of the night. Hall, a nine-time X Games medalist, added another X Games silver to his resume, throwing a never-been-done switch 18 with a tail butter that was only bested by Podmilsak, who secured the gold by throwing a 2160, the same trick that won him a World Cup championship this past season. Forehand was the last to drop for the night and ended the night in a respectable fifth place.

It was back to the superpipe for the men’s snowboard competition at the end of the night, featuring a field of heavy hitters including Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team member and X Games bronze medalist Chase Josey, who ended the day in seventh place. X Games superpipe king, Australia’s Scotty James, secured his third X Games victory in a row. 2023 FIS halfpipe Crystal Globe winner Ruka Hurano took silver and Kaishu Hirano, the Guinness World Record holder for highest halfpipe air, took bronze to round out the podium.

The action continues Saturday with the men’s ski slopestyle, women’s ski and snowboard knuckle huck, men’s and women’s snowboard street, women’s ski superpipe, men’s and women’s ski big air, men’s snowboard big air and men’s ski knuckle huck.

STARTERS

Men’s ski slopestyle

• Mac Forehand
• Alex Hall
• Colby Stevenson

Women’s ski knuckle huck

• Rell Hardwood

Men’s and women’s snowboard street

• Judd Henkes
• Luke Winkelmann

Women’s ski superpipe

• Svea Irving
• Riley Jacobs

Women’s ski big air

• Rell Harwood

Men’s snowboard big air

• Chris Corning

Men’s ski knuckle huck

• Alex Hall
• Cody LaPlante
• Colby Stevenson

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
12:30 p.m. - men’s ski slopestyle - live on ABC, live stream on xgames.com 
2:30 p.m. - women’s snowboard knuckle huck - live stream on xgames.com 
3:30 p.m. - women’s ski knuckle huck - live stream on xgames.com 
4:15 p.m. - men’s and women’s snowboard street - live stream on xgames.com 
7:00 p.m. - women’s ski superpipe - live stream on xgames.com 
8:30 p.m. - women’s ski big air - live stream on xgames.com 
10:00 p.m. - men’s snowboard big air - live on ESPN, live stream on xgames.com 
11:00 p.m. - men’s ski knuckle huck - live on ESPN, live stream on xgames.com 

In front of a cheering hometown crowd at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley, Jaelin Kauf and Hannah Soar scored podium spots at the United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA, finishing second and third, respectively. 

While the weather didn’t cooperate, seeing everything from snow to freezing rain throughout the day-long competition, the competition was fierce for the individual moguls competition on Friday.

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team women stacked seven into the 16-person finals, continuing their dominating season. Five athletes then qualified for the six-person super finals, guaranteeing at least two spots on the podium. Alli Macuga, Kasey Hogg and Olivia Giaccio all had trouble in the finals as course conditions worsened with the weather, but Kauf and Soar put down clean and fast runs to take second and third place, respectively. New Hampshire native Hogg finished just off the podium in fourth, a career best. Giaccio was fifth and Macuga sixth. Jakara Anthony won the event—her sixth World Cup in a row—and clinched the win of the overall single moguls Crystal Globe.

“The conditions were so tough, but the women’s success today shows how good of skiers we are and how much fight we have,” said Kauf. “No matter the conditions, no matter how tough and icy and challenging they were, the girls were able to put runs together and really showcase the strength of our skiing. Maybe Hannah is used to this east coast weather, but most of us are spoiled out west!”

Soar, a New England native from Connecticut who went to the Killington Mountain School, laughed about the conditions and was happy to land on the podium in front of family and friends. “Normally when I ski in the rain on the east coast—which is all the time—I’m wearing a rubber suit, I have my dish gloves on and I am prepared for it,” she laughed. “I’m a New Englander and I know how to prepare for it! But this is one of my first time competing in this kind of weather. In the super final when everyone was crashing in front of me, I just knew that there was one thing I know how to do and it’s skiing a top-to-bottom run in the rain.”

Behind the super finals, Tess Johnson was 11th and Park City Ski & Snowboard's Skylar Slettene was 14th. It was Slettene’s first World Cup and her first World Cup finals. Slettene also went to Vermont's Stratton Mountain School (SMS), just a few hours away from Waterville Valley.   

On the men’s side, five men sent it into the finals. Cole McDonald was the top American man, finishing fifth. Landon Wendler sent it to seventh place and Asher Michel was 11th, a career best. Nick Page and Dylan Marcellini had trouble putting down their runs in finals, finishing in 14th and 16th.

On the podium, Ikumu Horishima of Japan finished first, Cooper Woods of Australia was second and Mikael Kingsbury third.

The United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA was the first freestyle World Cup at Waterville Valley, which is known throughout the world as the birthplace of freestyle skiing. “Waterville has so much freestyle history,” said Kauf. “Wayne Wong is here. Donna Weinbrecht is commentating (on Outside). Hannah Kearney and Trace (Worthington) are commentating on NBC. It’s really cool to be a part of history and having the old freestyle community coming together for it. It’s really special. It really shows the family community that freestyle is.”

The weather looks to dry out at Waterville with dual moguls closing out the event on Saturday in front of a rowdy New England crowd.

RESULTS
Women
Men  

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
Jan. 27
2:00 p.m. - men's and women's dual moguls, Waterville Valley, NH - Outside Watch

Jan. 28
2:00 p.m. - men's and women's dual moguls, Waterville Valley, NH - CNBC (next day delay)