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Mastro, Wise In Top Spots After Dew Tour Halfpipe Qualifiers

By Annie Fast
December, 16 2021
Maddie Mastro airs out of the halfpipe.
Maddie Mastro earns the top spot in Thursday's qualifying at the Dew Tour. (Dew Tour - Mike Yoshida)

Snowboard Halfpipe Qualifiers
U.S. Snowboard Team rider Maddie Mastro took the top spot in Thursday’s qualifiers the Woodward Copper Mountain halfpipe, followed by teammate and defending Olympic Gold Medalist Chloe Kim. Mastro earned her top score of 92.75 on her second qualifying run, which was highlighted by her signature double crippler, followed up with back-to-back 720s.

“I’ve put a lot of work in and a lot of reps – and a lot of years, actually – to fully have the double crippler in my bag and have confidence in that trick,” Mastro said in an interview with the Dew Tour. “I’m stoked that it’s all starting to pay off.”

Chloe Kim finished in second with a score of 91.25, also on her second qualifying run. Mastro and Kim both advance into Sunday’s halfpipe final among the group of eight women.

In the men’s field, U.S. Snowboard Team rider and three-time Olympic Gold medalist Shaun White was the top men’s qualifier of the day, clinching his spot in finals on a gripping second run in classic White fashion. Teammates Chase Josey, Taylor Gold, and a young Joey Okesson round out the U.S. Snowboard team riders heading into Sunday’s halfpipe finals among the group of 10.

Men’s Snowboard Qualifiers Results
Women’s Snowboard Qualifiers Results

Freeski Halfpipe Qualifiers
The Freeski halfpipe qualifiers went down Wednesday as a storm front blew through Colorado. Two-time Olympic Gold medalist David Wise rose to the challenge earning the top score of the day with a 93.5. Wise linked up a left double 1260 mute and a left 900 tail grab shifty maintaining his amplitude throughout his run despite the challenging conditions. In a dominating performance, the U.S. Men’s Freeski halfpipe team locked up six of the 10 advancing slots into Saturday’s finals. Wise is joined by Lyman Currier, Aaron Blunck, Alex Ferreira, Hunter Hess, and Birk Irving.

In the women’s field, U.S. Freeski Team young gun Hanna Faulhaber earned the top U.S women’s score of the day with an 84.75, followed by Olympic Bronze medalist Brita Sigourney. Both advance into Friday’s women’s pipe finals.

Men’s Freeski Qualifiers Results
Women’s Freeski Qualifiers Results

HOW TO WATCH

2021 DEW TOUR LIVE STREAM SCHEDULE
 


 

Dew Tour Olympic Qualifier Kicks Off

By Annie Fast
December, 15 2021
Jamie Anderson airs on her snowboard.
U.S. Snowboard Team rider Jamie Anderson will be competing at the Dew Tour. (Dew Tour / Mike Yoshida)

The Dew Tour kicked off today at Copper Mountain, Colorado, with more than 200 athletes representing 17 countries competing in men’s and women’s ski and snowboard superpipe and slopestyle events among others. The U.S. Freeski and U.S. Snowboard Team athletes account for 59 of those vying for points—and the podium—to earn a spot to compete at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, taking place February 4-20, 2022.

U.S. Snowboard Team Slopestyle Starts
Kyle Mack
Dusty Henricksen
Fynn Bullock-Womble
Chris Corning
Red Gerard
Luke Winkelmann
Brock Crouch
Sean FitzSimons
Ty Schnorrbusch
Courtney Rummel
Jade Thurgood
Julia Marino
Jamie Anderson
Hailey Langland

U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Starts
Taylor Gold
Chase Blackwell
Chase Josey
Lucas Foster
Toby Miller
Joey Okesson
Shaun White
Jack Coyne
Chloe Kim
Maddie Mastro
Tessa Maud
Sonora Alba

U.S. Freeski Team Halfpipe Starts
Brita Sigourney
Annalisa Drew
Hanna Faulhaber
Abigale Hansen
Devin Logan
Riley Jacobs
Svea Irving

Tristan Feinberg
Hunter Hess
Dylan Ladd
Sammy Schuiling
Jaxin Hoerter
Birk Irving
Aaron Blunck
David Wise

Lyman Currier
Cassidy Jarrell
Hunter Carey
Alex Ferreira 

U.S. Freeski Team Slopestyle Starts
Colby Stevenson
Mac Forehand
Alex Hall
Nick Goepper
Cody LaPlante
Hunter Henderson
Konnor Ralph
Charlie Gnoza

Marin Hamill
Darian Stevens
Grace Henderson
Jay Riccomini
Bella Bacon

HOW TO WATCH 

All times EDT
Subject to change, click here for the full schedule.

Friday, Dec. 17, 2021
2:00 p.m. Dew Tour Men's Ski Slopestyle Final - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour
4:00 p.m. Dew Tour Women's Ski Slopestyle Final - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour

Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021
11:00 a.m. Dew Tour Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour
12:30 p.m. Dew Tour Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Final - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour
2:45 p.m. Dew Tour Women's Ski Superpipe Final Presented by Toyota - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour
4:00 p.m Dew Tour Men's Ski Superpipe Final Presented by Toyota - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour

Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021
11:00 a.m. Dew Tour Women's Snowboard Superpipe Final Presented by Toyota - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming DewTour
12:45 p.m. Dew Tour Men's Snowboard Superpipe Final Presented by Toyota - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming DewTour

Sunday, December 26, 2021
4:00 p.m. Winter Dew Tour at Copper, on NBC
5:00 p.m. Winter Dew Tour at Copper, on NBC

 

Gold, Fifth At Toyota U.S. Grand Prix

By Annie Fast
December, 11 2021
Taylor Gold Airs in the halfpipe.
Taylor Gold earns fifth place today at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard / Mike Dawsy)

2014 Olympian Taylor Gold was the top U.S. finisher today at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix finals, earning fifth place in the Woodward Copper superpipe. This was the first Olympic halfpipe qualifying event of this season. 

“That was the run I wanted to do coming into today and after slamming on my first run, It was really nice to land that second one,” said Gold. “The riding is just insane these days so I’m always happy to be up there. Top five is great, of course I want to be on the podium and that’s what I keep striving for but I’m happy.”

U.S. Snowboard Team rider and 2018 Olympian Chase Josey finished in sixth, followed by three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White in eighth at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix finals.

Looking ahead to the Dew Tour next week, which is also an Olympic qualifier in this same halfpipe at Woodward Copper, Gold says, “The pipe is really good. I’m going to need a day off at least, maybe two,” referring to his harrowing crash on his first hit mid-McTwist. “After that I’ll feel fresh again and be ready to go. It’ll be nice to get a few more days in here, that’ll be a good time to maybe add in some more of these tricks that I want to add but I’m happy with that first attempt.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Halfpipe Coach JJ Thomas says that after taking that huge crash, he was expecting Gold to take a safety run to get back into it, but two minutes before dropping into his second run, says JJ, “He just laced probably the best run he’s ever done and that just made my day. To come back after that crash and put down that run, I told him that was one of the sickest athletic performances I’ve ever seen in my life. That was so boss.”

Josey and White also put down two great runs each, but weren’t able to break into the podium.

Japan’s Ruka Hirano took first, followed by Switzerland’s Jan Scherrer and Japan’s Yuto Totsuka in third. Japan’s Raibu Katayama went down hard during finals, and we are sending our thoughts out for a quick recovery. 

In the women’s field China’s Cai Xuetong took first, followed by Japan’s Sena Tomita and Spain’s Queralt Castellet in third.

The next Olympic halfpipe qualifier is the Dew Tour right here at Copper Mountain, Colo. Dec. 16–19. The packed U.S. Snowboard Team roster will include Chloe Kim, who’s coming into this event following a podium trifecta sweep last winter, including at the Aspen U.S. Grand Prix Olympic tryout event, along with teammate Maddie Maestro, who graced the X Games Aspen and World Championship podiums earning silver medals at each. Mastro and Kim are two of the best women’s snowboard halfpipe athletes in the world right now and are forces to be reckoned with coming into the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. 

Final Results 

Men's Snowboard Finals 

Women's Snowboard Finals 

 

 

 

 

Baumgartner Second At Montafon SBX

By Nicholas Fabula
December, 11 2021
Alessandro Haemmerle with Nick Baumgartner in hot pursuit.
Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle in first followed by Team USA's Nick Baumgartner in second at Montafon. (FIS)

It proved to be a challenging qualification week for the teams at Montafon, the weather was throwing a lot at the competitors and the event organizers with snowfall threatened to postpone the race. As luck would have it, there was a clearing in the weather that allowed the race to continue. Stay focused and don’t let up is a theme we saw at this event. 

The men’s Snowboard Cross final had a tight field at the gate with the defending SBX and local hero, Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle, Team USA's Nick Baumgartner—coming off a third-place finish at the Secret Garden season opener in China—and two young athletes from the Team Germany, Marin Noerl, and Umito Kirchwehm. It was going to be a battle all the way to the finish. 

Out of the gates, Noerl took the lead and held it for a considerable time. On his home turf, Alessandro held his composure and the second place position keeping up the pressure. In third place was Baumgartner, using his years of experience and skill to keep the pressure on Haemmerle and Noerl. On the second-to-last large turn, Noerl lost control and fell, opening the lead to Haemmerle. With a sealed victory Haemmerle took first, close behind Baumgartner who sealed the second-place position, with Kirchwehm in third place. 

After the race, Baumgartner shared, “This has been an amazing start to my season and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve always loved racing in Montafon, the people here are so nice and so welcoming to all us athletes. This course made for some tight racing and it was my experience that helped me make smart decisions that got me through the heats and onto the box.”  

For the women’s team, it was the weather, stiff competition, and challenging terrain that really made it difficult during the races. Team USA’s Stacy Gaskill took sixth in the overall standings at Montafon. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Coach Peter Foley said that the qualifications were a challenge for the teams. “Nick and Stacy had really good races today. Nick really showed veteran racing skills making incredible passes and calmly weaving his way through traffic.”

Next stop for the SBX team—Cervinia, Italy, Dec. 17–18.

RESULTS
Men
Women

 

Josey, Gold, White Advance Into Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Finals

By Annie Fast
December, 9 2021
Chase
U.S Snowboard Team rider Chase Josey advances into Saturday’s Toyota U.S. Grand Prix finals. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Mike Dawsy)

U.S. Snowboard Team riders Chase Josey, Taylor Gold, and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White are advancing in the field of 10 men to Saturday’s Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Finals. This is the first Olympic halfpipe qualifying event of this season, and the first chance for these riders to unleash their new tricks after a long training season leading up to this event.

2018 Winter Olympian Chase Josey was the top U.S Snowboard Team qualifier, “I was feeling really ready for today,” said Josey. “We’ve been training for so long at this point though all summer and this fall, so it felt like this week has been in our sights for so long that it was a relief to finally get to Copper. I just felt really ready to go, honestly.”

Josey went frontside double cork 1080, to switch frontside 900, into a switch backside 900, to a Cab double cork 1080, finishing with a frontside double cork 1260 on the final hit.

“I've really been trying to piece together this run for many years at this point,” said Josey. “It all takes time. And it’s finally been the season that I feel like it’s all coming together.”

The men’s field is rounded out with Team Japan, led by two-time Olympic Silver Medalist Ayumu Hirano, who came out strong earning the top four qualifying spots, along with the Swiss team.

The women’s field of eight riders includes top qualifying finishers Spain’s Queralt Castellet and China’s Cai Xuetong.

U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Coach JJ Thomas is looking forward to Saturday. “All three of our guys—Chase, Shaun, and Taylor—those were just their qualifying runs, they have a lot left in the tank,” said JJ, “If the weather cooperates and the snow stays fast, this final could be one of the heavier finals to date.”

One question is at the top of everyone’s mind—will we see the first triple cork in competition? Tune in to find out.

Finals Start List 

Men's Snowboard Finals 
Women's Snowboard Finals 

HOW TO WATCH SNOWBOARDING

All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN
2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
1:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

HOW TO WATCH SNOWBOARDING

All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN
2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
1:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Media have access to results, photos, podium/leader interviews, news, broadcast/streaming schedules, and more in the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Virtual Media Center.

U.S. Snowboardcross Team Readies For Montafon World Cup

By Nicholas Fabula
December, 8 2021
Four snowboard cross racers round a gate.
The Montafon World Cup is the next stop for the U.S. Snowboardcross team. (FIS)

The U.S. Snowboardcross Team just completed their first World Cup races this season at the Secret Garden testing center in China— the home course for the 2022 Olympics Games. The SBX team enjoyed a short reprieve in Reiteralm, Austria where they had a chance to recoup and train for the upcoming FIS Weltcup race in Montafon, Austria. 

Montafon race is a great venue with a steep long course that is bound to deliver a great show for the fans at home and a fun, challenging course for all the athletes. This year the SBX team will have one day for testing and inspecting the course, followed by a training day.

In overall rankings, the U.S. SBX team stands in third place, only ten points behind Italy, with Austria currently holding the lead. For the U.S. men’s team, Nick Baumgartner is in third place after a great showing in China. A difficult semifinal run put Mick Dierdorff in sixth place with room to make a big comeback here at Montafon. Hagen Kearney and Alex Deibold are both sitting in the top 25 spots for the men’s SBX. 

The women’s team is showing up this year with five women in the top 25 overall rankings. Stacy Gaskill is in eighth place, with Faye Gulini sitting in tenth, with Livia Molodyh and Anna Miller closing in the gap and sitting in the top 25. 

The team is well-rested and ready to show the competition what they’ve got. The fun begins on Thursday, Dec. 9th with qualifications, then into finals Dec.10-11.

U.S. Snowboardcross Men's Starts
Mick Dierdorff
Nick Baumgartner
Hagen Kearney
Jake 
Vedder 
Alex Deibold
Senna Leith
Mike LaCroix
Tyler Hamel

U.S. Snowboardcross Women's Starts
Faye Gulini
Stacy Gaskill
Anna Miller
Livia Molodyh

Men's Start List
Women's Start List

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT
Friday, Dec. 10, 2021
7:00 a.m. FIS Snowboarding World Cup Snowboardcross - LIVE, Montafon, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
7:00 a.m. FIS Snowboarding World Cup Mixed Team Snowboardcross - LIVE, Montafon, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

2021 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Kicks Off at Copper Mountain

By Annie Fast
December, 7 2021
A snowboard airs in the halfpipe.
The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix is set to go down in the legendary 22-foot Superpipe at Copper Mountain, Co. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard // Mike Dawsy)

The U.S. Snowboard and U.S. Freeski teams are ready to throw down this week in the 22-foot Superpipe at Woodward Copper Mountain, Colorado. The team already has a day of training in the bag, and the reviews are in—this pipe is absolutely chiseled and ready to go. Take that as a sign that we should be prepared to see another heavy progression session as this international field of competitors drops in ready to unleash their newest tricks. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper is one of four U.S. Olympic halfpipe snowboard qualifying events and one of six U.S. Olympic freeski qualifying events. This competition will serve as the first 2021-22 halfpipe qualifying event, bringing the best athletes in the world to debut their latest tricks ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Snowboard Halfpipe

The field is stacked in men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe. While the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix is the first Olympic halfpipe qualifying event of this season, the U.S. snowboard team has been training hard leading up to it. The team is heading into this competition fresh from a month in Saas Fee, Switzerland, followed by a ten-day training camp in Kitzsteinhorn, Austria.

U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Coach JJ Thomas had this to say after the first day of training, “We’re pretty tuned up right now. The pipe here at Copper opened just in time for training, but not any earlier. That works for our team because they’re all polished up. They’re feeling pretty confident today and it shows in their snowboarding. They look great. The whole team is ripping so hard.”

“I’m feeling good,” says 2018 Olympian Taylor Gold. “We’ve had some really good training, so I feel strong and comfortable and ready to go.”

Keep an eye on the U.S. Team vets including three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White looking to compete in his fifth Olympics, X Games medalist’s Toby Miller and Taylor Gold who can lean into years of experience and skill, as well as young guns like Joey Okesson, Lucas Foster, Zoe Kalapos, Sonora Alba and Tessa Maud.

The international field includes top ranked riders including Japanese team riders Yuto Totsuka, Ruka Hirano and Raibu Katayama, Switzerland’s Jan Sherrer in the men’s field; with China’s Xuetong Cai and Jiayu Liu, Spain’s Queralt Castellet and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono to keep an eye on.

The level is through the roof right now in halfpipe snowboarding, it’s going to be an absolute battle to make it into finals. Expect to see riders attempting to one-up the field with a whole new level of tricks. Will we see the triple cork variations unleashed in this competition?

Snowboard qualifiers kick off on Thursday, Dec. 9th with finals on Saturday, Dec. 11th here at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

U.S Snowboard Men’s Starts
Taylor Gold
Chase Josey
Chase Blackwell
Shaun White
Lucas Foster
Ryan Wachendorfer  
Toby Miller
Joey Okesson
Joshua Bowman
Jason Wolle
Levko Fedorowycz

U.S Snowboard Women’s Starts
Zoe Kalapos
Sonora Alba
Tessa Maud
Alexandria Simsovits
Summer Fenton
Kaili Shafer
Natalie Partridge
Lola Cowan
Kelly Berger

Complete Qualifiers Starts List:
Men's Snowboard Qualifiers 
Women's Snowboard Qualifiers 

Freeski Halfpipe

The U.S. Freeski Team is stacked with 30 athletes slated to compete in the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. The team has been putting in the work heading into this event. They completed three-weeks of training at Saas Fee, followed by a ten-day camp in Kaprun, Austria.

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist David Wise is definitely one to watch as he looks ahead to his qualifying for his third Olympic Games. And Olympic Bronze Medalist Brita Sigourney is in a great position going into this event following her third-place podium finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen.

Halfpipe Champion Aaron Blunck comes into the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix following a first-place finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen, Colorado, also looking to qualify for his third Olympic Games. “Training was great,” says Blunck, who we caught up with after the first day of training. “Copper put some serious work in—they showed up, they put on, big shout out to all of them. It’s going to be a great week. The pipe is in great shape and I’m feeling really good, I’m just excited to be on snow and am thankful for every day I get to ski.”

The international field includes some heavy hitters to watch out for including Eileen Gu, competing for China, England’s Zoe Atkin, Canada’s Noah Bowman, New Zealand’s Nico Porteous and many more.

The freeski competition kicks off with qualifiers on Wednesday, Dec. 8th, followed by finals on Friday, Dec. 10th.

Complete Qualifiers Starts List:
Men's Freeski Qualifiers 
Women's Freeski Qualifiers 

U.S. Freeski Men’s Starts
Aaron Blunck
Birk Irving
David Wise
Alex Ferreira
Jaxin Hoerter
Cassidy Jarrell
Dylan Ladd
Samson Schuiling
Tristan Feinberg
Cameron Brodrick
Connor Ladd
Aaron Durlester
Mathew Labaugh
Chace Maytham
Eugene Morris
Nathaniel Bourgoin
Jack Ganley

U.S. Freeski Women’s Starts
Brita Sigourney
Devin Logan
Hanna Faulhaber
Carly Margulies
Abigale Hansen
Svea Irving
Annalisa Drew
Jeanee Crane-Mauzy
Riley Jacobs
Jenna “Jay” Riccomini
Lauren Bendixen
Kathryn Gray
Nikita Rubocki

 

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT

Friday, Dec. 10, 2021

2:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock, Broadcast NBCSN

 

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021

2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN

2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock

5:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

 

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021

1:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

 

Miller Has A Renewed Motivation To Compete After Time Off Snow

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
December, 7 2021
Toby Miller
Toby Miller was back on snow at the 2021 Timberline U.S. Snowboard Team Summer Camp at Official Training Site Mount Hood. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Mike Dawson)

Editor's note: Team Toyota Athlete and U.S. Snowboard Team Pro Halfpipe Team member Toby Miller attended the 2018 Olympic Winter Games as a spectator. Now he is gearing up to represent Team USA at the 2022 Games in Beijing. 

Like many young athletes, snowboard champion Toby Miller spent his childhood cheering on many great competitors in his sport. Now, the 21-year-old snowboarder is training for what he hopes will be his first Olympic Games — and getting ready to compete against some of those same icons he grew up watching.

“I mean, it’s pretty surreal to put myself back in my seven-year-old snowboard boots, to think that I am competing against the idols that I looked up to so much,” Miller says. “I don’t think I would have believed it. They’re my childhood superheroes and mentors and they’ve become great friends of mine.”

The snowboarding community is tight-knit, and some of the people Miller says he met during his early competitions have become lifelong friends. While Beijing 2022 could very well be Miller’s first Games where he competes, the Team Toyota athlete has attended the Winter Olympics in the past. In 2018, Miller accompanied his good friend Shaun White to watch him compete in PyeongChang.

“PyeongChang with Shaun was an incredible experience,” he says. “It’s the most amazing event as an athlete, and it made me more excited and more motivated than ever to make the 2022 Olympic team. It fueled the fire inside of me leading into this next run.” ...Read to Full Story at Toyota.com

Langland, Fourth at VISA Big Air

By Annie Fast
December, 5 2021
Hailey Langland jumps in front of the media.
All eyes on Hailey Langland as she airs into fourth place at the VISA Big Air presented by Toyota at Steamboat, Colo. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Mike Dawsy)

Hailey Langland earned the top finish of the day for the U.S. Snowboard Team, landing in fourth place at the VISA Big Air presented by Toyota at Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She earned her combined top score with a Cab frontside 900 indy, followed by a frontside 900 Weddle—both first-time tricks for Langland.

The snowboarders were the first to drop in during a full day of big air competition, “It was pretty firm at the start,” said Langland referring to the early morning conditions, “ but as soon as the last couple laps of practice rolled around, the sun started to peak out over the jump, and there’s something about seeing the girls send in conditions like this that makes you want to do the same thing. I’m just really hyped on today – I couldn’t imagine it going better.” 

Langland, a three-time X Games medalist, most-recently led the U.S. Snowboard team with a second-place finish in snowboard slopestyle at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix World Cup.  

“This was really exciting for us,” said U.S. Slopestyle Coach Dave Reynolds, “Hailey worked on these tricks at our most recent camp in Austria and this is the first time she’s landed them in competition.”

Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi took the win for the women landing a backside 1260, which  also earned her the women’s VISA Best Trick honors. Big Air champion Anna Gasser of Austria followed in second, and Germany’s Annika Morgan finished off the podium in third—marking her first World Cup podium.

On the men’s side, 17-year-old Chinese rider Yiming Su earned his first podium and the first Big Air podium for China, especially notable ahead of Beijing 2022. Su put down a backside triple cork 1800 indy and a frontside 1800 tailgrab for the best combined score of the day. 

“It feels incredible,” said Su. “I still cannot believe this just happened. I just kept training and finally I had the chance to join World Cups and do my best in the competition. I put two tricks down. I couldn’t be happier.”


Second place behind Su went to Austria’s Clemens Millauer, who fired up the crowd with a backside double cork 1620 tail grab and a switch backside 1620 nose grab. Rounding out the men’s podium in third place was Norway’s Mons Roisland, whose frontside triple cork 1800 tail grab also earned him the men’s VISA Best Trick award.

The U.S. National Champions in Big Air were announced at the end of the event—congratulations to Red Gerard and Hailey Langland. Gerard just missed the finals, earning an eleventh place finish at Steamboat.

The World Cup season continues at Copper Mountain, Colorado with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, featuring the best halfpipe snowboarders throwing down in Copper’s legendary 22-foot Superpipe Dec. 10-11, 2021.

 

RESULTS

Men’s Snowboard Big Air

Women’s Snowboard Big Air

 

HOW TO WATCH 

All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021

4:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota Men and Women's Finals, Steamboat, CO, Broadcast NBC