The world’s best park and pipe athletes returned to the slopes of Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain for the second day of jam-packed X Games action. Friday marked the biggest day of competition, featuring finals of women’s snowboard slopestyle, men’s ski slopestyle, women’s and men’s ski street style, women’s snowboard knuckle huck, women’s ski superpipe, women’s ski big air, men’s snowboard big air and men’s snowboard knuckle huck.

The second day of competition kicked off with women’s snowboard slopestyle final and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s Julia Marino was the lone American in the field of eight. Back in the mix after a year long hiatus from competition due to an injury sustained from X Games practice in 2024, Marino landed her first run out of the gate clean, putting a huge exclamation mark on her highly anticipated return to competition. Her score of 77 was not enough to make the cut after the first two runs but it was exciting to see Marino back in action nonetheless.

“Honestly, I didn’t know if I was going to run it today and I’m so glad I did,” said Marino. “I’m just so happy to be out there and it means a lot to put it down clean after a year away from contest.”

The final was an exciting display of women’s snowboarding, with New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott making history as the first woman to land a triple cork in any ski or snowboard slopestyle run, securing the X Games gold. Japan's Kokomo Murase took the silver and Mia Brooks of Great Britain rounded out the podium with the bronze.

Next up was men’s ski slopestyle and it was a heater. Following the new “playoff” format that debuted this year, the field was cut in half after each athlete took two runs and the scores were wiped clean, leaving the final five with two remaining runs to impress the judges. Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athletes Mac Forehand and Konnor Ralph made the cut. Forehand showed off his technical skills and creativity to win the bronze medal. Ralph, an X Games rookie, finished the contest in fourth. Colby Stevenson ended the day in sixth and Alex Hall took seventh. Luca Harrington of New Zealand secured the win in his first X Games appearance and Andri Ragettli of Switzerland took home the silver.

Friday debuted the inaugural X Games street style competition in Aspen with Americans Rell Harwood, Bella Bacon, Marion Balsamo, Taylor Lundquist and X Games rookie Eleanor Andrews as five of eight competitors. Andrews earned her X Games Aspen invitation by winning the Next X street style competition at Copper Mountain in December. Street style featured two heats of four competitors, the top two continuing on to the final. Harwood and Andrews were in heat two and finished third and fourth in their heat, respectively. Olivia Asselin of Canada took home the gold, Bacon the silver and Balsamo the bronze.

Men’s street style followed up the women and Alex Hall and Colby Stevenson were back again for their third event of the weekend. In heat one, Hall struggled to land his first few runs and finished fourth. Stevenson, in heat two, qualified into the finals and ultimately came out on top with the gold in the inaugural X Games street style competition. He impressed the judges with his consistent clean landings and his switch 270 pretzel 630, earning the fifth X Games gold medal of his career. Stevenson was joined on the podium by the USA’s Tucker FitzSimons in second and Canada’s Evan McEachran in third.

X Games competition continued with women’s snowboard knuckle huck. Making her X Games debut, Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s Lily Dhawornvej was set to compete against some of the best and more creative female riders in the game.

Dhawornvej stepped up to the plate and threw a tame dog early on in the competition to put her into the top three early on in the competition. After thirty minutes of non-stop knuckle huck action, the 15-year-old held on to a podium position and earned the bronze medal in her X Games debut. Murase took the gold for the second consecutive year and Brookes the silver, respectively.

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team’s Kate Gray made her first X Games appearance in the women’s superpipe after starting this week as an alternate. Gray was joined by teammates Hanna Faulhaber and Svea Irving. None of the Americans made it through to the finals, but supported their fellow skiers in one of the most talented women’s halfpipe finals to date. Canada’s Cassie Sharpe took home the gold in her first X Games since 2021 and celebrated at the bottom with her daughter. Sharpe was joined by China’s Fanghui Li, earning her first X Games medal with a silver and Canada’s Amy Fraser, who finished third for the second year in a row.

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team’s Grace Henderson and Rell Harwood represented the USA in women’s ski big air. Henderson was originally an alternate, but was called up a few hours before the contest was set to drop for her second X Games appearance. Both Harwood and Henderson put down clean tricks in the playoff round to each earn a spot in the round of finals. Unfortunately, Harwood was unable to put down a clean run and finished the night in fourth. Henderson won her first X Games medal and finished second with a beautiful double 1080 and capped blunt grab. She was joined on the podium by Italy’s Flora Tabanelli in first and France’s Tess Ledeux in third.

Although no Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athletes dropped in the men’s snowboard big air final, the contest proved to be one of the most entertaining events of the night. Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara made history with the world’s first backside 2160 in competition and fellow countryman Taiga Hasegawa followed him up with the first-ever cab 2160 in competition. Just when the crowd thought they had seen it all, Ogiwara made history once again, landing the world’s first 2340 en route to the gold medal. Hasegawa took the silver and New Zealand’s Rocco Jamieson the bronze.

The men’s snowboard knuckle huck capped off Friday’s competition schedule with Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s Dusty Henricksen set to drop. Henricksen showcased his signature sleepy style and made it look easy, throwing a cab 180 double in front of a packed X Games crowd. Henricksen held on to the third place spot throughout the thirty minutes of non-stop knuckle huck action and secured the bronze, marking his fifth career X Games medal and fourth in the discipline. Switzerland’s Patrick Hofmann took home the silver and China’s X Games Rookie Ziyang Wang the gold, making history of his own as the first athlete to compete in both X Games superpipe and knuckle huck.

X Games Aspen 2025 concludes on Saturday with men’s snowboard slopestyle, women’s ski slopestyle, women’s and men’s snowboard street style, women’s snowboard superpipe, men’s ski superpipe and men’s ski big air. Watch live on xgames.com starting at 1:15 p.m. ET.

X Games Aspen kicked off in full force today with four events - men’s and women’s ski knuckle huck, women’s snowboard big air, and men’s snowboard halfpipe. Athletes returned iconic slopes of Aspen’s Buttermilk venue for one of the biggest weekends in winter sports.

Held in a jam style format, Rell Harwood took home the gold in women’s ski knuckle huck, improving on her second place finish in the same event in 2024. Harwood impressed the judges early and jumped to the top spot with a nose butter 900. Stifel U.S. Freeski teammate Marin Hamill earned her first X Games call up and finished fifth on the day with an impressive switch 360 tail press. Tereza Korabova (CZE) took home the silver and Anni Karava (FIN) the bronze.

Alex Hall also brought home the gold in the men’s knuckle huck. Hall showed us, as always, how creative he can be. His first trick of the night was a turtle roll, which impressed the judges and the crowd. Hall’s last hit of the night was a switch right 360 bring back, cementing his sixth X Games victory and 12th X Games medal. Defending gold medalist Colby Stevenson finished just off the podium in fourth as his switch1080 tail butter to nose butter wasn’t enough to bump Matej Svancer (AUT) and Juho Saastamoinen (FIN) from the podium. 

Next on deck was women’s big air and the X Games debut of the new “playoff and final” format. For all big air, slopestyle and halfpipe competition, eight competitors begin the competition with a series of preliminary runs. The field is cut in half, the scores are reset and the top-four athletes from the playoff round take two more runs, best score counts. Unable to compete this weekend due to injury, three-time X Games medalist and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s own Hailey Langland took to the booth to commentate the exciting final. Austria’s Anna Gasser landed a switch triple cork 1260 to claim the gold. Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi buchi took home the silver and New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott the bronze.

The highly anticipated men’s superpipe final was the final event of the night and featured three American’s in the field of eight riders. Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s Lucas Foster was the top American rider of the night, putting down his signature double ally-oop mctwist on the final hit of his first run. Foster’s first run earned him a spot in the final four and ultimately led to his best X Games finish of his carrer, ending the night just off the podium in fourth place. Joining Foster for the American’s was Okemo Mountain School’s Joey Okesson and X Games rookie Jason Wolle (USA). Wolle ended the night in seventh place and Okesson in eight, dawning a stylish leather jacket on the sub-zero degree Colorado night. Australia’s Scotty James took the win and tied American legend Shaun White’s record of total medal count in the pipe, earning his tenth medal in the discipline. The win marks James’ fourth consecutive gold, slowly creeping up on White’s record of six consecutive pipe wins and only one shy of White’s total pipe gold record of eight. Heavy hitters Yuto Totsuka and Ayumu Hirano rounded out the podium, Totsuka earning silver and Hirano the bronze.

Friday marks X Games Aspen’s biggest day of competition, featuring finals of women’s snowboard slopestyle, men’s ski slopestyle, women’s and men’s ski street style, women’s snowboard knuckle huck, women’s ski superpipe, women’s and men’sski big air and men’s snowboard knuckle huck. Live stream all the action live on Xgames.com starting at 1 p.m. ET or tune in at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN for primetime coverage of the first two days of action.

Click here for updates on schedules, start lists and results.

The Laax Open is one of the most anticipated World Cups of the slopestyle season and it's not hard to see why. Laax, Switzerland has a beautiful background in the Swiss Alps, a consistently creative course and always draws a great crowd.

The competition set up in Laax is also innovative, with the men's field having a qualifier, semifinal and final event throughout the week. Six of nine American men made it through qualifications and into the semifinals - Alex Hall, Colby Stevenson, Mac Forehand, Konnor Ralph, Troy Podmilsak and Hunter Henderson.

Four of the six Stifel U.S. Freeski Team members made it through the semifinals and into finals - Hall, Forehand, Stevenson and Podmilsak. Stevenson was the top qualifier, with Hall second and Forehand third.

After run one, Forehand was sitting in the top spot with Hall close behind in second. Norway's Birk Ruud had a beautiful second run, putting him in first, Forehand in second and Hall in third. Forehand and Hall had great second runs but couldn't put something down cleaner than run one. The final results were Ruud in first, Forehand second and Hall third.

Forehand reflected on the competition, saying, "Today was incredible! Showed up this morning and knew instantly that it was going to be a perfect day. Zero wind, tons of sun and not a cloud in the sky. Did some of the best skiing I’ve done over the whole week and felt really good to put down the run I wanted to do and get on the podium."

Stevenson finished the day in ninth with creative and unique runs, just not clean enough to threaten the podium. Podmilsak finished in 12th.

On the women's side, Marin Hamill was the sole American who made it through qualifications. Marin finished sixth in finals, with China's Eileen Gu on top, Canada's Megan Oldham in second and Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud in third.

Coach Ryan Wyble was proud of the team today, saying, "I'm super hyped for Mac and Alex to end up on the podium. The level of skiing was crazy high with perfect conditions and an epic course, so it was a great show from everyone. Marin had a solid week and laid down a super stylish run for sixth which was great to see from her at her second comp back since the Olympics. The whole team skied well on the challenging course here all week."

Next up for many of the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team is X Games in Aspen, Colorado starting Jan. 23, 2025.

RESULTS
Women
Men

The FIS Freeski World Cup circuit returned to the United States this week for the first event this season on home soil. The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team went all out in the halfpipe for the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colorado with Alex Ferreira taking the win and Nick Goepper third.

The U.S. men threw down in qualifications, moving seven Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athletes to the 10-person finals. Nick Goepper and Matt Labaugh led their respective heats.

It was a heavy-hitting final on Saturday, with Ferreira continuing his podium streak to stand on the top step again after his perfect 2023-24 season. He had finished second in the last two World Cups. Ferreira is committed to perfecting every bit of his run, shown clearly by his winning 94.75 on run two and landing back-to-back double cork 1620s. It was the first time anyone has done a 16 with a tail grab. 

"One of the better feelings in my life, no doubt. I feel fantastic right now," said Ferreira. "I'm kinda speechless. Back on top - the champ is back, baby!"

Goepper continued to prove his commitment to halfpipe is no fluke, taking third place with an 89.25 on his second run. The result marks Goepper's third halfpipe podium since he came out of retirement for halfpipe last season. Canada's Brendan Mackay finished second with a 91.25. 

David Wise finished fifth, Birk Irving sixth, Hunter Hess seventh, Matt Labaugh eighth and Aaron Blunck 10th. Blunck took a massive hit on his first run and sat our the second run, but came back to put down a strong third run to the crowd's cheers.  

Svea Irving put on an impressive show, and finished just off the podium in fourth with an 85.75 on her first run. China's Eileen Gu, Great Britain's Zoe Atkin and Canada's Cassie Sharpe went 1-2-3 in one of the most competitive fields the women have seen recently.

The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix also marked Hanna Faulhaber's return to competition after a knee injury last year, but took a crash in qualifications and did not make finals. 

Next up, the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team heads to Austria for the Klagenfurt and Kreischberg big air World Cup to kick off 2025. The halfpipe squad will take some much deserved time off before they head to Aspen for X Games and the next Toyota U.S. Grand Prix.

RESULTS
Women's halfpipe
Men's halfpipe

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team wrapped up their second World Cup of the season by sweeping the men's halfpipe podium, led by three-time Olympic slopestyle medalist Nick Goepper taking his first World Cup halfpipe victory Saturday at Genting Resort Secret Garden, China.

All eyes were on Goepper as he was the final rider to drop in the modified finals format that featured two runs instead of the customary three. Sitting just off the podium in fourth place behind teammates Alex Ferreira and David Wise in the top two spots after the first run, Goepper executed with precision and style to edge out Ferreira for the top spot with a massive score of 95.00.

Goepper is happy with the win but happier to just be on snow and working hard. After reflecting on his first halfpipe win, he said, “The journey is the best part. All the people are a part of it. I hope to show the world if you love what you do and believe in yourself you can make anything happen.”

The victory came in only his fifth halfpipe World Cup start. The win marks his seventh park & pipe podium (five slopestyle, one halfpipe) and his first time on the top step since the Seiser Alm, Italy slopestyle World Cup in 2018.

Despite pulling ahead early with a first-run score of 92.25, Ferreira, the defending FIS Park & Pipe Crystal Globe champion, finished in the day in second but maintained the overall FIS Park & Pipe World Cup lead. Two-time Olympic gold medalist David Wise rounded out the American sweep, earning his 18th career halfpipe podium with a score of 89.00.

Hunter Hess finished the day in fifth, Dylan Ladd in sixth, Cassidy Jarrell in tenth, Ben Fethke in 12th, Matt Labaugh in 13th, and Kai Morris in 16th.

On the women's side, Svea Irving was the lone American to qualify through to finals and earned a third-place finish with a solid third run score of 80.00. She shared the podium with China's Eileen Gu and Fanghui Li who both earned top spots in front of a home crowd. 

Irving was very pleased with her result today, saying, "My main goal was to get redemption since the last time I was here I tore my ACL/MCL, so I really wanted to ski my best and leave healthy. I'm super hyped with the result and hyped with how I'm skiing. What an awesome event! I had so much fun!"

Head coach Mike Riddle is proud of everyone today, saying, "I’m super proud of how the whole team skied this week here at Secret Garden. Nick Goepper got his first Halfpipe win of his career and is looking strong for the season. Alex Ferreira kept his podium streak going with his technical prowess and Dave Wise with his first podium since his knee injury is huge. Svea Irving held it down on the women’s side with huge amp and smooth style and is looking poised to hit the podium repeatedly this year. Overall the team is skiing at an amazing level and looking to continue the strong showing in Copper."

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team gets a well-deserved week off before returning to action in Copper Mountain, Colorado for the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix December 19-21. 

RESULTS
Men
Women

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team finished the first slopestyle World Cup of the season in Stubai, Austria, despite a week of challenging conditions, with USA at the top. Olympic silver medalist Colby Stevenson took the win, with teammate Mac Forehand just shy of the podium in fourth. Marin Hamill led the women, finishing fourth, another top result for the skier.

After two failed qualification attempts earlier this week due to weather, the men finally got the green light and were able to get through the start list. With that, due to the delays and cancelations, the final results were taken from qualifications.

Stevenson came out on top today with a score of 92.00 on his second run. Stevenson put down a fun run, a good mix of "creativity and technicality, highlighted by left and right nose butter takeoffs,” according to Head Coach Dave Euler. Stevenson was joined on the podium by Andri Ragettli of Switzerland in second and Norway’s Tormod Frostod in third, respectively.

Stevenson reflected on the day with, "Stubai World Cups are always challenging with weather, this year especially. It feels quite nostalgic having a victory here as this was where I had my first World Cup podium back in 2017 (3rd place). So, I’m glad to be healthy and skiing with everyone. Our team is slaying it right now! Stoked for a great season."

Reigning slopestyle crystal globe-winner, Forehand, had a strong performance today, finishing in fourth with an 89.00. Hunter Henderson showed up strong and finished seventh. Troy Podmilsak finished out the top Americans in 15th.

Stifel U.S Freeski Team rookies, Hugh MacMenamin and Henry Townshend both had their first World Cup starts this weekend, along with American Sean Jensen. 

On the women's side, Marin Hamill returned to competition for the first time since the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Hamill just missed the podium and ended fourth with an 80.00 from her first run. Tess Ledeux of France finished first, with Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud in second and Sarah Hoefflin in third. 

Euler expressed his excitement, saying he is "So stoked for Colby taking the win! Proud of the whole team and the way they performed after a challenging week of weather." 

Up next, the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team heads to Beijing, China for a Big Air event. Men's and women's qualifications will take place on Nov. 29, with finals on Dec. 1. Finals will be available to watch live and on-demand at skiandsnowboard.live at 1:00 a.m. ET.

RESULTS
WOMEN
MEN

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team member Matt Labaugh is on the rise this season. The Rye, NY native ended the 2023-24 season sitting 14th in the world. Labaugh finished last season with three top twelve finishes (out of the five events in the season) and his career-best fifth place finish at Mammoth Mountain for the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. We chatted with Matt to discuss his passion for halfpipe skiing and what inspires him.

Q: What initially drew you to halfpipe skiing?

Matt Labaugh: I grew up skiing slopestyle on the East Coast before moving to Vail, where everyone skied both slope and halfpipe. I started halfpipe as well, so I could be like everybody else and wanted to prove I could do it too. I really fell in love with the process of working through tricks in the pipe, and here we are years later.

Q: What are your biggest goals around halfpipe skiing? What about beyond skiing?

ML: The Olympics have always been my number one goal. After that, I want to make the X Games, compete under those lights, and find sponsors I really connect with. Outside of skiing, I want to make sure I graduate from college and one day I would really like to own a home.

Q: What is one thing that you’re most proud of in your career so far?

ML: One of my proudest moments was during the FIS Freeski Junior World Championships in Leysin, France, in 2022. I took home second in both halfpipe and slopestyle, which felt huge. I also walked away with a fifth in big air. Since Junior Worlds, I’ve been competing mainly on the World Cup circuit, which is serious competition. Last season, I feel like things really clicked for me, and I am proud of the drive I found to work hard and push myself, even on tough days.

Q: Are there any moments that you’ve experienced in your career that didn’t seem real?

ML: I was on the alternate list for the 2022 Beijing Olympics and that felt pretty crazy. I never thought that would happen. Also every single time a brand sends me skis...that never gets old.

Q: Who were the athletes that you looked up to when you were younger, or who are they now?

When I was younger, I always looked up to Tom Wallisch and Bobby Brown. One year, Smith sent me Bobby Brown’s pro model goggles. I was riding Breckenridge one day, and both of them were there. I was the weird little kid following them. I finally got on the lift with them, and Bobby was like, “Oh, sick goggles,” and it made my whole year. These days, Alex Hall is definitely someone I look up to; he has such a great perspective on skiing and building runs in general. Outside of skiing, I have always admired Tiger Woods and his grit. 

Follow Matt on Instagram here