The final Olympic qualification event for freeski halfpipe delivered high drama and high-level performances Saturday at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen Snowmass, with Hunter Hess and Nick Goepper leading a deep showing from the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, taking the podium in second and third place.

Hess rose to the occasion when it mattered most, landing two huge runs to finish second and officially qualify for the Olympic team. He will join Goepper and Alex Ferreira on the team, with the final Olympic roster spot set to be named in the coming days.

Goepper followed closely behind, earning third place—his second podium in a week after winning the Snow Rodeo in Calgary. Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand took the win. 

Just off the podium, Matt Labaugh finished fourth after taking a slam that resulted in a busted lip on run one. Birk Irving was fifth, while Aspen local Alex Ferreira finished sixth in front of a supportive home crowd. Fellow hometown athletes Nick Geiser and Tristan Feinberg also delivered solid performances on familiar snow, finishing seventh and 10th, respectively.

Two-time Olympic champion David Wise finished 12th after struggling to put down a clean run in a highly competitive field. Aaron Blunck showed his trademark amplitude with an impressive first run before taking a heavy crash on the last trick and is currently undergoing medical evaluation. Dylan Ladd rounded out the U.S. results in 14th.

On the women’s side, Abby Winterberger was the top U.S. athlete, finishing sixth. Riley Jacobs was eighth, local girl Hanna Faulhaber ninth and Keva Kelly 10th. Though Svea Irving did not start in Aspen, she locked up her spot on the Olympic team due to her third place podium in Calgary the previous week. 

Fanghui Li of China won the women’s comp, with Zoe Atkin of Great Britain in second and Kexin Zhang of China third. 

Saturday’s competition marked the final Olympic qualifier for freeski halfpipe. Looking ahead, some athletes will remain in Aspen to compete at the X Games on Jan. 25, while others will shift focus and preparation toward the Olympic freeski halfpipe competition. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

After a tough beginning to the slopestyle season due to snow conditions, the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen Snowmass made the wait worth it with Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athlete Mac Forehand coming away with the win in the slopestyle.

For the first time since 2018, slopestyle was held at Snowmass instead of Buttermilk. Aspen Snowmass built a stellar venue, even with lack of snow at the beginning of the week. The athletes were excited about the course, with Mac Forehand thanking the teams.

"Aspen has been awesome," said Forehand. "Shoutout to Charles (Beckinsale) and the Aspen park crew for getting the course ready in time. The course is amazing; the jumps are perfect."

After an exciting first run, 2025 World Championship medalist Forehand held onto the lead through the end of the competition. The judges loved his jumps with his switch left double cork 1620 lead cuban wowing the judges and earning him the top score of that section. He was joined on the podium by Estonia's Henry Sildaru in second and Norway's Ulrik Samnoey in third. Thinking about his results today, Forehand said,

"Today was amazing, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. I was definitely super stressed going into it. It all clicked today, it all worked, and finally, the stress has gone away. I'm just super excited that I got the win, and hopefully I'm one step closer to going to Milan and the Olympics."

While this win does not confirm a spot for Forehand at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games, it does put him in a good position to earn his second Olympic start. 

Konnor Ralph was the next American, with a strong finish in fourth. Ralph was strong on both his jumps and rails, earning him a second top-five finish of the season. Henry Townshend had a career-best result  in seventh, after making his first World Cup finals earlier this week. Townshend impressed the judges most with his second rail: a left 270 front swap, pretzel 270.  

Colby Stevenson finished ninth, Hunter Henderson 13th and Alex Hall 14th.

On the women's side, Avery Krumme was the lone American woman in the finals. Krumme finished sixth with slow, snowy conditions for the women. Krumme had another great result in at the Visa Big Air presented by Toytoa in Steamboat, making this her second top-six World Cup finish of the season.

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team throws down in the halfpipe finals Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET. Watch live on Outside TV.  

RESULTS
Women
Men
 

In true Calgary style, the week leading up to the classic Snow Rodeo was cold and snowy, but the weather didn't deter Nick Goepper, who walked away with the win after putting down a flawless second run. Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Birk Irving also stood on the podium in third. On the women's side, Svea Irving finished third.

Goepper swapped his classic last-hit bone air for a switch right bio 900 to up the difficulty on his second run, and the judges rewarded him with a 94.80. With the win in Calgary, three-time Olympic medalist Goepper clinched his spot to represent Team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games - his first Olympic Games for halfpipe skiing.

Birk Irving also had an unreal second run to finish third, his first podium since 2023. He has been consistent throughout the 2025-26 season, with a top 10 finish at every event thus far. Goepper and Birk Irving were joined on the podium by New Zealand's Finley Melville Ives in second.

On the women's side, Birk Irving's sister Svea Irving also finished third. She performed well under pressure, putting down a smooth run two with a left cork 900 and back-to-back 720s. After a disappointing start to her season in Copper Mountain, Svea Irving was thrilled with the result. She was joined on the podium by Australia's Indra Brown in first and China's Kexin Zhang in second.

It was a great overall day for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men, with Matt Labaugh taking fourth, just .25 points off the podium. Hunter Hess finished fifth, Aaron Blunck seventh, Dylan Ladd ninth, Evan Wischmeyer 10th and Tristan Feinberg 13th.

Abby Winterberger was the only other American woman who progressed through to the finals, ending the day in ninth. Winterberger is an up-and-coming American to watch, with two top 10 finishes in her first season on the World Cup circuit.

Next up, the World Cup circuit heads to the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen for halfpipe and slopestyle Olympic qualifiers Jan. 7-10, 2026.

RESULTS
Women's halfpipe
Men's halfpipe