This weekend, the best freestyle moguls skiers in the country flocked to the Toyota U.S. Championships in Palisades Tahoe for the final event of the season. The Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete shone, with Kylie Kariotis, Charlie Mickel, Kasey Hogg and Asher Michel taking home the U.S. Champion titles. 

The event began with men’s and women’s moguls qualifying, where Alli Macuga and Charlie Mickel took the top spot heading into the finals. The entire week brought warm summer weather, but the athletes took the challenge in stride. In the women’s moguls finals, Kariotis put down the winning run, followed closely by teammate Hogg. They were joined on the podium by Ava Keenan of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. On the men’s side, Mickel prevailed in a tough field, earning his third U.S. Championship title. Michel finished in second, followed by Jackson Crockett in third. 

The action in California concluded with the ever-unpredictable dual moguls. In the women’s event, Hogg took the honors, finishing first and earning her second podium of the weekend. Evelyn Harris finished second, followed by Dory Michaud in third, both from Park City Ski & Snowboard. 

“It’s so exciting to have won the duals national title this year and take second in singles,” said Hogg. “The course was really challenging, and I’m proud of myself for rising to the occasion. The Stifel U.S. Ski Team moguls team is so strong right now, and I’m glad I was able to represent that this week. Coming off of my strongest season yet, this was the best finish I could have asked for!”

Michel also earned his second podium of the weekend, winning the men’s duals. Camden Lewis of Gould Academy took second place and Jiah Cohen from Ski and Snowboard Club Vail rounded out the podium. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced the 21 athletes who have qualified to represent the United States in moguls and aerials at the 2026 FIS Freestyle Junior Ski World Championships in Airolo, Switzerland, Mar. 16-23. 

This year’s team comprises top U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes from clubs nationwide, including some of the best junior athletes in the World. Abby McLarnon of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team earned her first World Cup start this year following multiple Youth Olympic Games podiums in 2024. Jiah Cohen and Porter Huff also represented the U.S. in Gangwon, bringing home a combined five Youth Olympic Games medals. 

On the aerials side, multiple athletes made their World Cup debuts this season and are continuing to strengthen the aerials pipeline in the U.S. With a history of strong results at the junior level, this year's World Championships are sure to excite. 

2026 FIS FREESTYLE JUNIOR SKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

(Hometown; Club; Birthdate)

MOGULS
Women

• Victoria Johnson (Killington, VT; Killington Mountain School; 5/8/2009)
• Eden Kruger (Hopewell Junction, NY; Killington Mountain School; 11/10/2009)
• Alivia Martin (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Competition Center; 9/25/2010)
• Abby McLarnon (Steamboat Springs, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/16/2006)
• Emily Pederson (Wasatch Freestyle; 12/2/2008)
• Mahlia Torres (Vail, CO; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 5/8/2009)

Men

• Jiah Cohen (Minturn, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 05/28/2006)
• Porter Huff (Winter Park, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 4/2/2008)
• Chase Littlefield (Yarmouth, ME; Wasatch Freestyle; 3/9/2006)
• Camden Lewis (Bethel, ME; Gould Academy; 9/27/2008)
• Freddie Mickel (Durango, CO; Wasatch Freestyle; 7/10/2006)
• Jack Egan (Sugarloaf, ME; Wasatch Freestyle; 12/27/2006)

AERIALS
Women

• Catherine McEneany (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 11/14/2006)
• Natalie Leitgeb (Bristol Mountain Freestyle; 12/20/2009)
• Allison Patton (Bristol Mountain Freestyle; 9/16/2010)
• Kylee Hacker (Ellicottville, NY; HoliMont; 5/12/2009)

Men

• Cayden Hacker (Ellicottville, NY; HoliMont; 7/5/2011)
• Gavin Canzano (Bristol Mountain Freestyle; 6/8/2010)
• Jackson Chapman (Bristol Mountain Freestyle; 5/13/2011)
• Scott Kane (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 8/27/2007)
• Beaudin Napolitano (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 4/26/2006)

AIROLO, SWITZERLAND 2026 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Mar. 19 // Men’s and women’s moguls
Mar. 20 // Men’s and women’s aerials
Mar. 21 // Mixed aerials team; mixed dual moguls team
Mar. 22 // Men’s and women’s dual moguls

For the first time in six years, the FIS Freestyle World Cup circuit returned to Japan for the Nanto-Toyama World Cup and Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Olivia Giaccio was firing on all cylinders, landing on top of the podium for the first time this season. Landon Wendler made his return to the podium for the first time since 2024, finishing second overall. 

In the qualification round, four men and four women put on outstanding performances, landing them in the top 16 to advance to the finals. Tess Johnson took the top spot in qualification, leading the pack into finals. Joining her were Giaccio, recent Olympic silver medalist Jaelin Kauf and Kasey Hogg. Alli Macuga finished 24th. On the men’s side, Charlie Mickel led the way in qualification, taking the second-highest score after Ikuma Horishima of Japan. Asher Michel also had an impressive qualification run, qualifying third. Nick Page and Wendler also advanced. Cole McDonald took 17th, Dylan Walczyk 20th and Dylan Marcellini 24th. 

In the finals round of 16, the U.S. landed three women in the top six to advance to super finals. Giaccio advanced in fourth, Johnson in fifth and Hogg in sixth. Kauf finished the day 10th. Wendler started to turn on the heat, earning an impressive score of 77, finishing just behind Ikkei Fujimura of Japan. Mickel also snagged a spot in the top six, advancing to super finals. Michel finished ninth and Page finished 15th. 

Super finals brought a show from athletes across the board as they continued to battle tough conditions in Japan. Hogg was the first to drop for the women and put down a 68.32, finishing in sixth place. Johnson went next, earning 74.68 to take fourth overall. Giaccio was third to ski in the super final round and she perfectly mixed speed, precision and difficulty, earning 75.64. Hinako Tomitaka of Japan, Maia Schwinghammer of Canada and Perrine Laffont of France were all left to drop. One by one, the skiers raced down the spring-like course, and one by one, were unable to beat Giaccio. Tomitaka finished next on the podium in second, followed by Laffont in third. This is Giaccio’s fourth career win and 23rd podium. She now leads the overall season standings and is tied for first in the moguls standings. 

The men continued the excitement with Mickel skiing first and finishing in fifth place overall. Wendler dropped in fifth after his thrilling finals run and bested his previous score with a 78.21, cementing his place on the podium. Matt Graham of Australia took the honors and the podium was rounded out by Horishima. 

Tomorrow, the team skis their second dual moguls World Cup of the season in Japan. Tune in at 11:30 pm ET on Feb. 28 on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Chris Lillis, Kaila Kuhn and Connor Curran defended Team USA's mixed team aerials gold medal at the 2026 Olympic Games. Four years ago, Lillis teamed with Ashley Caldwell and Justin Schoenefeld to win the inaugural Olympic event in China. 

After the singles events for both the men and women did not produce any medals, the U.S. athletes came into the team event hungry and ready to put together a string of strong jumps. 

"All of us came in so motivated after that individual event because it didn't really go any of our ways," said Kuhn. "We came in today motivated and strong as ever. We did some of the best jumps we've ever done and put it down when it counted." 

Lillis, coming off a tough individual competition in which he placed eighth, also looked to bounce back in Saturday’s team event. As the final jumper, he carried immense pressure and the team’s medal hopes on his shoulders, putting down a near-perfect jump to help bring Team USA the gold.

The winning score for Team USA came in at a dominating total of 325.35. Following the U.S. on the podium was team Switzerland with a score of 296.91 and winning the bronze medal was the Republic of China with a score of 279.68. 

"I think the thing that makes the U.S. so special is the we live and jump for each other," said Lillis. "That's something in an individual sport, a lot of teams struggle with, but we do not. Connor's like a little brother to me and Kaila is family so we all jump for each other." 

Although the American roster looked different from the squad that topped the podium in 2022, with Lillis the lone returner from that gold medal team, the result was the same. The U.S. delivered three clean, composed jumps to clinch a second straight Olympic title.

Kuhn and Curran are golden in their Olympic debuts. Competing on the sport’s biggest stage for the first time, both athletes delivered clutch performances when it mattered most. The athletes pushed through the underdog title to put down near-perfect jumps in the team event. 

"I am pretty speechless - this all doesn't feel real," said Curran. "It's hard to put into words how much it means to represent the USA and get a gold medal with your friends and family. It means the world and I'm honored." 

The gold medal marks the first of the Games for the U.S. aerials team, and the 30th overall for Team USA. It was also Team USA's 11th gold in Milano Cortina, breaking the record for the most ever gold medals won at the Winter Olympics. The victory also adds to freestyle skiing’s dominance, as the discipline has now produced a Games-leading eight medals for the United States.

RESULTS
Olympic mixed team aerials 

Team USA’s Chris Lillis led the Americans with an eighth-place finish in the men’s Olympic aerials on Friday, battling windy, snowy conditions in a challenging competition. Lillis entered the event seeking redemption after his sixth place finish in the 2022 Olympics. 

"I definitely gave it all I got. That's for sure," said Lillis. "You don't come into the Olympics with anything less than 100%. With that being said, redemption might have to wait." 

China’s Xindi Wang won the gold medal, landing a near-perfect jump to score 132.60. Switzerland’s Noe Roth finished second with a 131.58, while fellow Chinese aerialist Tianama Li rounded out the podium with a bronze medal score of 123.93.

Team USA’s Derek Krueger placed 11th, with teammate Connor Curran just behind in 12th. Both were unable to land a clean jump and break into the top six needed to advance to the super finals. 

Team USA's Quinn Dehlinger was unable to compete in his Olympic debut due to a knee injury sustained during training in Livigno. 

RESULTS 
Men's Olympic aerials 

Kaila Kuhn led Team USA with a fifth-place finish in women's aerials on Wednesday at the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park in Italy. 

After heavy snowfall postponed the qualifiers for both women's and men's aerials on Tuesday, athletes were forced to complete qualification and finals on the same day, showcasing their stamina and flexibility. Kuhn ended qualifiers in sixth place before earning a top-three score in the first final to send her into the superfinal, where she finished fifth.

Team USA’s Winter Vinecki also qualified for superfinals, finishing in sixth place. Tasia Tanner made it through to finals to earn an 11th place finish, and Kyra Dossa finished qualification in 14th, narrowly missing finals. 

Next up is men's aerials qualification and finals on Thursday, February 19. 

RESULTS 
Women's Olympic aerials 

Mac Forehand put together three incredible runs in the finals to lead Team USA to another medal, taking home silver in men's big air at the Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy on Tuesday night. 

Forehand delivered standout performances on the big air jump in both the qualifying round and the finals. He secured the top score in Sunday night’s qualifiers and carried that momentum into the finals. The silver marks the Connecticut natives' first Olympic medal in his second Olympic appearance. He competed at the 2022 Games, where he finished 11th in the big air.

"I'm just happy to walk away alive from that event," said Forehand. "It was super heavy and people were going crazy so I'm just happy to walk away and be okay and with a silver medal is pretty cool as well." 

The second-place score for Forehand came in at 193.25 after putting down three clean runs. Edging him out to win gold was Norway's Tormod Frostad with a score of 195.50 and rounding out the podium with the bronze medal was Matej Svancer from Austria with a 191.25. 

"I knew I didn't have a chance to podium, I would've needed a 120 or something impossible," said Ralph. "I was just up there and thought this is a good time to try and learn a new trick on my third run that I've never done and I feel pretty good and happy about it"

Team USA's Troy Podmilsak just missed the podium, placing in fourth with Konnor Ralph bouncing back after a fall on his second run to earn a fifth-place finish. 

RESULTS
Men's big air

Team USA’s Charlie Mickel finished sixth and Dylan Walczyk was seventh in the inaugural men’s Olympic dual moguls at the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park Sunday.

Canada’s Mikel Kingsbury, the greatest mogul skier of all time, won Olympic gold - his fifth career Olympic medal - with a solid run that didn’t really matter, as Japan’s Ikuma Horishima blew out in the big final and settled for silver. In the small final, Australia’s Matt Graham took the dual moguls bronze, ousting Japan’s Takuya Shimakawa 20-15.

Mickel’s day started off slowly, but once he stood in the start gate, things turned around for the 21-year-old Park City, Utah, athlete. “All around, I am proud of the way I skied,” Mickel said. “I was quite tired this morning, and honestly, I was a little discouraged from the singles event. So I felt like I started in a bit of a hole and had some rough training runs.

“Before my first dual, I took some time for myself, just to try and get a bit centered,” he added. “I said to myself, ‘I know I can do this. I know that my skiing is capable of being some of the best.’ So I focused on what would lead me to the best runs, and I got pretty close to skiing them.”

In his best run of the day, Mickel ousted Australia’s Cooper Woods, who won the individual moguls Olympic gold medal earlier this week in a tie-breaker with Kingsbury. “That was big for sure…I went into that dual super determined and ready to give it everything I had,” Mickel said. 

In the quarterfinals, Mickel went up against Graham in a tight dual, but he came out on the losing end of the score, 20-15.

Walczyk laid down some solid runs to advance to the quarterfinals, where he came up against Horishima.  “I was super-stoked, and I believed in it,” Walczyk said of his march toward the quarterfinals. “I felt great, at 32 (years old), you don’t always feel alive, so it was nice to get that feeling out there.”

This was Walczyk’s second Olympics, and the first for Mickel, who is already focusing on the 2030 Games.

“Just just coming here and skiing this event it made me realize how much opportunity there is, and the possibilities that I have,” Mickel said. “it was a little bit eye opening coming to the Olympics and seeing like how much spotlight you really get at this event and it it definitely is motivating for me to just try to take every single day as an opportunity to get better from now until the next Games.”

RESULTS
Men’s Olympic dual moguls

Jaelin Kauf and Liz Lemley earned silver and bronze, respectively, in the Olympic debut of women’s dual moguls at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games. It was both of their second medals of the Games; Lemley won gold and Kauf silver in the individual moguls.

Dual moguls has long been a fan-favorite event on the World Cup, but Saturday was its official unveiling at the Olympics. The discipline pits athletes against each other on the course with judges selecting the winner based on speed, tricks and turns. The athlete then moves through a bracket system to decide the final winner.

Both Kauf and Lemley had a bye in the first round and then began dominating until the semifinals when they took respective hard crashes. Even with Kauf’s fall, she still moved into the big final, as her competitor also fell and did not finish. Lemley went to the small final to fight for bronze.

In the big final, Kauf battled Jakara Anthony of Australia, who has dominated the sport over the past few seasons. Anthony proved victorious, with Kauf taking home her second silver medal of the Games and third of her career. The medal marks her as the most successful U.S. Olympic moguls skier of all time. 

“To walk away with the first ever silver medal from dual moguls at the Olympics is pretty special,” said Kauf. “And yeah, three time Olympic medalist isn't bad either. Not bad at all.”

Lemley went up against Perrine Laffont of France in the small final and it was a head-to-head duel that came down to the judges’ call at the end. Lemley had finished behind Laffont in time, but her high degree of difficulty and turn execution put her on top to take the bronze medal. 

“It shows all the hard work I put in from my ACL rehab,” said Lemley. “I’m super proud of myself.”

Tess Johnson and Olivia Giaccio also had a great day, but fell just short of the medals in fifth and sixth place.

With two more medals on Saturday, the moguls women wrap up an incredibly successful Olympics with four medals coming from Kauf and Lemley — a testament to years of development and a strong team culture built around excellence and resilience.

The men compete in dual moguls next on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Women’s Olympic dual moguls