Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s Bea Kim made a thrilling return to the FIS Snowboard World Cup circuit, delivering a breakthrough performance to secure third place at the 2025 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Copper Mountain, Colorado.

The world's best halfpipe snowboarders were back in the U.S. for the final stop before holiday break in Copper Mountain, Colorado. After days of repetitions in the halfpipe and a solid round of qualifers, it was all on the line for the snowboard halfpipe finals. 

And for Kim, it was time to make her comeback. 

After falling on the final trick of her first run, the 18-year-old headed back up to the top of the halfpipe, determined to make a statement in front of the home crowd. With everything on the line, Kim put together a heater of a second run - a switch back 9, cab 7, front 5, back 5 and crippler 7 - that put her into podium position with only five riders left to go. The American watched as her competitors continued to drop, unable to best her 75.25 run two score, until Korea’s Gaon Choi put down a massive second run that earned a 94.50 and the top spot on the podium, cementing Kim’s third-place finish - her second career World Cup podium. Japan’s Sena Tomita took home second place.

“What just happened?!” said a stunned Kim. “Wow, this means a lot... I’ve competed here tons over the years in everything from nationals to Dew Tour, so getting a podium in front of this crowd is super special.”

After sitting out her sophomore year on the World Cup season due to injury, Kim’s podium finish in Copper is a significant confidence booster -- giving her a massive step up towards qualifying for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

Teammates Maddy Schaffirck and Maddie Mastro joined Kim in the final and took home fifth and sixth place, respectively. Two-time Olympic champion Chloe Kim was the top qualifier heading into finals, but withdrew from the contest after a crash in training. She is OK. 

The men’s side of the competition saw six Americans drop into the final. Copper Mountain’s own Chase Blackwell was the top finisher for the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team, taking home fifth place with a massive first run that wowed his home crowd. 2018 Olympian Jake Pates took sixth, Ryan Wachendorfer finished seventh, Joey Okesson ninth, Alessandro Barbieri 10th, and two-time Olympian Chase Josey finished 12th.

With the first halfpipe Olympic qualifier done and dusted, the Hydro Flask U.S. The Snowboard Team will take a well-deserved break for the holidays before setting their sights on Aspen for another Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Jan. 7-10. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team's Ollie Martin stepped onto the podium at the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota at Steamboat, taking third place and a big stride forward to qualifying for the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games in February. Jamie Anderson was the top American woman in sixth place. 

It was a beautiful sunny day in Colorado with a packed crowd for Saturday's finals. Martin threw down his first two tricks flawlessly- a front triple 18 and a contest first cab 16 pull back, a trick the 17 year old first landed at a training camp in Stubai. He finished behind Japanese teammates Hiroto Ogiwara in first and Kira Kimura in second. American Judd Henkes was sixth, stomping his signature butter 14 & hardway back 10 mute en route to another top-8 result.

On the women’s side, Anderson led the charge for the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team women. It was her first FIS competition since the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Her daughters greeted her in the finish, and joined her on the podium as she was crowned national champion for big air alongside Martin. Martin also won the Visa Best Trick Award for his NBD cab 16 pull back. 

Lily Dhawornvej, Rebecca Flynn, Jess Perlmutter, Giada Brienza, Kaitlyn Adams and Courtney Rummel did not qualify to finals for the women. Jake Canter, Brooklyn Depriest, Sean Fitzsimons, Fynn Bullock-Womble, Dusty Henricksen, Liam Johnson, Lucas Ferry, Caleb Dhawornvej, Will Solomon, Lys Fedorowycz, Evan Wrobel, Brock Crouch and Brian Rice did not qualify for the men.

Next up, the halfpipe team will compete at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Dec. 17-20, while the slopestyle/big air team will look toward the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen after the new year. Both events are Olympic qualifiers. 

RESULTS
Women’s big air
Men’s big air 

Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athletes Lily Dhawornvej and Brooklyn DePriest joined American Judd Henkes in the first World Cup final of the 2025–26 snowboard big air season in Secret Garden, China.

The riders battled windy conditions and a worn-down jump left over from the rescheduled freeski finals earlier in the day but the Americans held strong and delivered an impressive performance to kick off the season.

In her first two jumps, Dhawornvej attempted to put down the same trick she stomped in qualifications — a back-10 drunk driver — but was unable to stick the landing and washed out on both attempts. An under-rotated front-10 drunk driver on her final run ended her chances of a podium finish, but the up-and-comer walked away with invaluable experience heading into a crucial 2025–26 season.

Japan swept the women’s podium with Mari Fukada taking first place, Reira Iwabuchi second and Miyabi Onitsuka third.

In his first World Cup finals appearance, Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team rider Brooklyn DePriest washed out on his first jump but bounced back with a massive switch back triple 19 mute on his second attempt to keep himself in contention. With the pressure on, DePriest dropped in for his third and final run and delivered — a clean back-18 melon that put him in third place just ahead of fellow American Judd Henkes.

After landing a competition-first front-butter 1440 in qualifications, Henkes looked to make another statement on the World Cup stage. His first jump — a front-1 nose butter to switch back-12 melon — earned a score of 79.00 and placed him in second but his next two runs, a hardway cab-12 indy and a cab-9 off the toes, while incredibly stylish, were not enough to keep pace with China’s Yiming Su and Chunyu Ge.

Japan’s Ryoma Kimata joined the hometown heroes to round out the men’s top three. DePriest finished the day in fifth — a major leap from his previous World Cup best of 24th — and Henkes took sixth.

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team remains in China for another round of big air competition in Beijing next weekend, Dec. 5–6.

Results
Women
Men