Alex Ferreira delivered an incredible third run in the men’s ski halfpipe on Friday night, vaulting to the top of the scoreboard and securing another gold medal for Team USA. The victory served as redemption for Ferreira, who made it clear he was determined to claim gold after earning silver at the 2018 Olympics and bronze at the 2022 Olympics in the halfpipe event.

"An unbelievable amount of hard work, dedication, perseverance and belief went into me doing this," said Ferreira. "It really takes a village, literally so many poeple helped me get to where I am today and I'm unbelievably grateful." 

The competition unfolded on a perfect night, with clear skies and a crowd eager to cheer on the field of elite athletes. After qualifications were postponed on Thursday due to the weather, competitors were forced to pivot and complete both the qualifying and final rounds in the same day, testing their stamina and strength as they attempted to put down multiple precise runs on a pipe whose surface and edges can be unforgiving. 

Despite the demanding schedule, all four U.S. men in the field successfully advanced to the finals, marking a strong showing for Team USA.

Behind Ferreira's gold medal-winning high score of 93.75 sat Estonia's Henry Sildaru with a score of 93.00 taking silver. Winning the bronze medal was Canadian Brendan Mackay with a score of 91.00. 

"It's the most beautiful moment I've ever experienced in my life. I'm so insanely grateful," said Ferreira. "It just goes to show, never give up. Always believe in yourself." 

Team USA’s Nick Goepper narrowly missed the podium, finishing in fourth place after an intense crash on his final run, where he landed on the lip of the halfpipe during his final trick. Despite being bumped from medal contention, Goepper walked away flashing two thumbs up and a big smile. 

Colorado native Birk Irving finished just behind his teammate in fifth place, delivering strong performances in his final two runs after a tough start in his first run of the finals. He will now turn his attention to cheering on his younger sister, Svea Irving, in the women’s ski halfpipe finals on Saturday night. 

Hunter Hess rounded out the four qualified U.S. men in Friday’s finals, struggling with his landings as he worked to put down a podium-worthy run. Although he delivered his cleanest run on his third attempt, Hess finished 10th in his Olympic debut. 

RESULTS 
Men's Olympic ski halfpipe 

Alex Hall added another Olympic medal to his résumé, earning silver in the men’s freeski slopestyle at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games at the Livigno Snow Park. 

Hall’s performance came in a heavy final that showcased intense competition from around the world with all 12 men battling flat light, making it hard to see the landings. But despite the conditions, he delivered a stunning second run, scoring 85.75 points to vault into podium contention and position himself within striking distance of first place. However, he had a small mistake on his third run, which kept him at silver. 

"I’m stoked," said Hall. "Going to bed last night, knowing how good everyone is and what I was going to try, I knew there would be a pretty low chance of landing it and getting on the podium... That’s the nature of slopestyle skiing, with all the rails and trying to get it all together. It’s so unpredictable. I’m just stoked to get a medal. And the scores were so incredibly close in the top three."

Hall, who is known for his creativity in slopestyle, was particularly proud of his rail section, which he said was the "was the hardest rail section I've ever done in competition."

The gold medal in the event went to Norway’s Birk Ruud, who posted a winning mark of 86.28 points, narrowly edging Hall for the top spot. New Zealand’s Luca Harrington claimed bronze, marking his first Olympic medal.

Hall entered the final as the defending Olympic champion, having won gold in slopestyle at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Hall was able to celebrate with his friends and family in the finish, who showed up in droves. Hall grew up in Switzerland and has an Italian mother, with many of his Italian family waving American flags to cheer for him. 

Konnor Ralph and Mac Forehand both qualified for finals and finished ninth and 11th, respectively.

Next, the team begins training for the Olympic big air, with qualifications taking place Feb. 15. 

RESULTS
Men’s Oympic slopestyle

17-year-old Avery Krumme stepped into the Olympic spotlight in the women’s freeski slopestyle final, taking 11th in her first Olympic Games.

Krumme earned her place in the final earlier in the week with a strong qualification showing, advancing in fourth place and signaling that she belonged among the sport’s elite. She put down an aggressive first run as her top score, but had a mistake on the opening rail section. However, her jumps were clean and well-executed, drawing applause from the crowd despite the early error that ultimately held her back in the standings.

“Competing with the best women in the world is an honor and I’m so grateful to be here,” said Krumme.

The podium was claimed by some of the most established names in women’s freeskiing, with Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud defending her 2022 gold, China’s Eileen Gu earning silver and Canada’s Megan Oldham securing bronze. 

When asked about what it’s like to see the standard set by Gremaud and Gu, Krumme commented, “It’s really inspiring because hopefully going into the next Games, I’ll be where they are.” 

Krumme’s Olympic slopestyle debut made it clear that she is a name to watch. She and her Team USA teammates Marin Hamill, Grace Henderson and Rell Harwood will next compete in the Olympic freeski big air. 

RESULTS
Women's Olympic slopestyle

In the final Olympic qualifier of the year, all the pressure was on as the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athletes battled it out to secure a spot at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

Marin Hamill stepped up to the plate, putting down an unreal run one, scoring her a 71.38. The judges loved Hamill's second rail, a back 630, and her butter-pad hit, a switch left 360 to a switch left 360. She was rewarded heavily for her run composition as well, 40% of the score in Laax's section-by-section judging format. Her first run score held on for the remainder of the competition, earning Hamill a second place behind China's Eileen Gu in first and ahead of Austria's Lara Wolf in third. 

It was Hamill's second career podium, after a second in Font Romeu, France, in 2022. Reflecting on her results, Hamill said,

"Podiuming in Laax means the world to me right now," said Hamill. "I'm trying to secure a place in Italy... I was just super stoked to put it all together and land my first run."

This podium finish clinches Marin Hamill's spot at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, the first confirmed woman on the slopestyle and big air side. The rest of the team will be announced on January 23, 2026.

In fourth was Avery Krumme. This is Krumme's third top-six finish in the 2025-26 season, which is her first on the World Cup circuit. The judges loved Krumme's third jump, a switch left bio 900 with a mute grab, and her butter-pad trick as well, a right 180 pretzel switch left 360.

On the men's side, Hunter Henderson was the top American, finishing in fifth. The judges were stoked on Henderson's second rail: a switch left, tails over 270 on with a back cork 810 with a Japan grab. This trick was the highest scored on the second rail, a difficult feat in such a heavy field. Norway's Birk Ruud finished the day in first, with Austria's Matej Svancer in second and Canada's Evan McEachran in third.

Konnor Ralph finished in eighth, with a great first run. Colby Stevenson finished in 11th.

RESULTS
Women
Men

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

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team landed in Copper Mountain, Colorado for their first home snow halfpipe event of the season — the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. After a busy last week in Secret Garden, China, the halfpipe team hopped straight off the plane and headed to the iconic Copper halfpipe.

In his first World Cup of the 2025-26 season, Alex Ferreira continued his podium streak - making it 16 straight FIS podiums in a row. After taking a fall on his first run, Ferreira was under pressure to have a perfect second run. In typical Ferreira fashion, he delivered when he needed to, with a 91.50, putting him in first and securing him the win.

Teammate Hunter Hess held down the top spot through run one, after being the top qualifier on Thursday. With a clean first run, ending in his signature misty 540, Hess scored an 88.00 from the judges. Hess dialed up to answer Ferreira's second run and wowed the crowd with a new version of his signature trick, a misty 720 with a safety grab. The judges rewarded him with an 89.00, not quite enough for the top spot.

Ferreira and Hess were joined on the podium by Canadian Andrew Longino in third.

The American men had a great showing this weekend, with Tristan Feinberg finishing in fifth, Ben Fethke sixth, Birk Irving seventh, Cael McCarthy 10th, Hunter Maytin 11th, David Wise 13th, Aaron Blunck 14th, Dylan Ladd 15th and Nick Goepper 16th.

On the women's side, Kate Gray was the top American woman finishing in fifth. After qualifying in third, Gray was one to watch in the finals. After a fall on run one, Gray had an epic run two with a huge right cork 900 on her first hit. Riley Jacobs finished seventh and Abby Winterberger in eighth. 

The halfpipe crew is back in action in Calgary, Canada, on New Year's Day.

RESULTS
Women
Men