Ferreira Second, Faulhaber Third at Snow Rodeo
Alex Ferreira once again earned second place, with Hanna Faulhaber taking third in the second nighttime final at the Snow Rodeo FIS Freeski halfpipe World Cup at the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. The U.S. Freeski Team athletes, both hailing from Aspen, Colorado, are on a streak, with Ferreira four-for-four on the podium and Faulhaber making it three in a row.
While sub-zero temps were a factor in Thursday’s nighttime pipe finals, Saturday’s night finals were affected by 40-mph gusting winds blowing across the pipe, bringing warming temps but chaotic conditions. The wind settled down in time for the third run, which is when we saw the highest scores of the night.
The ten men final included six Americans, which speaks to the depth of talent on the U.S. Team. It was a battle of young versus established skiers, notably Canada versus America. Alex Ferreira took full advantage of the conditions on his final run, throwing down two different double corks—a left dub 1260 tindy, into a right dub 1260, then going left cork 720 tail into a switch right 720 Japan, and finishing with a left 1080 tail at the bottom. And let’s not forget the signature ski pole twirl to earn second-place and a score of 90.4.
Once again, Canada’s Brendan MacKay earned the top spot on the podium with a score of 93.40, and teammate Noah Bowman landed in third with an 88.
“I’m just absolutely excited to be on the podium sharing it with some great guys—Brendan MacKay and Noah Bowman are skiing out of their mind, and I’m just super grateful and thankful to be up there with them,” said Ferreira. “The pipe was a bit of tough, especially with the wind tonight, but we all hung in there, and we got it done. We’re all healthy, and that’s all you really can ask for.”
As for his four-in-a-row podium streak, Ferreira said, “It’s kind of unbelievable to carry this momentum. I’m just super grateful. Going into the next month, I feel confident and excited and just having fun, so that's the best time to be skiing.”
The U.S. Team results were rounded out with Dylan Ladd earning a fourth-place finish, followed by Birk Irving in fifth, Sammy Schuiling in sixth, David Wise in eighth, and Cassidy Jarrell in ninth.
Hanna Faulhaber kept her podium streak going to earn third place Saturday night. This podium finish follows her second-place World Cup finish on Thursday night and her third-place finish at the Dew Tour.
Faulhaber earned her top score of 88.60 on her final run after the wind let up. Her run included a lofty straight air tail grab, into left and right side flair safety grabs, a left side 720 safety, into switch right 360 Japan, finishing with a left 900 tindy.
Faulhaber, along with the rest of the field, struggled against the wind, “It was a little terrifying—definitely felt it on a few hits – you realize on one wall you have to pop more and the other you have to pop a little less and hope for the best. But yeah, all the ladies threw down.”
As for her current podium streak, Faulhaber said, “It’s unreal, to be honest, I still can’t believe it’s happening. It’s always been a dream of mine and I’ve looked up to these ladies forever and to be competing and to be on the podium it’s just unreal.”
Eileen Gu, competing for China, once again earned the top spot with a 92.80, followed by Canada’s Rachael Karker in second with an 89.40.
Complete Results
Next up is the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, California, Jan. 6–9, 2022.
HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.
Friday, Jan. 7, 2022
9:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock
Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022
4:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock
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