Hall, Forehand Podium in Tignes; Hall Wins Crystal Globe; Stifel U.S. Freeski Team Wins Nations Cup
In Tignes, France, Stifel U.S. Freeski Team's Alex Hall took home another World Cup win in slopestyle and captured the slopestyle Crystal Globe, marking him the best slopestyle skier of the 2024-25 season. Mac Forehand also stood on the podium in second place in big air. The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team also continued their reign as best in the world, winning the Nation's Cup for park and pipe.
Tignes Big Air
On Thursday, both the men and women threw down in big air finals. On the women’s side, Rell Harwood was the sole American to qualify into finals and finished the event in fourth. She finished the evening with a 174.25 – a combined score from her switch right bio 900 and her left double 1260. Italy’s Flora Tabanelli finished in first, with France’s Tess Ledeux in second and Finland’s Anni Karava in third. Tabanelli secured her big air Crystal Globe with the win, podiuming at every big air this season.
On the men’s side, Mac Forehand, Alex Hall and Troy Podmilsak qualified into finals. All three had a very strong showing in a tight competition. Forehand finished the night in second, with the judges rewarding him for going huge on his switch left triple 1800 and left triple 1800. Podmilsak finished just off the podium in fourth, showing off his two signature tricks: right triple cork 1800 and left Berco flip. Hall took ninth, with a big score of 90.50 on run one. Forehand was joined on the podium by Italy’s Miro Tabanelli in first and New Zealand’s Luca Harrington in third. Harrington secured his big air Crystal Globe as well, podiuming at four of six World Cups this season.
Tignes Slopestyle
Friday was slopestyle finals day, with Marin Hamill and Rell Harwood qualifying through to finals. Hamill was the top U.S. finisher, ending the day in fourth with the judges enjoying her switch right 720 and right cork 720. Great Britain’s Kirsty Muir finished first, with Australia’s Abbi Harrigan in second and New Zealand’s Ruby Star Andrews in third. Harwood finished in 10th after a hard fall on run one, resulting in a DNS on run two. Harwood ended the season in fourth and Hamill in sixth for the slopestyle overall standings.
Four men in finals represented the U.S.: Alex Hall, Hunter Henderson, Cody Laplante and Colby Stevenson. Hall threw down a monster run to take the win, highlighted by two rail sections – right 270 Tokyo drift to right switch lip, back 450 and swift left Tokyo drift 270 on, back 810. He was joined on the podium by Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli in second and Norway’s Sebastian Schjerve in third. This is Hall's second win of the season and third total podium this year.
Henderson finished the day in fifth, his best result of the season. LaPlante also had his best result of the season in seventh, while Stevenson was 10th.
Hall’s win secured his first slopestyle Crystal Globe. It was his second career Globe; he won the big air Globe last season. He was joined on the overall podium by Stevenson, who finished the season third overall. Mac Forehand also had a great slopestyle season, taking fifth overall.
The season's overall success resulted in the overall Nations Cup for the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team, naming them the strongest team in the world for the third year in a row.
The season's final event is the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in Endagin, Switzerland from March 18-30. The World Championships team will compete in slopestyle on March 22, big air on March 29 and halfpipe on March 30. All events can be streamed on skiandsnowboard.live.
