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Goepper Second, Ferreira Third in World Champs Halfpipe

By Erin Doyle - Stifel U.S. Freeski Team
March, 31 2025
Goepper, Melville-Ives, and Ferreira on the Podium with champagne
Goepper, Melville-Ives, and Ferreira on the Podium with champagne // @fisparkandpipe

Freeski halfpipe finals marked the of end of an exciting two weeks in Engadin, Switzerland, for the 2025 FIS Ski Freestyle World Championships. Nick Goepper walked away with his first halfpipe World Champs medal, finishing second, and Alex Ferreira finished third.

Goepper is not a stranger to the pressure of World Champs, with two previous slopestyle podiums in 2013 and 2019. However, this result was Goepper's first in the halfpipe discipline and his highest World Champs finish ever. Goepper finished the day with a 94.00 on run 2, after a crash score on his first run. He impressed the judges with back-to-back double cork 1620s and finishing the run with his signature bone air 900. Ferreira finished third, tying his best result at a World Champs (he was also third in Bakuriani 2023), with a 92.50 on run one. He capped his run off with the classic double cork 1620 blunt and celebratory pole swings that got the crowd going. The Kiwi phenom, Finley Melville-Ives took home the gold after scoring a 96.00. Hunter Hess also had a great performance, finishing fifth, and impressing the crowd and judges alike with his left misty 720 mute. David Wise finished 11th, unable to put down a clean run in finals.

On the women's side, Svea Irving was the top finisher for the U.S. women in fifth. Irving put down two clean runs, highlighted by her left 1080 safety on her last hit. Kate Gray finished tenth, putting down the first bone air by a woman in competition. Great Britain's Zoe Atkin secured her first World Championship gold, with China's Fanghui Li in second and Canada's Cassie Sharpe in third.

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team is now officially on summer vacation. They are looking forward to enjoying their off season with training camps, time in the gym, and even more skiing.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Kuhn Gold, Dehlinger Silver at World Championships

By Ryan Odeja - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 31 2025
Quinn Dehlinger & Kaila Kuhn

The 2025 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships came to a spectacular end with the individual aerials event, where Kaila Kuhn shocked the world, and herself to become the 2025 World Champion. Quinn Dehlinger followed it up with a silver medal, going back-to-back in the individual event. This comes just two days after their team event gold medal alongside Chris Lillis. 

The event followed the Olympic format, including an extra qualification jump and extra finals jump. In the qualification round, athletes who finished in the top six in the first jump automatically qualified for finals. Five U.S. athletes achieved this feat, allowing them to sit out the second qualification jump to save energy for finals the next day. Dehlinger led the way for the men taking the top qualification spot with a beautifully executed double full full full - his signature jump. Chris Lillis and Connor Curran also advanced from the first round, finishing in fifth and sixth, respectively. On the women’s side, Dani Loeb led the U.S. qualifying in fourth followed by Kuhn in fifth. 

Finals day brought the return of the sunshine in St. Moritz, along with off and on gusty winds that kept things interesting for the athletes. Many of the women struggled in finals on their first jump, including the U.S.. After jump one, Loeb sat in eighth and Kuhn in 10th. The women knew they would have to be on their A game to advance to the super finals. Kuhn went back to the top and threw a lay full full, and even with a slapback on the landing, was enough to earn her a spot in the super finals. Loeb finished 11th.

Dehlinger threw down one of the best jumps of his life in finals, scoring a huge 129.21, earning perfect air and landing scores. With his fantastic jump one, Dehlinger took his second jump as a mini victory lap, throwing a full full full, qualifying in first for the super finals. Lillis unfortunately was just bumped out of super finals, finishing seventh. Curran finished 10th overall. 

The women’s super finals were full of surprises, including some of the best in the world not living up to expectations. Marion Thenault of Canada was the top qualifier with a sticky full full full but she was not able to execute in the super finals, finishing fifth. This opening was all Kuhn needed to know that she could do anything she set her mind to, including winning a gold medal. Kuhn was the third athlete to go in the super finals and threw a lay full full, a trick she has only landed in competition for the first time recently. Kuhn landed the jump and went into first place with a score of 105.13. The athletes left to go were the best of the best, but no matter what they did, they were unable to dethrone Kuhn, earning her first individual World Championships podium and win. 

“This is the biggest surprise; I couldn’t be happier,” said Kuhn. “It has been kind of a rough season for me transitioning to triples, and this couldn’t be better icing on the cake. I trained that trick [lay full full] all summer, and I decided to put it down when it counted, so I’m super excited.” 

As he was the top qualifier, Dehlinger was the last athlete of the day to drop. Right before him was Noe Roth, who as a Swiss athlete, was determined to put on a show for the home crowd. Roth threw a double full double full full and executed it perfectly, beating the all-time score record for that trick with a 143.31. Dehlinger dropped in ready to throw a double full full full. It was a jump that the U.S. will remember forever, as he secured his second individual World Championships silver medal. Every time Dehlinger has started at a World Championships, he has finished on the podium. Kuhn’s win and Dehlinger’s silver mark the best individual results for the U.S. since 2017, when Ashley Caldwell and Jonathan Lillis swept the wins in Sierra Nevada. 

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team Goes 4-5-6 in World Champs Big Air

By Erin Doyle - Stifel U.S. Freeski Team
March, 29 2025
Troy Podmilsak grabbing mute during Big Air finals
Troy Podmilsak grabs mute during the World Championships big air finals.

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team wrapped up their slopestyle and big air season with an epic night finals at the FIS Ski Freestyle World Championships big air in Engadin, Switzerland. In a stacked field, three U.S. men threw down but just missed out on the podium, with Mac Forehand taking fourth, Troy Podmilsak fifth and Alex Hall sixth.

Forehand was the top American, finishing just one point off the podium. He wowed the judges with a switch left triple 1800 mute on run one, earning him a 94.00. Unfortunately, even with an 88.00 on run two, it wasn't enough to crack the podium. Podmilsak, who was the 2023 big air world champion, looked to defend his title, but finished fifth for the night. Hall was sixth.

New Zealand's Luca Harrington landed in the top spot with a total score of 192.00. He was joined on the podium by Finland's Elias Syriain second and Norway's Birk Ruud in third. 

The slopestyle squad is celebrating the end to a great season with two slopestyle medals already won at these World Championships, Alex Hall bringing home the 2024-25 slopestyle Crystal Globe and the team winning the FIS Park & Pipe Nations Cup.

Freeski halfpipe finals are scheduled for Sunday, March 30 at 5:00 a.m ET. Tune in at skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women's big air
Men's big air

World Champs Gold Medal Three-peat for Kim

By Sadie Texer - Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team
March, 29 2025
Chloe Kim

Silvaplana (March 29, 2025) - Two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim made history at the 2025 FIS Snowboard World Championships, earning her third career World Championships gold to match the all-time record for most world titles in women’s halfpipe snowboarding.

A wind-blown pipe and white out skies forced a two-hour delay on the women’s halfpipe final, forcing riders to anxiously await an update from event organizers on whether the contest would run. Despite significant snowfall and windy conditions, officials deemed the pipe worthy to ride and the competition was on. Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team teammates Maddy Schaffrick and Maddie Mastro competed alongside Kim for the U.S.

Kim set the tone early on with a dominant first run, executing a switch double cork 1080, two back-to-back 900s, a frontside 720 and a massive switch 1080 stalefish to earn a score of 93.50. With the win locked in before her second drop, the crowd lining the pipe watched as Kim decided to forgo the victory lap and proved why she’s the most successful female rider in women’s snowboard halfpipe history, attempting to land a 1260 on her final hit, a feat she has only completed in the run that earned her the 2024 X Games gold medal.

“I wanted to take a victory lap to progress the sport and try to do the craziest run I’ve ever done,” said Kim. “I was really hoping to put that down here, but next time.”

“I was just happy I was able to land something,” Kim joked. “Today was a big mental battle for off of us- I definitely had a couple of mental breakdowns during practice.”

Mastro, the 2024-25 FIS Crystal Globe champion, put down a solid performance in her fourth career World Championships, throwing her signature double crippler and crowd pleasing Haakon flip to post an 81.00 on her second run. Despite a top-to-bottom pull, the snowy conditions and slow pipe got the best of Mastro who finished the day in sixth place behind a second to fifth Japanese sweep.

Rounding out the American women was veteran Schaffrick who held strong and put down her first attempt but slipped out on her second to take 11th place.

Japan’s Sara Shimitzu and Mitsuki Ono rounded out the women’s podium. 15-year-old Shimitzu took silver and Ono bronze.

On the men’s side of halfpipe competition, all four Americans named to the World Championship quad were set to drop, led by two-time Olympian Chase Josey who headed into finals fourth overall after earning a massive 90.00 score in qualifications. The tough riding conditions got the best of Josey, who was unable to follow up his performance in qualifications and landed in 12th overall. Olympian Lucas Foster was the top American male, ending his second career World Championships in eighth overall. 16-year-old teammate Alessandro Barbieri earned ninth and Jason Wolle 16th in their first World Championships appearance. 

The conclusion of World Championships marks the end of the 2024-25 halfpipe season. The team will return home for some well-deserved rest before heading back on the road to Aspen, Colorado for an airbag camp in April.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Martin Bronze in World Championships Big Air

By Sadie Texer - Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team
March, 29 2025
ollie
Ollive Martin captures his second bronze medal of the 2025 World Championships. (FIS)

St. Moritz (Mar. 29 2025) Less than one week after taking home the snowboard slopestyle World Championships bronze medal, 16-year-old Ollie Martin of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team backed up his podium performance with another World Championships top three, securing a bronze medal in Friday night’s big air competition.

Martin was the only American to make it through the round of qualifications and came into the big air final seeded second in a stacked field of Olympic champions and big air legends. Carrying all the weight of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team on his back, the young American and youngest rider in the field started the night off strong with a frontside 18 mute but leveled up on his second jump, throwing a huge backside 18 indy to keep his hopes at another World Championships medal alive. 

Despite having a deep bag of tricks, Martin played it safe and chose to clean up his first jump, besting his first run score by 11 points and locking in the third place spot on the podium. With only one rider left to drop, the American watched as France’s Romain Allemand took to the St. Moritz big air jump for one final attempt. The Frenchman uncharacteristically biffed the landing, securing Martin his second World Championships podium. Martin finished behind Japanese teammates Ryoma Kimata in first and Taiga Hasegawa in second.

“It went really well,” said Martin. “I played it safe and decided not to go for anything too big, but it paid off and I snuck onto the podium.”

The accomplished rookie stepped on his first World Cup podium at the end of February, and also took bronze in the World Championships slopestyle, proving that he will be one to watch as the 2025-26 Olympic season looms in the distance.

“It feels amazing to walk away from my first World Championships with two medals,” Martin said. "I can’t imagine it going any better.”

 

RESULTS
Women’s big air 
Men’s big air

Stifel Sun Valley Finals Success: First World Cup Finals in U.S. Since 2017 Showcases the Best in Alpine

By Leann Bentley - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 28 2025
sun valley

Sun Valley, Idaho (March 28, 2025) – Sun Valley, Idaho played host to the world's best alpine ski racers for the 2025 Stifel Sun Valley Finals, marking the first time since 2017 that the season-ending event was held outside of Europe. Over seven days, fans packed the stands to witness world class alpine ski racing and immerse themselves in a festival atmosphere that spanned from the towns of Sun Valley and Ketchum to the race course. 

“The Stifel Sun Valley Finals was a fabulous event and we are thrilled with how how the community came together for such an important week and we had some great performances from our athletes,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Sun Valley was an extraordinary host and we are so appreciative of all the work that went into pulling off such a successful event. The support from the local community and our partners elevated the entire week and showcased how passionate America is for ski racing.”

The event featured four races for the top 25-ranked racers in each event: downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom. While the downhill was canceled due to weather, the sun came out the following days with spring-like conditions for the rest of the week. The races also included hotly contested fights for the FIS Crystal Globes and the Nations Cups, which are awarded to the best racers and teams of the 2024-25 season. 

Highlighting the week’s results and thrilling the packed U.S. crowd, there were two podium results for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. In the super-G, Lindsey Vonn made her historic return to the podium, finishing second. At 40 years old, Vonn became the oldest woman to podium in a World Cup race, 2,565 days after her last World Cup podium in 2018. And then, to cap off a historic season, Mikaela Shiffrin won her 101st World Cup in the slalom, continuing to reset records with every World Cup win. 

Other notable results include Ben Ritchie snagging seventh place in the men’s slalom, AJ Hurt securing a top 10 finish in eighth place in the women’s super-G and Lauren Macuga scoring giant slalom points in her debut in the event, alongside her fourth overall ranking in the downhill standings. 

A highlight of the week was the presentation of the Stifel HERoic Cup, a $50,000 award from Stifel U.S. Ski Team partner Stifel Financial, created to celebrate and support women in alpine skiing. Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland claimed the honor by accumulating the most World Cup points across the three domestic World Cup stops—Killington, Beaver Creek and Sun Valley—further solidifying her dominance this season. Gut-Behrami also swept her events this weekend, winning both the giant slalom and super-G events. 

Beyond the racing, Sun Valley embraced the World Cup Finals as a community-wide celebration of ski culture. Fans filled the venue each day, creating an electric atmosphere that extended into town with concerts, a Picabo Street statue unveiling, skijoring and other festivities. The Stifel Sun Valley Finals underscored the deep ties between the western U.S. community and the sport of skiing, with local businesses, volunteers and fans coming together to celebrate the culture of skiing. 

"We are incredibly proud of the success of this event and the overwhelming support from athletes, fans and partners who made it possible,” said Stacey Ehleringer, Stifel Sun Valley Finals local lorganizing chair. “Sun Valley has a deep-rooted passion for the sport, and we hope to build on this momentum with the goal of bringing the Finals back in 2027. The legacy of this competition will continue to inspire younger generations, and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best skiers back to our slopes in the near future."

“The Stifel Sun Valley Finals is a testament to how our community has come together, celebrating both the achievements of our athletes and the enduring legacy of Sun Valley as a premier ski destination,” said Pete Sonntag, COO of Sun Valley Resort. “With resoundingly positive feedback on the course features and construction and a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich history, this event marks an exciting chapter for the future of alpine skiing. It’s an opportunity to honor our past while uniting athletes, fans and the entire ski community in a shared passion for the sport.” 

As the first American venue to host the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals in seven years, Sun Valley delivered an event that reignited the alpine ski community in the U.S. The town’s storied skiing history, combined with an outstanding venue and community support, created an unforgettable experience for athletes, families and fans. Now, the athletes will all travel back home as the 2024-25 World Cup season has officially come to an end.

Three in Top Eight at World Championships

By Sadie Texer - Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team
March, 28 2025
Nathan Pare

It was the most successful days in recent Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team history, with three American men finishing in the top eight in the highly contested 2025 World Championships individual final. Having three athletes in the final has not been achieved at World Championships since 2011 in La Molina.

Leading the charge for the Americans was Olympic gold medalist Nick Baumgartner who came into Friday’s final seeded ninth overall from Thursday’s round of qualifications. The veteran was followed by Olympian Jake Vedder, 2024 FIS Rookie of the Year Nathan Pare and Olympian Cody Winters, who was set to make his fourth appearance at the 2025 World Championships after successful rounds of racing in the alpine snowboarding disciplines the week prior.

Winters fell in the first round of sixteen against a heavy heat, ending his chances at another top 10 world championships finish, but the veteran Baumgartner reignited the American’s hops at a big World Championships showing, taking second place in the round of 16 and first place in the round of eighth, to earn a ticket to semi finals. A near catastrophic mistake almost took Baumgartner out of contention for the final heats but the veteran showed why he’s one of the best to ever do it, fighting to get his board back under his feet and fight back to earn a spot to the small final.

Baumgartner joked that the mistake almost ended his career, saying “all that was going through my mind was save it, save it save it and put this plank of wood back on the snow. I think that’s where my 20 years of experience gives me an advantage,” the veteran continued, “when something goes wrong, rather than just accept it and go with it I fight for my run and to at least finish the heat. I learned from that mistake and let it motivate me to perform in the small final.”

Seeded in the same heat to start of the day based on qualifying times, Vedder and Pare would have to take the top two spots in each round of racing to both continue to advance. The Americans did just that, ultimately joining teammate Baumgartner in the small final. Roommates throughout their stay in St. Moritz for World Championships, the duo chanted “Room 315” as they raced their way to the consolation final.

All with something to prove, the trio took to the start gate and delivered a small final for the ages, taking the top-three spots in the heat. Baumgarter led the red, white and blue and took fifth place on the day, Pare finished just behind him in sixth and Vedder rounded out American’s in seventh.

All smiles in the finish, Baumgartner remarked, “today was awesome. It doesn’t matter how much older I get, this stuff is still just as fun. I went into the small final determined to fix my error from the semis and won which is really rewarding. I had a blast with my teammates going five, six and seven. It’s a really good day.”

“I’m super excited with how today went for my first World Championships,” said Pare as he stood with his teammates in the finish.” We for sure wanted to get the U.S. on one of the top steps but super happy to ride all the way through the day with Jake and I can’t ask for anything more going into Olympic qualifications - this is the closest thing you can get to it so it’s pretty good preparation and I’m really excited for what’s to come.

Vedder echoed his teammates, saying “I’m honestly just really proud of the team. It’s really cool to have three of us in the top eight and was fun to have my roommate, Nate Pare, push me through every single heat. We all have potential to be in the big final but we’ll take this for sure. Let’s go Room 315.”

Brianna Schnoorbusch and Acy Craig represented the American’s on the women’s side of competition but both fell in the quarterfinal round. The two have another shot at the challenging course tomorrow in the World Championships mixed team event, with Craig pairing up with Baumgartner and Schnoorbusch teaming up with Pare to take on the final snowboard cross event at the 2025 FIS World Championships.

We’re gonna give the team event everything we got,” said Baumgartner. “It’s obviously for a spot on the World Championships podium but it’s a big opportunity to give these young riders an experience to race on one of the biggest stages as we get closer to the Olympics next year. It’s gonna be a wild one, but we’re ready.”

Saturday’s mixed team event caps off snowboard cross competition at the 2025 FIS World Championships but the team’s season isn’t over just yet as they travel to Mt. Saint Anne for a World Cup double header that marks the first qualifying event towards the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Ritchie Captures Personal Best Seventh in Slalom Finale

By Sierra Ryder - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 27 2025
ben
Ben Ritchie captures personal best on home soil. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

In the final race of the World Cup season, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ben Ritchie proved he belonged among the top slalom skiers as he knifed his way to seventh place - a personal best. 

“My biggest goal for the year was to qualify for finals,” said Ritchie. “So having it here in the U.S. and scoring this result makes it a little more special.”

It was a warm spring day in Sun Valley, Idaho for the finale of men’s ski racing. Globes, points and medals were on the line as the world’s best men finally had their chance to race on the Sun Valley slopes. On the first run, the set was open and fast - a welcome sight for the last push of the season. The tricky part of the race would be the snow conditions that turned very slushy and spring-like early on, making it an advantage for the skiers with low bib numbers. 

Ritchie, wearing bib 18, fought his way down to 15th on the first run. He knew he had more in him so he prepped to deliver on the second run. As Ritchie entered the starting gate, the crowd rose to their feet, ready to bring home the sole U.S. skier in the men’s slalom. Ritchie did not disappoint, skiing aggressively at each turn all the way to the finish to claim that leaderboard chair. He moved up eight positions to land his personal best of seventh place. 

“I was a little uncertain about the conditions and how it is super warm here,” said Ritchie. “I kind of skied tentatively on the first run and that fired me up to do better and take a little more risk on the second one.” 

Overall, it was a picture-perfect ending to a historic week in Sun Valley at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals event. Ritchie, a previous slalom Junior World Champion, has always been known to have speed in the discipline but had trouble performing on the World Cup—that is until the 2024-25 season. He scored personal best after personal best throughout the season with five top-15 results and three top-10s, enough to land him 17th in the slalom overall discipline rankings—an incredible leap from his placing of 41 just last season. 

The winner of the race was Norwegian Timon Haugan with Frenchman Clement Noel in second and Austrian Fabio Gstrein in third. The Crystal Globe slalom winner was ultimately awarded to Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen. 

RESULTS
Men's slalom

Shiffrin Wins 101st World Cup on Home Snow

By Leann Bentley - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 27 2025
Mikaela Shiffrin
Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates her victory at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin closed out the World Cup season in dominant fashion, claiming her 101st career victory on home snow in Sun Valley, Idaho, in front of thousands of roaring fans, just weeks after she rewrote history with her 100th World Cup win in Sestriere, Italy. 

"I just want to be able to ski some of my best turns on home soil,” Shiffrin added. “I know where I stand; I know that my very best skiing in slalom is fast, but anything aside from my best, then it’s anybody’s race.”

Sun Valley has been home to the Stifel Sun Valley Finals, providing an atmosphere that every ski fan dreams. With the best alpine athletes in the world and thousands of fans showing up for seven days of racing, it was a week to remember. And on Thursday, the World Cup season came to an end with one last race - the men’s and women’s slalom.

The women kicked things off, Shiffrin ran bib two, skiing into the lead and never looked back, finishing ahead of Lena Duerr of Germany and Wendy Holdener of Switzerland. 

The race unfolded on a course that grew increasingly challenging as temperatures rose throughout the day, softening the snow and creating a rougher surface for the later racers. But despite the conditions, Shiffrin knifed her way through both runs with the precision only she can master. 

“I have felt so much support from U.S. fans, and being able to return back home for the final races of the season is super exciting,” Shiffrin said. “It’s just cool to be here and share this atmosphere with the U.S. fans and so many young racers in this area who are so excited to be here.”

Shiffrin’s win today marked her 101st World Cup win and 157th podium, but it was not easily won. Just this past November, Shiffrin sustained a severe abdominal injury at the Stifel Killington Cup. After months of rehabbing and strengthening, Shiffrin made her World Cup comeback in Courchevel, France for the night slalom. Then, she headed to World Championships where she became a gold medalist alongside long-time teammate Breezy Johnson. Days later, she was back on the World Cup circuit in Sestriere, Italy and achieved a monumental feat – winning her 100th World Cup. And in Sun Valley, Shiffrin ended her 2024-25 season back on top of the podium, giving the U.S. fans even more to cheer about – her 101st World Cup victory. 

With the season now in the books, Shiffrin will look ahead to a well-earned break before preparing for another year on the circuit. And if history is any indicator, many more milestones are still to come.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan was also on the startlist, just two days after a gnarly injury that left her face torn up after sliding off course and into the b-netting. Fighting through pain, Moltzan ultimately ended the day in sixth overall and 11th in the FIS Alpine slalom overall standings, a solid season-ending result. 

"Today I was fighting a lot of demons. I was in a lot of pain. I hurt my ankle when I crashed, so it was kind of a mind over matter," said Moltzan. "I've had quite the roller coaster of a season. I've had some really high highs and some really low lows, but I'm proud of the team and I am excited to see what next year brings." 

The women's tech team will now take some well deserved days off before heading into spring training. 

RESULTS
Women's slalom

A Home Run: USA Goes Back to Back in Aerials Team

By Ryan Odeja - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 27 2025
Dehlinger, Kuhn and Lillis
Quinn Dehlinger, Kaila Kuhn and Chris Lillis hold the American flag with their World Championship gold medals in St. Moritz, SUI. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard).

At the 2025 FIS Freestyle World Championships in St. Moritz, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team became the first country to ever win back-to-back World Championship team medals.

An air of confidence fell over the jumps in St. Moritz as the U.S. went to bat for their second aerials team World Championship title in a row. Kaila Kuhn, Quinn Dehlinger and Chris Lillis had a cool, but calm mentality as they looked onward towards the kickers as the other nations took their final training jumps. 

Kuhn started things off for the U.S. in the round of eight, throwing a lay full full - a trick that she has only performed a handful of times. Her air was beautiful with a small bobble on the landing, and earned a great score to put the U.S. into the lead, a position they never lost. Dehlinger and Lillis both threw double full full fulls in the qualification round with near perfect execution to qualify for the super finals in the top spot with 322.6 points - 33 points ahead of second place Australia. In a surprising turn of events, China, an aerials powerhouse, did not qualify into the super finals after a few missed landings, finishing in sixth place. 

As the U.S. qualified in the top spot, each U.S. athlete would be the last to drop in their respective round. Kuhn watched from above as the top women put down great jumps, but knew exactly what she needed to do to set the team up for success. Kuhn once again threw a lay full full and this time, landed it perfectly - the first time she has successfully landed this trick in competition. With a score of 100.29, she did exactly what she needed to do.

Then it was time for the men to do their jobs. Dehlinger was next up for the U.S., throwing the ‘daddy’ once again and improved on his first round score by more than two points. The team sat in first place as the third athlete per country prepared to go. After a few excellent jumps, the pressure all sat on the shoulders of Lillis as the last athlete to drop in the entire competition. He needed to execute to secure his second World Championship gold - both for him and for his team. He dropped in and everything aligned, his air, form and landing were excellent - earning a humongous score of 125.34, to win the event by 32 points. The team rushed the finish area after Lillis’ jump and - living up to their infamous bowling celebration from Changchun last year - celebrated with a home run. 

“This is my first team event competing with these two, and I was so happy to put that triple to my feet,” said Kuhn.

“It’s the first one of that trick that I have landed, so I am so excited,” Dehlinger said. “I was at the top talking to myself saying ‘hit a takeoff, look at the ground, land it and let the judges do the rest.'”

When asked about how he was able to perform under pressure, Lillis said “I can’t let my team down! Kaila, I’ve been watching her grow up, and just go through triples, Quinn is kind of like a little brother to me, and I’ve had such a fun time growing with him, I just knew I couldn’t let them down. I’ve been in these moments before in the Olympics and the previous World Championships, and did what I had to do, and I’m just happy to execute.”  

“I think the idea for the [baseball celebration] was born in Lake Placid,” said Lillis. “It was one of the few team events where we underperformed as a team and just didn’t get it done, so we weren’t able to use that celebration, so it’s good to get that out of the tank.”

In two days, the team will be back in action for the individual aerials event, starting with qualification on Saturday, March 29, followed by finals on March 30. Tune in to watch on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS