Members of the U.S. Freestyle Aerial Ski Team gave it their all in the Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort in hopes of earning one last strong result before heading to the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. U.S. athletes Kaila Kuhn, Winter Vinecki, and Chris Lillis all qualified for finals but were unable to stick the landing on each of their respective tricks to qualify for the podium round. 

The competition was fierce, as athletes looked to take advantage of a challenging event that acts as perfect training for a performance on the world’s biggest stage. The women’s podium saw three different nations take the stand, including Australia's Laura Peel who threw a Full Full Full to take first, followed by China's Fanyu Kong in second and Belarus' Hanna Huskova in third. China dominated the men’s podium with Xindi Wang in first, Longxiao Yang in second, and Jiaxu Sun in third.

Despite finishing in 11th overall, Vinecki, who has already achieved the criteria necessary for nomination to Team USA, is happy to be healthy and is hungry for more training as her focus switches wholly to Beijing 2022.

“We got some really good training here in Deer Valley and that's just what I needed before we head over to Beijing,” commented Vinecki. “Obviously would have loved to get on the podium but I'm healthy and happy we get to train one more week [in Park City] before we head over. This event is always tough as expected, we always know it's going to be great. Getting some good double-ins in training and getting really consistent with those is really important here and I'm just going to keep doing that at the UOP.”

Kuhn, who finished 10th, has achieved criteria for nomination from her third-place finish at 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International, which served as an Olympic tryout event for these athletes. She will continue to train a new trick that she had hoped to perform if she qualified for the super final as she prepares for the Games. Megan Nick has also achieved criteria to be nominated to the team. 

Lillis had already achieved criteria to represent the U.S. men, alongside teammate Justin Schoenefeld. Given his strong position headed into Deer Valley, an 11th place finish was disappointing, but not devastating. The sole representative of the United States in the men’s final went for a double-Full Full Full and held off on the quint twist that he has been sticking in training.

“I thought that I put a really good jump together, had a good take-off, and it was right there,” reflected Lillis. “Unfortunately every once and a while you get caught up in the snow, you go over the back, you go over the top, and that's what happened to me today. We had a really solid week of training, I was able to get up a degree of difficulty, do some big tricks, do another quint twist this week. From that final jump, there's not too much I'm going to take away from it but a solid week of training and looking forward.”

Nick, Karenna Elliott, Ashley Caldwell and Dani Loeb did not qualify for women’s finals.

Derek Krueger, Eric Loughran, Justin Schoenefeld, Connor Curran, Quinn Dehlinger, Ian Schoenwald did not qualify for men’s finals.

Competitions continue at the Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International on Thursday, Jan. 13, with the first of two mogul World Cups at Deer Valley Resort, the final Olympic tryout events for those athletes.

RESULTS 
Men's Results
Women's Results

HOW TO WATCH

*All times EST.

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022
4:00 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Moguls - LIVE, Deer Valley, UT, Streaming Peacock

Friday, Jan. 14, 2022
2:15 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Ski Cross - LIVE, Nakiska, CAN, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
4:00 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Moguls - LIVE, Deer Valley, UT, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022
12:30 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Moguls - next-day broadcast, Deer Valley, UT, Broadcast CNBC
2:00 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Aerials - delayed broadcast, Deer Valley, UT, Broadcast CNBC
2:15 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Ski Cross - LIVE, Nakiska, CAN, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022
4:30 a.m. FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup, Slopestyle – LIVE, Fort Romeu, FRA, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
12:00 p.m. FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup, Freeski & Snowboard Halfpipe – delayed broadcast, Mammoth, USA, Broadcast NBC
1:30 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Moguls - delayed broadcast, Deer Valley, UT, Broadcast NBC

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming schedules are updated on a daily basis throughout the season.

Volcom, an iconic board sports brand owned by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and the official outfitter of the U.S. Snowboard Team, today unveiled its new uniforms for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team nominations will be announced on Jan. 21.

Since its inception, Volcom has outfitted some of the most creative personalities, on and off the snow. The new uniforms feature signature details and artwork that celebrate Volcom’s D.I.Y. roots and original ‘Alive We Ride’ mentality.

“The Volcom team is honored to be the official uniform provider for the U.S. Snowboard Team and provide for world-class athletes on snowboarding’s biggest global stage,” said Ryan Immegart, CMO of Volcom and Liberated Brands. “Volcom was the first brand to combine the cultures of surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, music and art and the original pioneer of the action sports industry. 30 years later, Volcom’s ‘True To This’ spirit comes to life through these uniquely designed uniforms created exclusively for some of the world’s greatest snowboarders.”

The U.S. Snowboard uniforms were made specifically for the next crop of the greatest American heroes. With avant-garde designs and premium quality, this outerwear is crafted from decades of research and development in the harshest environments. The designs weave together cuttingedge, patented proprietary technologies and bio-based sustainable materials into designs meant to function for peak performance.

“Volcom has a deep-rooted history in supporting professional athletes as well as sports enthusiasts,” said Wesley Chu, SVP - Head of Asia Pacific, Spyder and Volcom at Authentic Brands Group. “It is within Volcom’s DNA to create and provide innovative products to the world’s top athletes and we are proud to cement that initiative by partnering with the U.S. Snowboard Team.”

To match the diverse and intense needs of the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team athletes, Volcom has created its most versatile uniforms to date. The ‘Volcom Owl 3 Layer Gore Jacket’ provides an outer Gore-tex shell, coupled with the ‘Volcom Utility Puff’ inside as an insulated, hooded puffy jacket that transitions into a fully functional, sleeveless layering vest. Featured throughout the line is the brand’s patented ‘Volcom Zip-Tech’ jacket to pant interface, designed to keep athletes warm and dry while keeping snow out. Our ‘Volcom Thermal Defense System’ (TDS) is designed to keep the wearer warm where they need it most, so they can enjoy the mountains even longer.

The line also features Volcom’s heavily tested technical elements paired with exceptional design details to ensure the U.S. Snowboard team will take to the airin style. Each piece features patches and trims that proudly represent the USA, gold-plated zipper pulls, a lucky faux rabbit’s foot stashed in the jacket for good luck, and Volcom’s hallmark collage print adorning the uniform that pay tribute to the storied history of the legends who have made the Volcom brand what it is today. The line is complemented throughout by the brand’s signature black and white, op-art style.

The uniforms will hit the slopes starting on February 4, 2022, as these world-class athletes suit up in their high-performance uniforms that were crafted with the ‘True To This’ spirit for the love of snowboarding. To view the uniforms, please visit https://vol.cm/usst-beijing-uniforms

Michael O’Conor, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Revenue Officer
We’re thrilled to have Volcom supply our 2022 Winter Olympic uniforms. Each piece is well-thought-out and harkens back to snowboard culture throughout the decades. We’ll be proud to see our athletes go for gold in this amazing gear in February.

Jeremy Forster, Snowboard, Freeski, and Freestyle Team Director
Volcom did an incredible job creating the uniform for the U.S. Snowboard Olympic Team and we are proud to wear product from a brand that has such a deep-rooted snowboarding history. Each piece is designed with the athlete in mind and will make sure they can perform at the height of their game. We’re excited to see these uniforms on the biggest sport stage in the world at the Olympics.

###

About Volcom

Inspired by the creative spirit, Volcom was founded as a clothing company rooted in skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding. Building upon the foundation of sport culture, Volcom also supports initiatives in music and the arts and lives by the mantra ‘True To This’ as a rallying cry for persistent rebels and creatives that follow their passions. Volcom creates meaningful products for men, women, and kids across a variety of categories including outdoor, swim, skate, denim, fashion and more. Volcom is available in more than 100 direct-to-consumer retail outposts globally and has distribution in hundreds of specialty retail and department store locations. To view Volcom’s deep product assortment, visit volcom.com. Follow @volcom on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org 

On the eve of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the impact of the U.S. Ski Team’s first coach is still being felt over a half-century later. U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, has launched the final phase of its Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund, which has already raised $17-million to support athletes since its launch in 2017, with a final phase target of $20-million.

The fund is named in honor of Coach Beattie, who led the U.S. Ski Team to its first men’s alpine medals in 1964 and was a tireless supporter of athletes up to his passing in 2018. The launch of the fund in his name five months earlier was one of his proudest moments. When fully endowed, it will fund nearly $1-million each year direct to athlete travel costs.

“I was fortunate in the early days of my career to have most of my athlete travel costs supported by the team. But I watched the impact that travel expenses had on my young teammates who were struggling to make it to the top. The Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund has created a much more positive environment on the team thanks to the generous support of donors.”
        — Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety. 

While it was established relatively recently, the roots of the Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund go back decades. Named in honor of the late Bob Beattie (1933 – 2018), he was an icon of the sport of alpine ski racing, one of its most passionate pioneers, and an outspoken advocate for athlete travel funding throughout his life. The fund was created to specifically close the gap on funding of athlete travel costs to training camps, and domestic and international competitions. While in the past most of those expenses were covered by the team, in recent years a gap in funding created scenarios where athletes were paying $25,000 or more just to travel with the team.

“Increasing funding and decreasing costs for our athletes is a top priority for U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Development Officer Trisha Worthington. “The support provided by the Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund helps our athletes focus exclusively on their training, performance, and competitions, without worrying about how they’re going to pay their way. We’re proud of this fund and the progress it represents.” 

The Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund is unique in the sports world - no other national governing body has an endowment that provides financial support specifically for its athletes’ travel needs. 

A New Hampshire native, Beattie stumbled into the national team role in the early 1960s but went on to become its first full-time coach. He was an ardent promoter of ski sport, leading Billy Kidd and Jimmie Heuga to silver and bronze in the slalom on the last day of the 1964 Olympics in Innsbruck. He was one of the originators of the Alpine World Cup tour, which began in 1967. Beattie went on to pioneer NASTAR, start World Pro Skiing and become a legendary broadcaster with ABC and ESPN. He remained an active trustee with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation for a half-century and was well known for his impassioned speeches at board members imploring more support for athletes.

The fund supports athletes across alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, and snowboard. The foundation hopes to reach its $20-million target during this Olympic season. The goal of the fund is to eliminate the athlete travel funding issue permanently. As a non-profit organization, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has limited annual resources to allocate across multiple sports. Endowments like the Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund are a great way to augment athlete support while maintaining core operational funding. 

Interested supporters can check out more information on the Bob Beattie Athlete Travel Fund here.

With a blazing second run, Mikaela Shiffrin came back from a 0.42-second deficit behind Petra Vlhova to claim her 47th slalom win under the lights in the iconic venue at Schladming, Austria. The FIS Ski World Cup win is Shiffrin's first slalom win since the HomeLight Killington Cup and officially pushed her past the legendary Swede Ingemar Stenmark's record of most individual wins in a single World Cup discipline. Her victory also keeps her on top of the overall World Cup point standings, 55 points ahead of Vlhova. 

Schladming is a special place for Shiffrin for a multitude of reasons. Not only is the venue a historic stop on the men's World Cup slalom circuit, but it also marks the first time the women's circuit has ever had the opportunity to cut their teeth under the lights. What's more, Schladming is the site of Shiffrin's first-ever World Championships in 2013. It was there that Shiffrin won her first-ever World Championship title (at the age of 17) fittingly in the slalom, albeit on a different track. 

"I think aside from Killington for obvious reasons, it's probably going to be the most memorable race of my career," said Shiffrin. "It's really quite a privilege for us [women] to be able to race on this slope. This morning I was totally geeking out over it because it's Schladming! This is what we live for! After the last few weeks, I wasn't feeling prepared to race this race, but this is the opportunity we have, and we have it now. I'm not going to have this opportunity tomorrow, or in two weeks, or four weeks when I feel ready, I have this opportunity now, tonight, and that's it. The second run, I think my skiing was more deserving of this hill and this opportunity, and I'm really proud of that. I don't take for granted the opportunity to race here and be in a position where I can actually win."

After the first run, Shiffrin sat in fifth overall behind Vlhova in first, Lena Duerr in second, and Wendy Holdener and Ali Nullmeyer tied in third. A win didn't seem likely for Shiffrin behind four strong performances, especially given the consistent tempo of Vlhova's slalom throughout the season. But if anyone can make up over a half a second in her second run, it's Shiffrin. At the end of the night, she found enough speed to claim the win, 0.15 seconds over Vlhova, making for a nerve-racking and emotional second run show. In fact, Shiffrin made up a half of a second at the last interval. With Vlhova in second, Germany's Lena Duerr rounded out the podium in third.

"She's skiing strong; she's making no mistakes," commented Shiffrin on Vlhova's slalom season. "She's skiing slalom the way it's meant to be skied, and it's impressive and special to watch that. It's very rare that somebody is going to be able to come out ahead of her. Tonight it was my night, and I'm thankful for that but I didn't expect that [my second run] was going to be enough."

With her second-place finish tonight, Vlhova—with an impressive five victories, two-second place finishes, and 660 points—has clinched the World Cup slalom title. 

Overall, the U.S. women's slalom team had a solid day of skiing. Paula Moltzan had a brilliant first run, only 0.47 seconds behind Vlhova and five-hundredths behind Shiffrin. Moltzan charged in her second run in hopes of securing a top-five finish. Unfortunately, she straddled mid-way down the course and ended the day with a DNF. 

Nina O'Brien snagged a top 20 finish in 19th, her best slalom World Cup finish of the season. AJ Hurt and Katie Hensien did not qualify for a second run.

This weekend, the women's World Cup circuit heads to Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, for its first speed series since Val d'Isere, France.

RESULTS
Women's Slalom

OVERALL STANDINGS
Women's Overall
Women's Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

**Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, Men's Super G – LIVE, Wengen, SUI – Streaming Peacock

Friday, Jan. 14, 2022
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, Men's Downhill – LIVE, Wengen, SUI, Olympic Channel, OC 24/7 Player, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 15, 20224:45 a.m. FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, Women's Downhill – LIVE, Zauchensee, AUT, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, Men's Downhill – LIVE, Wengen, SUI, Olympic Channel, OC 24/7 Player, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022
4:15 a.m. FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, Men's Slalom Run 1 – LIVE, Wengen, SUI, Streaming Peacock
5:30 a.m. FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, Women's Super G – LIVE, Zauchensee, AUT, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, Men's Slalom Run 2 – LIVE, Wengen, SUI, Olympic Channel, OC 24/7 Player, Streaming Peacock

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here.

Freestyle returns to Deer Valley Resort for its 24th year of elite competition at the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International January 12 - 14, 2021. This stop marks the final Olympic qualifying events for the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team on their way to the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. Athletes will compete on the renowned 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games courses, celebrating its 20th anniversary in February. 

Six athletes who have achieved criteria to be nominated to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games freestyle team are set to compete: mogul skiers Jaelin Kauf and Hannah Soar, and aerial skiers Chris Lillis, Megan Nick, Justin Schoenefeld and Winter Vinecki. 

Aerials kicks things off Wednesday and 13 Americans are scheduled to compete. The team has been training since Sunday, soaking up the Utah bluebird sky conditions, and vibes are high for the week ahead.

“Training is going very well, we are so happy to be back at Deer Valley,” said Head Aerial Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev. “This site is always high quality and this year is no exception. Wednesday’s event is a critical moment for these athletes and we’re grateful to have the final Olympic qualifier on home snow. The team is looking strong and we’re ready for the days ahead.”

Seventeen Americans will face down champion-maker Champion ski run, the meanest course on the FIS Mogul World Cup circuit. Athletes will have two opportunities for podiums with two single mogul events scheduled for Thursday and Friday. As dual moguls is not an Olympic event, it is not part of the Olympic qualifying process. 

“Deer Valley is the ultimate Olympic warmup event,” said Head Mogul Coach Matt Gnoza. “There is a very good chance that the podiums we see here will be telling of who will do so at the Games. The whole team always looks forward to this event. Being on home snow really gets the athletes fired up and the Champion course is a perfect showcase of our sport. We’re excited to get out there.”

The stage will be set for an incredibly high level of competition as the world’s best freestyle skiers vie for World Cup glory. Current U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes have earned a combined 19 World Cup and World Championship podiums on home snow at Deer Valley. Expertly created courses set the Americans up right to perform at their peak. With Olympic spots on the line, expect no less than the best of what these athletes have to offer. 

STARTERS

Aerials
Women
Ashley Caldwell
Karenna Elliott
Kaila Kuhn
Dani Loeb
Megan Nick
Winter Vinecki

Men
Connor Curran
Quinn Dehlinger
Derek Krueger
Chris Lillis
Eric Loughran
Justin Schoenefeld
Ian Schoenwald

Moguls
Women
Avital Carroll
Olivia Giaccio
Kasey Hogg
Madison Hogg
Tess Johnson
Jaelin Kauf
Elizabeth Lemley
Kai Owens
Hannah Soar

Men
Jesse Andringa
Joel Hedrick
Alex Lewis
Cole McDonald
George McQuinn
Nick Page
Dylan Walczyk
Brad Wilson

HOW TO WATCH 

All times EST

Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022
5:00 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Aerials - LIVE, Deer Valley, UT, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022
4:00 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Moguls - LIVE, Deer Valley, UT, Streaming Peacock

Friday, Jan. 14, 2022
4:00 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Moguls - LIVE, Deer Valley, UT, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022
12:30 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Moguls - next-day broadcast, Deer Valley, UT, Broadcast CNBC

2:00 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Aerials - delayed broadcast, Deer Valley, UT, Broadcast CNBC

Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022
2:30 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Men and Women's Moguls - delayed broadcast, Deer Valley, UT, Broadcast NBC

Broadcast and streaming are updated on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website throughout the season.

Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

2021-22 Freestyle World Cup Schedule
2021-22 Freestyle Olympic Schedule

FOLLOW THE U.S. FREESTYLE SKI TEAM
Instagram @usskiteam
Facebook @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter @usskiteam 

U.S. Snowboard Team riders Jamie Anderson and Red Gerard showed up big time for the final Olympic qualifying event of the season at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, earning the top slopestyle podium spots. The defending Olympic Gold Medalists gave us a preview of what we can hope to see in Beijing, with both riding at the top of their games.

The meteoric progression in the women’s field continued as Anderson and New Zealand’s Zoe Sadowski-Synnott went head-to-head for the top position.

While Jamie had already achieved the criteria needed for her U.S. Team nomination to compete in her third Olympics, the fire was still lit for a win. “It feels good,” said Anderson of her win “Competing is really hard, it’s such a mind game. I haven’t competed much this year, so it feels good to have fallen on my first run, clear that, and pull it together for my last run. And I’ve never done a Cab 1080 in a slopestyle, so I’m really stoked on that.”

Jamie put down a full pull run on her second attempt, styling through the rails with a backside blunt to fakie, into a switch up on the flat down, lipslide 270 on the pink rainbow. In the jump section she went backside rodeo 540 melon into that massive Cab double cork 1080 weddle, marking the first time Anderson has landed this trick in slopestyle, although she has wielded it in Big Air.

The main threat to Anderson was Sadowski-Synnott, who scrubbed on her front 1080, which kept her in second place with a score of 82.50, followed by Japan’s Kokomo Murase, with a score of 77.94.

“I’m hyped all the girls are sending it, after 15 years on tour I couldn’t be more impressed with women’s riding,” shared Anderson. Looking ahead to her third Olympics, the defending gold medalist said, “I’m excited for the opportunity to represent the U.S. on such a big stage. I’m also excited to motivate young girls to follow their dreams.”

U.S. Teammate Hailey Langland earned fifth place, which sealed her Olympic team nomination, followed by Courtney Rummel in ninth.

Men’s Slopestyle Results

Red Gerard pulled the old ‘show up and blow up’ to clench the slopestyle win on Saturday—a repeat of his top podium finish at the Dew Tour.

Gerard was really happy with the course here at Mammoth both for the speed and the accessibility, “Mammoth is like the best place ever because it’s just a two-minute chairlift lap—in three hours you can get 50 laps and it’s just so much practice and it’s a blast,” said Gerard.

Gerard’s second run started off with a backside 270 boardslide 270 out, into a gap switch backside 270 to switch, going Cab 270 lipslide 270 melon out to close out the upper rail section. He launched into the pair of jumps, starting off with a backside 1260 melon, finishing with a switch backside triple cork 1620 bringing the spectators to their knees I tell you. He earned a top score of 82.88.

Gerard shared that he had even more in the tank, during practice he put down back-to-back 1620s in the jump section. Look for him to continue to raise the bar.

Gerard made a name for himself at the 2018 Olympic Games as the youngest gold medalist, seventeen-years-old at the time. This time around, Gerard says, “I’m grown up a little more and I have my mind set on different things—as you grow up you get different goals. This time around it’s just a lot more about snowboarding—landing runs and trying to prepare yourself the best you can for Beijing.”

The U.S.Team finishes included Brock Crouch in sixth, followed by Chris Corning in eighth, Dusty Henricksen in 10th and Kyle Mack in 11th.

Netherland’s Niek van der Velden earned second place with a score of 76.56, followed by New Zealand’s Tiarn Collins with a score of 73.44.  

To date, the U.S. Slopestyle snowboard athletes who have achieved criteria to be nominated to Team USA include Anderson, Gerard, Henricksen, Corning, and Langland.

Women’s Final Results

Men’s Final Results

Olympic qualification for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team isn't as clear-cut as other sports. There are no specific Olympic Trial events, but rather a "selection period" for FIS Ski World Cup events from October 23, 2021 through January 16, 2022, with a set of Olympic qualification criteria athletes must achieve in order to qualify. 

Thanks to U.S. Ski Team alumna and former downhill skier Edie Thys and Ski Racing Media, it's gotten a pinch easier to understand as she spent time dissecting the Olympic selection quotas in her latest piece. The Olympic selection quotas are created by the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and restrict both the total number of athletes and the composition of each team. 

As the piece notes, 

It’s crunch time — the final stretch of competitions before 2022 Olympic teams are named. According to the criteria set by the IOC and FIS, only races from July 1, 2019 through January 16 will be considered for Olympic qualification. For the women, that leaves two slaloms, one GS, one super G, and one downhill (through Zauchensee). For the men, it’s two slaloms, two downhills, one GS, and one super G (through Wengen). The qualification period closes before the marquee speed events for women and men, at Cortina and Kitzbühel respectively. The cancellation of the men’s slalom in Zagreb further reduced the shots on goal for tech skiers. 

This is always a stressful time for athletes still looking to qualify for the opportunity to represent their countries at the Olympics. There’s not only the pressure of competition but the added drama of lifetime expectations and extra media attention. Then, there’s the controversy surrounding each country’s objective and discretionary selections. 

This year, those domestic dramas are taking a back seat as nations cope with Olympic selection quotas — created by the FIS and the IOC — that restrict both the total number of athletes and the composition of each team. As of now, for the U.S. Alpine team, that means 15 athletes — nine women and six men — will be making the trip to Beijing. As shown on this table from the FIS, only Switzerland has so far earned the maximum team roster quota of 22. 

The difference in team size comes from two things: first, a total reduction in athletes, from 320 in PyeongChang to 306 in Beijing, and second, a mandated gender equity. A maximum of 153 men and 153 women can compete in Beijing. Each team can have a maximum of 11 athletes per gender, down from 14 in previous Olympics. 

As we head into the final qualification period, we recommend diving into this piece if there's any question about the ins and outs of Olympic qualification criteria for alpine. 

Read the full story at SkiRacing.com.

The U.S. Freeski Team earned three podium finishes at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth, to finish the event on Sunday.  Alex Hall took first place, followed by Nick Goepper in second. Maggie Voisin earned third in the women’s slopestyle.

Alex Hall and Maggie Voisin both earned the podium finishes they needed to be nominated to the U.S. Olympic Slopestyle Team. They join teammates Mac Forehand and Colby Stevenson.

Sunday’s slopestyle event included both qualifiers and finals for the men, the qualifying having been postponed from earlier in the week due to wind. This made for a long day of competition, but none of the athletes showed any signs of fatigue as the competitors battled it out for podium spots.

Two-time Olympic Medalist Nick Goepper put on a demo today earning two of the top scores of the day. He was looking good to take the W, until Alex Hall dropped in for the last run of the event. Under immense pressure, Hall was able to put down a precision run, nailing the rails and the jumps to overtake Goepper and earn the top score of 95.5. This first-place finish sealed Hall’s place nomination to the U.S. Olympic Team.  

Hall’s run included a switch right 270 nose tap on to pretzel 450 out over the chain and onto the down rail, and then left 270 front swap to pretzel 270 out on the dip rail, into a switch left 270 front swap to 630 out on the rainbow.

He followed the rail section with a right dub 1080 double Japan and then a switch left dub 1440 mute with a shifty for extra style points.   

Hall had this to say, “I’m stoked, I had that rail run in mind. I didn’t really know if it was going to work, it was pretty tech—I think my best rail run I’ve done so far.”

Goepper set the tone for the event holding down the top spot on the podium, even one-upping himself on his second run to further try to hold that spot, which had he held it, would have secured his team nomination. In the end, he earned an admirable second-place finish and a score of 94.75 in a run that included a switch right 270 on to pretzel 450 off, then a left 450 gap on to continuing 270 off on the dip rail, to a right 450 on pretzel 270 off on the rainbow in the upper rail section, ending with a switch right dub bio 1260 mute on the first jump and a massive left dub 1620 tail on the final jump for a score of 94.75.

Goepper said “I love Mammoth, I feel super good, I’ve been coming here for over a decade. I was super focused today, I really needed to get on that podium, I was really trying to get that top spot, but Alex skied super well. It feels really good for my hard work to pay off, but I definitely am looking for another chance.” 

Canada's Evan McEachran took the third spot with a score of 93.

In the women’s field, rather than being fatigued, the athletes were coming off a two-day hiatus from competition having qualified on Thursday. Voisin said she took a down day, and then spent Saturday skiing the resort to stay on top of it for Sunday's main event. Voisin's strategy worked, she was able to up her rails from qualifiers adding in a switch 270 disaster on the second rail and increased her difficulty in the jumps stomping a right 900 tail into a switch left 720 safety.

Voisin said, “I really don’t have words, to say that I’m going to my third Olympic Games is a dream come true. It took a lot to get here to this moment. The last couple years I’ve gone through a lot personally and with injuries. To come back and put down a good run is really a dream come true.”

Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru took first with a score of 93.5, followed by Eileen Gu, competing for China, earning a score of 91.  

Men’s Slopestyle Results

Women’s Slopestyle Results

Lucas Foster and Joey Okesson were the top U.S. Snowboard team finishers in Saturday night’s final halfpipe event at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, California. This event marked the final Olympic qualifying event ahead of the Winter Olympics Beijing 2022.

Foster earned fourth place, with a score of 69.40, followed by Joey Okesson in seventh place with a score of 57.40. The men's U.S. Halfpipe team is still coming together with Taylor Gold the lone men's rider  to have achieved criteria to be nominated to the halfpipe team to date. 

The top American finisher of the night, Foster was hyped on his fourth-place run, “That’s one of my better runs, I have more in the tank, but I feel like I did my best. I was just happy I was able to do tricks again and land runs, so it felt good to just be back,” said Foster, referring to a fall he took at the Dew Tour that set back his training leading up to this event.

Foster fired up the crowd, putting down a frontside 1080, into a Cab doublecork 1080, ending with back-to-back 1260s.  

“Joey and Lukas are the heartbeat of our team, they have so much energy and enthusiasm,” shared Head Halfpipe Coach JJ Thomas. “Last night was the first time they’ve ever been able to perform in front of a huge crowd and it made my whole season watching them enjoy themselves, it was just so sick. They’re the future of our team right now without a doubt and it’s safe to say they’re inspiring a lot of kids, too.”

Shaun White entered Saturday night’s contest with a strong performance, qualifying in third place in heat two. During his qualifying run he landed his double McTwist perfectly, but low on the transition absorbing the landing. He did not start on this second run, then came back during the training window ahead of finals, but chose to make the difficult decision not to compete in finals after that hard landing.

Japan had a strong showing, with Ayumu Hirano earning first place with a score of 95.80 and Ruka Hirano taking second with a 93.40 . Germany's Andre Hoeflich took third with a score of 90.

In the women’s field, Chloe Kim and Maddie Mastro have already achieved criteria to be nominated to Team U.S.A. and chose not to compete this weekend in Mammoth. Japan’s Ruki Tomita took first, followed by China’s Cai Xuetong in second and Japan’s Seno Tomita in third.

While this is the final Olympic Qualifying event of the season, the U.S. Halfpipe Team still has the opportunity to chase World Snowboarding Points at the Laax Open, FIS World Cup Jan. 13-15.

Full Results

Women’s Halfpipe Finals

Men’s Halfpipe Finals

The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Freeski halfpipe finals went off Saturday in the most prime conditions of the season at Mammoth Mountain. Defending two-time Olympic Gold Medalist David Wise earned a second-place finish, to lock in his criteria to be named to the U.S. Olympic Team. U.S. Team athletes Aaron Blunck and Olympic Bronze medalist Brita Sigourney both finished third.

Wise described his top-scoring run as a bit of a throwback for himself, noting that he still struggles on his switch right doublecork 1080 since breaking his femur in 2019.

Wise’s run featured five different directions of spinning in a run that offered a balance of style and progression, starting off with a switch right 900 tail grab, into a switch left dub 1080 Japan, to a left alley-oop flat spin 540 tail, a left dub 1260 mute, into a right dub 1260 mute.

As for locking in his team nomination, Wise said, “I never doubted I was going to make the Olympic team, but then there were moments along the way where I couldn’t help by be like, well, things aren’t going the way I want them to, he said .”It was kind of a fight, so today was really satisfying. Coming out of the gate first run and landing my best run of the season in the last qualifiers for the Olympics knowing before I even dropped in for my second run that I was on the Olympic team was so satisfying.”

Having already earned a team nomination, Aaron Blunck's third-place finish was the icing on the cake to a great qualifying season.

Blunck shared his optimism following the event, “I’m super stoked on podiuming today, I already had a spot locked in for the Olympics, but it just gives me that confidence for moving forward into the next events and keep the good times rolling. It’s always a pleasure to be out here in Mammoth.”

Great Britain’s Nico Porteous took the win, with a score of 97.

Rounding out the U.S. Team, Birk Irving finished in fourth, Sammy Schuiling in 11th and Lyman Currier in 12th.

In the women’s field, 2018 Olympic Bronze medalist Brita Sigourney earned third place, which solidified her criteria standings to earn an Olympic team nomination. This will be the third Olympics for Sigourney.

Her top-scoring run included a left 900 tail, into an absolutely massive alley-oop tailgrab, a left 720 mute, into a switch alley-oop 360 Japan grab, into a left 540 mute, finishing off with a right 720 to earn a score of 87.75.

Sigourney said, “I’m really happy to just lock it in today with my family here in California where I grew up skiing. I’m beyond elated just to be able to put down some runs today and ski with an amazing field of women.”
Teammate Hanna Faulhaber finished in fourth place with a score of 87.25. Faulhaber has also already earned her U.S. team nomination.

Eileen Gu, competing for China, continued her sweep to earn first place with a massive score of 97.50, followed by Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru earning second place with a score of 92.50.

This marks the final qualifying event for the Freeski halfpipe team ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022

RESULTS

Men’s Halfpipe Final

Women’s Halfpipe Final