The 2024-25 season is right around the corner, and it includes one of the most exciting domestic freestyle schedules yet. There are more events on the calendar than ever before, highlighting the best junior and professional athletes in the world on home snow. 

This year’s schedule includes World Cup, U.S. Selection Events, U.S. Championships, NorAms and Junior Championships. There are three FIS Freestyle World Cups in the United States for the first time in years, where the best moguls and aerials athletes in the world come to compete. The NorAm tour, U.S. Selection Events and U.S. Championships provide a platform for the best up-and-coming talent in the United States. 

Domestic Freestyle Schedule

Selections

The domestic schedule kicks off for the moguls and dual moguls athletes at U.S. Freestyle Selections in Winter Park, CO, from Dec. 13 to 15, 2024. Competing athletes can earn the opportunity to qualify for starts in NorAm competitions. The aerials athletes have their Selections Event on Jan. 10, 2025, in Bristol, NY. 

National Championships

Directly following the aerials U.S. Selections Event in Bristol will be the Freestyle Aerials U.S. Championships on Jan. 11, 2025, also in Bristol, NY. The moguls athletes will wrap up their 2024-25 season at the U.S. Freestyle Moguls Championships in Palisades, CA, from Mar. 28-30, 2025. These events are unique because the best from the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team and the best divisional athletes will compete on the same stage. 

World Cup

The aerials World Cup circuit is back in Lake Placid, NY, for the first time since 2018, from Jan. 18-19, 2025, and it's going to be an event you won’t want to miss. The following weekend, the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes will be back stateside for the Waterville Freestyle Cup in the birthplace of freestyle skiing: Waterville, New Hampshire. The athletes will compete in a set of moguls and dual moguls events Jan. 24-25, 2025. After a week off from competition, both moguls and aerials teams will be back in action at the Intermountain Health Freestyle International at Deer Valley, also known as the Superbowl of Freestyle Skiing, from Feb. 6-8, 2025.  

NorAm

The Deer Valley NorAm, Feb. 12-13, 2025, is the first of multiple moguls NorAm cup stops this season. The moguls athletes have a second domestic NorAm in Stratton, Vermont, Feb. 28-Mar. 1, 2025 competing in both moguls and dual moguls. The aerials NorAm cup stops at the Utah Olympic Park Feb. 14-15, 2025, for its only domestic competition of the season. 

The athletes competing in NorAms are hoping to earn a spot on the World Cup circuit for the following season, a spot given to the overall winner in both moguls and aerials.

Junior U.S. Championships

The 2024 U.S. Junior National Championships for aerials and moguls will be hosted at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, from Mar. 17-23, 2025. This event attracts the best of the best on the junior side, competing head to head against their age groups—U15, U17, and U19.

“The U.S. has built a really fantastic development pipeline across the country,” said Matt Gnoza, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Freestyle Sport Director. "Events like the U.S. Selections and U.S. Championships, where top divisional athletes compete against some of the best in the world, provide these athletes with an opportunity to qualify for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, World Cups, and the 2025 World Championships. The door is open in the freestyle disciplines, and we’re always excited to see who will take advantage of these opportunities and announce themselves on the world stage. We are thrilled to bring more freestyle events to home snow, offering more chances for the next generation to be inspired. The team is building on a highly successful 2023-24 season, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve at both the development and elite levels.”

Full domestic freestyle schedule below

This Saturday, Aug. 24, the best aerials skiers in the world put on a show at the Utah Olympic Park water ramps for the 2024 U.S. Freestyle Ultimate Airwave, where Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team member Winter Vinecki landed on the podium in third. 

The UOP was packed on a beautiful windy day in Utah, as aerials skiers from the United States, Canada, China, Australia and more had the opportunity to kickstart their 2024-25 season by landing in water instead of on snow. 

The majority of the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials athletes were on the starting lineup for this event, including Olympic gold medalists Chris Lillis and Justin Schoenefeld. Lillis led the way for the U.S. men, finishing sixth. Ashton Salwan was the next-best finish, landing in ninth, followed by Derek Krueger in 13th, Schoenefeld in 14th and Ian Schoenwald in 15th. 

Vinecki shined for the U.S. women throughout the day, finishing in third place, a remarkable achievement coming back from a knee procedure earlier this summer. Right behind her was Kaila Kuhn, who finished fourth on the day. Tasia Tanner also made finals, finishing seventh, followed by Dani Loeb in eighth, Amelia Glogowski of Park City Ski & Snowboard in ninth and Kyra Dossa in 10th. Rounding out the finals qualifiers were Karenna Elliott in 11th and Catherine McEneany of PCSS in 12th. 

The second annual FIS Grand Prix World Tour is halfway completed. Athletes are now heading to Czechia for two competitions from Aug. 31-Sept. 1, followed by the final events of the summer in China on Sept. 21-22.

From July 28 to August 2, the next generation of aerials skiers flocked to Lake Placid, NY, for the Freestyle Aerials Project Gold camp. 

Project Gold camps are progressive camps designed for elite-level talent development in freestyle aerial skiing. Top junior athletes are selected based on applications to apply for the camp. If accepted, athletes are invited to attend and train with the U.S. Freestyle Aerial Team and Development coaches. This camp was coached by head U.S. aerials coach Vladimir Lebedev, Jack Boyczuk (Park City Ski and Snowboard Head Aerials Coach), Wes Preston (Loon Freestyle and Freestyle America Program Director and Head Coach), and Olympic gold medalist and New York native Chris Lillis of the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team. 

By working in partnership with ORDA (New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority) and the USOPC, the Project Gold Camp brought 20 young athletes to Lake Placid to jump and train at the Olympic Jumping Complex and board at the Lake Placid Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.  

During the camp, all athletes trained back tucks, back lays and back fulls. By the end of the camp, five athletes had moved from the single to the double kicker and performed back-lay tucks. 

“I am very impressed with the depth of talent in this camp,” said Matt Gnoza, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Freestyle Sport Director. “All of the athletes arrived with a great fundamental skill set, which allowed the Project Gold coaches to help the athletes learn new tricks and skills during the five-day camp. Moving forward, U.S. Ski & Snowboard will be naming a National Aerial Development Group offering members summer and winter aerial training.” 

Overall, the camp was an incredible success thanks to U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s partnerships with ORDA and the USOPC in Lake Placid. Next up, Freestyle Aerials Project Gold is heading to Park City and the Utah Olympic Park for another camp this week. 

Next Saturday, Aug. 24, Utah Olympic Park will welcome many of the best aerials skiers in the world for the 2024 U.S. Freestyle Ultimate Airwave event. 

The competition will take place at the UOP water ramps, where freestyle athletes learn to progress their skills in the warmer months to prepare for on-snow training. 

The free event, running from 12 pm-5 pm on Aug. 24, will feature the majority of the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials athletes, along with the best in the world from Argentina, Australia, Switzerland and Canada. Olympic gold medalists Ashley Caldwell, Chris Lillis and Justin Schoenefeld are slated to compete. Lillis enters the competition as the reigning champion from last year's inaugural event. 

Qualification begins at 12 p.m., and the top 12 finishers for men and women will advance to the finals, which are set to begin at 4:05 p.m. 

Following the FIS Grand Prix event will be the Flying Ace Allstars show on the water ramps - a unique opportunity to watch the U.S. athletes showcase world-class tricks to the public. Come to the U.S. Freestyle Ultimate Airwave competition and stay for the Flying Ace Allstars!

Tickets are required to attend the Flying Ace show. More information on the U.S. Freestyle Ultimate Airwave competition and the Flying Ace show can be found on FIS and the UOP.

Former U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials athlete and longtime freestyle coach Timothy "Corey" Hacker passed away on Aug. 5, 2024, at the age of 52 after a long battle with ALS and other neuromuscular disorders. 

Hacker grew up in western New York and quickly learned to ski at Kissing Bridge in Glenwood, NY. During his time in high school at the Springville Griffith Institute, Hacker was an award-winning defensive back in the fall and a full-time skier in the winter, traveling across New England to any hill that he could train at. He spent his summers water ramping in Lake Placid, NY practicing his jumps at the Olympic Jumping Complex and following graduation from Springville in 1991, Hacker moved to Park City, UT to pursue aerials skiing full-time. 

In 1995, his dream of making the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team came true, and he quickly became a name to remember in the aerials world. In only his third season with the team, Hacker was named the 1998 NorAm Champion following a handful of podiums and a win in the 1997-98 season. In 2001, Hacker was a part of the team sent to represent the United States at the 2001 FIS Freestyle World Championships in Whistler, CAN, where he finished fifth, sweeping third-sixth place alongside his teammates Joe Pack, Eric Bergoust and Jerry Grossi. During his time with the team, Hacker met his wife and fellow New York native Kelly Hilliman, also a U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials team member and following his retirement in 2003, Hacker stayed with Hilliman in Park City to support her athletic endeavors before marrying and moving back to New York in 2006. 

Shortly after returning to the East Coast, Hacker and Hilliman founded the FLITE (Focus Leads Individuals to Excellence) Team at HoliMont in Ellicottville, NY, a competitive freestyle development program for aerials and moguls skiers. Over the last 17 years, Hacker and Hilliman grew the program from 20 to 70 athletes and 22 staff members. In addition to coaching and being the co-program director for FLITE, Hacker also worked as a graphic artist for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.

Hacker is survived by his wife, Hilliman, and their three children, two of whom are on the FLITE Team. They have grown into a truly generational freestyle family, with many members of their immediate and extended family participating in freestyle skiing in some way, whether as athletes, coaches, or officials. Hacker's reputation is one of excellence as an athlete and a coach. His commitment to his community and legacy will continue inspiring freestyle skiers for generations to come. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and the FLITE community. 

Visitation hours will be held at Hoover Beach Community Center, 60 North Shore, Hamburg, NY 14219, Thursday, Aug. 15, from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. A Celebration of Life will be held at HoliMont at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Hacker’s Hope Ski Fund at @HackerCo, Hackershope.com.