Luke Winkelmann started off 2022 with a bang. The lone U.S. rider came out on the first run with enthusiasm, putting down a heater to earn a third-place finish at the FIS Snow Rodeo slopestyle and his first World Cup podium. The timing couldn’t be better for the rider hailing from North Carolina, as he chalks up valuable World Cup points in a bid to represent the United States in Beijing.

The conditions in Calgary have been frigid throughout the event, with Saturday’s temps slowly creeping up from negative-eight to a balmy zero degrees during finals. But that didn’t slow Winklemann down. He flowed through the upper rail section, adding in high-scoring technical variations, before sending it through the jump section with a frontside 1260 tail grab, into a switch backside triple cork 1440 Indy grab, into a Cab double 900 melon to earn a score of 83.2.

Winklemann said, “Today, my whole mindset was doing as much as I could and not trying to do a safety run. Not just going out there to land, just to literally do as much as I can. So that made me super happy to put that down first try. It’s a whirlwind of emotions right now. I’m just so happy.”

Winkelmann had a grueling wait to see if his score would hold with more riders to drop. He said, “Waiting for eight more riders was one of the more intimidating and nerve-wracking things I think I’ve been through just because I’ve always wanted a World Cup podium. And it’s just been a dream, but we prevailed, and that was crazy. I’m just so stoked right now, and let’s get more, baby!”

Canada’s Sebastien Toutant earned first place with a score of 86.86, followed by Norway’s Mons Roisland in second with a score of 84.50.

U.S. Slopestyle Team coach Dave Reynolds was equally as excited as Winkelmann on his performance. “Luke was really stoked to get into finals and wanted to go for the podium and put up his best run. He tried an even harder trick on run number two that he didn’t get; he was determined to do his best and came through in the clutch.”

Riders are now looking ahead to the final Olympic qualifier at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain and then the last chance at upping their points at the Laax Open.

Results

Men’s Slopestyle

Standings

World Snowboarding Points List

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022

12:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

4:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

9:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

Chloe Kim was tossed into the throes of fame at 17 years old when she won her first Olympic Gold medal in Pyeongchang. Her coming of age as an adult came simultaneously with a peak achievement of her career. Not unlike any other child star, Kim became acutely aware of her environment, questioning who she was as an athlete, and who she was as a person. Feeling stifled by speculation, Kim took a step back from snowboarding to explore her identity. She even thought about retiring.

Yet amid her freshman year of college, COVID-19's isolating effects, a rise of Asian hate, and weeding out trolls on social media, Kim learned more about her capacity to adapt and overcome. Her return to competition in January of 2020 came with a fresh perspective, one that will propel her into the chaos of yet another Olympic season.

“I started to get numb to it, and that’s a problem, right?” Kim told NY Times reporter, John Branch, of her negative experiences. “I’ve recently started to realize that it’s not something that I should have ever had to get used to. It shouldn’t happen.”

Read the full story on NYTimes.com.

What a day for a halfpipe contest here at the Dew Tour. Four days of competition wrapped up with snowboard halfpipe finals under sunny skies Sunday.

Defending Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim earned the day’s top score of 96 on her third and final run. After uncharacteristically not landing her first two runs, Kim settled back into her progressive trajectory on her third run landing two technical 1080s.

Chloe dropped in with a frontside 1080 tail grab, into a Cab 900, into a switch backside 540, into a Cab 1080, ending with a frontside 540.

“That was so stressful, I hate when I’m in that situation where I come to the third and final run,” said Chloe. “I’m just so grateful. I was actually thinking about backing off and not doing the Cab 1080, but I’m so happy I did it. Just putting myself in those high-stress situations especially with the Olympics coming up is pretty important. I’m so happy I was able to pull through.”

When asked if she had any tricks she was planning to pull out today that she didn’t get to, she shared: “Absolutely, I actually have three new tricks waiting for you guys. I’m just trying to figure out when I want to do them, but I think the Olympics will be the time.”  

This first-place result follows her first-place finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen, also an Olympic qualifier.

U.S. Snowboard Team rider Maddie Mastro, today’s first-place qualifier, came out blasting through the pipe on her first run, unfortunately taking a hard-hit midway down the pipe. Mastro finished in seventh. We’re wishing her all the best for a quick recovery.  

Spain’s Queralt Castellet took second and China’s Cai Xuetong earned third place.  

Men's Superpipe 

In the men’s field, U.S. Snowboard Team rider and 2014 Olympian Taylor Gold had a huge win today earning second place and his first podium of the season.

Taylor Gold dropped in on a mission earning his best score of 92 on his first run. Gold started off his stylish run with a McTwist Japan 540, launching into a frontside 1260 tailgrab, a double Michalchuk 1080, into a switch McTwist, finishing with a Cab 1080 with a chicken salad grab—going for maximum style points all the way down the pipe.

“I’ve been wanting to do that line for so long and honestly anytime I land that ‘Chuck 10 clean, I’ve gotta do it,” said Gold. The switch McTwist was exciting in the air—I’m really glad I landed it. Landing that run was insane, I’m so psyched.”

Gold tried to improve on that run, adding in a Cab 1260, but couldn’t bring it all together. He held onto the top spot all the way through the final round when Japan’s Yuto Totsuka unseated him. An amazing finish for Gold!

Looking ahead, Gold says, “My plan is to keep the intensity with my riding. I’d like to add a couple of tricks—I’d like to make what I’ve already done smoother and bigger. Honestly, my biggest thing is I want that switch McTwist to be as big as everything else. That would make me really happy.”

U.S. Snowboard Team rider and three-time Olympic Gold medalist Shaun White finished seventh, adding a crucial third result to boost his World Snowboard Points List standing. Shaun’s run included a frontside 1440 and back-to-back 1260s, a solid showing for his final Dew Tour.

Seventeen-year-old Joey Okesson finished in ninth and Chase Josey, who was unable to continue the competition after taking a hard landing on the final hit of his first run, earned a tenth-place finish for the U.S. Team.

Japan’s Yuto Totsuka came back from a third-place finish at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix to finish in first. And teammate Ruka Hirano took the third-place podium.

Japan’s Ayumu Hirano made history landing the first-ever frontside triple cork 1440 in halfpipe competition. Look for the triple cork evolution to continue unfolding at the final Olympic qualifier—the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, January 3–9, 2022.  

RESULTS
Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Presented by Toyota

Field of 8, 3 Runs
1. Chloe Kim (USA), 96.00
2. Queralt Castellet (ESP), 95.00
3. Cai Xuetong (CHN), 89.00

Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Presented by Toyota

Field of 10, 3 Runs
1. Yuto Totsuka (JPN), 95.50
2. Taylor Gold (USA),92.00
3. Ruko Hirano (JPN), 89.00

Men’s Snowboard Finals
Women’s Snowboard Finals

2018 Olympic Gold Medalist Red Gerard took the top spot on the podium Saturday at the Dew Tour at Copper Mountain, followed by Chris Corning in second.

Weather had cancelled the Thursday qualifiers, so the full field of 25 men ran with best of two runs counting. Gerard was the very last rider to drop —Corning, the second-to-last, had just dropped prior and disrupted the podium, bumping Canada’s Mark McMorris out of first with a score of 91.50. Then it was Gerard’s turn. You guys, this series of events was a lot!

Gerard put down an incredible run earning a score of 93.25 to overtake Corning. He went clean through the upper rail section, then frontside 1080 nosegrab improving over the 720 on his first run and adding in the nosegrab for style, then into a backside 1260 melon, and finishing with the biggest trick of the day—a switch backside 1620 Weddle. The crowd, which included a large gathering of his family and friends, absolutely erupted.

“Standing at the top for run two after seeing all the guys destroy it today, I was just thinking that I’m so proud of our U.S. team and all of my friends from everywhere, and how good we’ve been riding,” Gerard shared with the Dew Tour. “Obviously I wanted to land a run and get on the podium, but more than anything, I was just feeling so happy with how everyone rode. It was incredible.”

Corning earned his second-place finish cleanly handling the rail section and then stepping up in the jumps with a Cab 1260 nosegrab, into a frontside flatspin 1440 melon, to backside triple cork 1440 melon.

U.S. Team Slopestyle Coach Dave Reynolds shared his excitement at the results: “This was an amazing finish to the contest, the event kept getting postponed and every postponement meant a new start order. Chris Corning and Red, the last two to drop, couldn’t have been a more storybook situation. They came in so clutch, not a surprise, but so impressive. Really excited for them both.”

McMorris held it down in third with a score of 90, while Sean Fitzsimons put down a memorable run linking up back-to-back triple cork 1440s which earned him a fourth-place finish. Brock Crouch took sixth and Like Winklemann finished in 11th.

Women’s Slopestyle

The women’s slopestyle saw challenging snow conditions for some of the competitors, with speed becoming less of an issue among the field of 15 as they advanced through the three-run finals.

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott took the top score of the day with a 97.75, followed by Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi with a 90.75, and Japan’s Kokomo Murase in third with an 87.75.

Eighteen-year-old Courtney Rummel posted the top U.S. score of the day, earning fourth place with an 83.50. This was a career-best finish for the U.S. Team rookie rider.

“I’m super stoked, I’ve never done two sevens in a run so I’m so happy I pulled it together. It’s insane to me,” shared Rummel just after landing her run. She also shared her excitement about competing alongside teammates Julia Marino and Jamie Anderson, “It makes me want to step up because they step up. They’re the biggest inspirations ever. It’s so sick riding with them—I love it.”

Two-time Olympic Gold medalist Jamie Anderson finished in seventh and Julia Marino in 10th—both uncharacteristically unable to put down their runs in finals.

The Olympic qualifiers continue after the holidays at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, California, January 3–8, 2022.

Men's Slopestyle Results
Women's Slopestyle Results

Snowboardcross teams from around the world have been battling it out to see who will be first in Italy. The real excitement at Cervinia was the stiff competition on the women’s side. Friday after qualifications were finished, the U.S. women’s team had a solid showing—especially of note was Lindsey Jacobellis, qualifying in second place. A particularly impressive position after coming out of a serious elbow injury and surgery only a month ago; Faye Gulini qualified in fourth.

On Saturday the sun was bright and the sky clear, but tensions were high. Team U.S.A.’s own Faye Gulini and Lindsey Jacobellis would be battling it out with Michela Moioli from Italy, and Belle Brockhoff from Austria.

Right out of the gate it was a tight race, each athlete giving it everything they had. Into the first large turn it was Moioli in first, Gulini in second, Jacobellis in third, and Brockhoff in fourth. Moioli got the inside line for the next turn with Gulini right next to her. Jacobellis got pushed a little wide and had to make an evasive maneuver not to run into her teammate which would ultimately slow her down and allow a window for Brockhoff to sneak through in the next few turns. Through the next couple of jumps and turns the battle for first place continued between Moioli and Guliui, each trading position for the leader of the pack.

It came all the way down to the wire and a literal photo finish at the end with Moioli taking the top podium spot by  quarter-inch of a board length in front of Gulini. Brockhoff took third and Jacobellis finished in fourth place, crossing the finish line fractions of a second behind. If you didn’t catch this live, it is worth watching, a few times. This is the sort of competition that we want to see, and looking at the passion and drive these athletes have I have no doubt we will see more to come!

On the U.S. men’s side of things, they had a difficult showing and tough competition with Hagen Kearney and Mick Dierdorff in the top 20 after qualifications on Friday. But they were unable to keep the momentum going for the rest of the qualifying runs.

Now the U.S. team will head home for the holidays for a little rest and relaxation before the next race in deep in Siberia, where we will open the New Year with back-to-back races in Krasnoyarsk, Russia on January 8 and 9.

World Cup standings Women
World Cup standings Men

Snowboard Halfpipe Qualifiers
U.S. Snowboard Team rider Maddie Mastro took the top spot in Thursday’s qualifiers the Woodward Copper Mountain halfpipe, followed by teammate and defending Olympic Gold Medalist Chloe Kim. Mastro earned her top score of 92.75 on her second qualifying run, which was highlighted by her signature double crippler, followed up with back-to-back 720s.

“I’ve put a lot of work in and a lot of reps – and a lot of years, actually – to fully have the double crippler in my bag and have confidence in that trick,” Mastro said in an interview with the Dew Tour. “I’m stoked that it’s all starting to pay off.”

Chloe Kim finished in second with a score of 91.25, also on her second qualifying run. Mastro and Kim both advance into Sunday’s halfpipe final among the group of eight women.

In the men’s field, U.S. Snowboard Team rider and three-time Olympic Gold medalist Shaun White was the top men’s qualifier of the day, clinching his spot in finals on a gripping second run in classic White fashion. Teammates Chase Josey, Taylor Gold, and a young Joey Okesson round out the U.S. Snowboard team riders heading into Sunday’s halfpipe finals among the group of 10.

Men’s Snowboard Qualifiers Results
Women’s Snowboard Qualifiers Results

Freeski Halfpipe Qualifiers
The Freeski halfpipe qualifiers went down Wednesday as a storm front blew through Colorado. Two-time Olympic Gold medalist David Wise rose to the challenge earning the top score of the day with a 93.5. Wise linked up a left double 1260 mute and a left 900 tail grab shifty maintaining his amplitude throughout his run despite the challenging conditions. In a dominating performance, the U.S. Men’s Freeski halfpipe team locked up six of the 10 advancing slots into Saturday’s finals. Wise is joined by Lyman Currier, Aaron Blunck, Alex Ferreira, Hunter Hess, and Birk Irving.

In the women’s field, U.S. Freeski Team young gun Hanna Faulhaber earned the top U.S women’s score of the day with an 84.75, followed by Olympic Bronze medalist Brita Sigourney. Both advance into Friday’s women’s pipe finals.

Men’s Freeski Qualifiers Results
Women’s Freeski Qualifiers Results

HOW TO WATCH

2021 DEW TOUR LIVE STREAM SCHEDULE
 

The Dew Tour kicked off today at Copper Mountain, Colorado, with more than 200 athletes representing 17 countries competing in men’s and women’s ski and snowboard superpipe and slopestyle events among others. The U.S. Freeski and U.S. Snowboard Team athletes account for 59 of those vying for points—and the podium—to earn a spot to compete at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, taking place February 4-20, 2022.

U.S. Snowboard Team Slopestyle Starts
Kyle Mack
Dusty Henricksen
Fynn Bullock-Womble
Chris Corning
Red Gerard
Luke Winkelmann
Brock Crouch
Sean FitzSimons
Ty Schnorrbusch
Courtney Rummel
Jade Thurgood
Julia Marino
Jamie Anderson
Hailey Langland

U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Starts
Taylor Gold
Chase Blackwell
Chase Josey
Lucas Foster
Toby Miller
Joey Okesson
Shaun White
Jack Coyne
Chloe Kim
Maddie Mastro
Tessa Maud
Sonora Alba

U.S. Freeski Team Halfpipe Starts
Brita Sigourney
Annalisa Drew
Hanna Faulhaber
Abigale Hansen
Devin Logan
Riley Jacobs
Svea Irving
Tristan Feinberg
Hunter Hess
Dylan Ladd
Sammy Schuiling
Jaxin Hoerter
Birk Irving
Aaron Blunck
David Wise
Lyman Currier
Cassidy Jarrell
Hunter Carey
Alex Ferreira 

U.S. Freeski Team Slopestyle Starts
Colby Stevenson
Mac Forehand
Alex Hall
Nick Goepper
Cody LaPlante
Hunter Henderson
Konnor Ralph
Charlie Gnoza
Marin Hamill
Darian Stevens
Grace Henderson
Jay Riccomini
Bella Bacon

HOW TO WATCH 

All times EDT
Subject to change, click here for the full schedule.

Friday, Dec. 17, 2021
2:00 p.m. Dew Tour Men's Ski Slopestyle Final - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour
4:00 p.m. Dew Tour Women's Ski Slopestyle Final - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour

Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021
11:00 a.m. Dew Tour Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour
12:30 p.m. Dew Tour Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Final - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour
2:45 p.m. Dew Tour Women's Ski Superpipe Final Presented by Toyota - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour
4:00 p.m Dew Tour Men's Ski Superpipe Final Presented by Toyota - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Dew Tour

Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021
11:00 a.m. Dew Tour Women's Snowboard Superpipe Final Presented by Toyota - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming DewTour
12:45 p.m. Dew Tour Men's Snowboard Superpipe Final Presented by Toyota - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming DewTour

Sunday, December 26, 2021
4:00 p.m. Winter Dew Tour at Copper, on NBC
5:00 p.m. Winter Dew Tour at Copper, on NBC

2014 Olympian Taylor Gold was the top U.S. finisher today at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix finals, earning fifth place in the Woodward Copper superpipe. This was the first Olympic halfpipe qualifying event of this season. 

“That was the run I wanted to do coming into today and after slamming on my first run, It was really nice to land that second one,” said Gold. “The riding is just insane these days so I’m always happy to be up there. Top five is great, of course I want to be on the podium and that’s what I keep striving for but I’m happy.”

U.S. Snowboard Team rider and 2018 Olympian Chase Josey finished in sixth, followed by three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White in eighth at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix finals.

Looking ahead to the Dew Tour next week, which is also an Olympic qualifier in this same halfpipe at Woodward Copper, Gold says, “The pipe is really good. I’m going to need a day off at least, maybe two,” referring to his harrowing crash on his first hit mid-McTwist. “After that I’ll feel fresh again and be ready to go. It’ll be nice to get a few more days in here, that’ll be a good time to maybe add in some more of these tricks that I want to add but I’m happy with that first attempt.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Halfpipe Coach JJ Thomas says that after taking that huge crash, he was expecting Gold to take a safety run to get back into it, but two minutes before dropping into his second run, says JJ, “He just laced probably the best run he’s ever done and that just made my day. To come back after that crash and put down that run, I told him that was one of the sickest athletic performances I’ve ever seen in my life. That was so boss.”

Josey and White also put down two great runs each, but weren’t able to break into the podium.

Japan’s Ruka Hirano took first, followed by Switzerland’s Jan Scherrer and Japan’s Yuto Totsuka in third. Japan’s Raibu Katayama went down hard during finals, and we are sending our thoughts out for a quick recovery. 

In the women’s field China’s Cai Xuetong took first, followed by Japan’s Sena Tomita and Spain’s Queralt Castellet in third.

The next Olympic halfpipe qualifier is the Dew Tour right here at Copper Mountain, Colo. Dec. 16–19. The packed U.S. Snowboard Team roster will include Chloe Kim, who’s coming into this event following a podium trifecta sweep last winter, including at the Aspen U.S. Grand Prix Olympic tryout event, along with teammate Maddie Maestro, who graced the X Games Aspen and World Championship podiums earning silver medals at each. Mastro and Kim are two of the best women’s snowboard halfpipe athletes in the world right now and are forces to be reckoned with coming into the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. 

Final Results 

Men's Snowboard Finals 

Women's Snowboard Finals 

It proved to be a challenging qualification week for the teams at Montafon, the weather was throwing a lot at the competitors and the event organizers with snowfall threatened to postpone the race. As luck would have it, there was a clearing in the weather that allowed the race to continue. Stay focused and don’t let up is a theme we saw at this event. 

The men’s Snowboard Cross final had a tight field at the gate with the defending SBX and local hero, Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle, Team USA's Nick Baumgartner—coming off a third-place finish at the Secret Garden season opener in China—and two young athletes from the Team Germany, Marin Noerl, and Umito Kirchwehm. It was going to be a battle all the way to the finish. 

Out of the gates, Noerl took the lead and held it for a considerable time. On his home turf, Alessandro held his composure and the second place position keeping up the pressure. In third place was Baumgartner, using his years of experience and skill to keep the pressure on Haemmerle and Noerl. On the second-to-last large turn, Noerl lost control and fell, opening the lead to Haemmerle. With a sealed victory Haemmerle took first, close behind Baumgartner who sealed the second-place position, with Kirchwehm in third place. 

After the race, Baumgartner shared, “This has been an amazing start to my season and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve always loved racing in Montafon, the people here are so nice and so welcoming to all us athletes. This course made for some tight racing and it was my experience that helped me make smart decisions that got me through the heats and onto the box.”  

For the women’s team, it was the weather, stiff competition, and challenging terrain that really made it difficult during the races. Team USA’s Stacy Gaskill took sixth in the overall standings at Montafon. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Coach Peter Foley said that the qualifications were a challenge for the teams. “Nick and Stacy had really good races today. Nick really showed veteran racing skills making incredible passes and calmly weaving his way through traffic.”

Next stop for the SBX team—Cervinia, Italy, Dec. 17–18.

RESULTS
Men
Women