The best snowboard and freeski athletes descended on the slopes of Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado for the first day of competition at the 2024 Winter X Games. Day one action included women’s snowboard slopestyle, men’s snowboard knuckle huck, men’s ski big air and men’s and women’s snowboard superpipe.

Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s Hailey Langland kicked the weekend off in the women’s slopestyle competition, replacing teammate Julia Marino, who was unfortunately ruled out of competition due to injury. Athletes had three runs to show off trick difficulty, variety, use of course and execution, and the stacked heat of eight women threw down. Despite finding out she was competing only a few hours before, Langland came out strong and put down her first and best run of the day, scoring a 70.6 and landing fifth overall. The top spot went to 17-year-old Mia Brookes of Great Britain, who threw a never-been-done 1440 on the last jump to earn her first X Games gold.

Attention turned to the women’s superpipe competition where nine-time X Games medalist and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team rider Chloe Kim made her highly anticipated return to the event since her win in 2021. Back like she never left, Kim was dominant from the start and found herself sitting in the top spot after run one. After clinching the title, Kim put on a show in her victory lap to become the first woman to land a 1260 in halfpipe competition. She is now tied with snowboard legend Kelly Clark for most X Games superpipe victories, each with seven, and her perfect podium streak is still alive, with nine superpipe medals in nine starts.

Kim was joined in the pipe by two X Games rookies and her teammates Bea Kim and Kinsley White, who both showed poise under pressure and put down solid runs under the superpipe lights. White made her X Games debut after teammate and three-time X Games medalist Maddie Mastro was sidelined due to injuries sustained from last week’s Laax Open. Mastro sets her focus on recovery and hopes to be back to full health for next weekend’s Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Mammoth Mountain, the place she calls home.

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team was represented in the men’s knuckle huck by Luke Winkelmann and Jake Canter, who took on the likes of previous knuckle huck champion Zeb Powell in the 20-minute jam-style event that prioritizes creativity and style. With 2021 X Games gold medalist American Dusty Henriksen out with a back injury and three-time gold medalist Marcus Kleveland from Norway out with a concussion, Powell was the clear favorite, but it was the Canadian X Games rookie Liam Brearley who took the top spot on the podium, followed by Powell in second and fellow Canadian Darcy Sharpe in third. Winkelmann finished just off the podium in fourth and Canter took eighth.

Unlike previous years, the 2024 X Games big air competition featured three runs per rider, the first being a “style” trick that’s scored on a 1-10 scale and compromising only 10% of their total score. The remaining jumps were scored throughout a 30-minute jam format with only the best two counting toward their overall final score.

Reigning X Games big air champion and Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athlete Mac Forehand joined teammates Alex Hall and Troy Podmilsak to compete in the lone freeski event of the night. Hall, a nine-time X Games medalist, added another X Games silver to his resume, throwing a never-been-done switch 18 with a tail butter that was only bested by Podmilsak, who secured the gold by throwing a 2160, the same trick that won him a World Cup championship this past season. Forehand was the last to drop for the night and ended the night in a respectable fifth place.

It was back to the superpipe for the men’s snowboard competition at the end of the night, featuring a field of heavy hitters including Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team member and X Games bronze medalist Chase Josey, who ended the day in seventh place. X Games superpipe king, Australia’s Scotty James, secured his third X Games victory in a row. 2023 FIS halfpipe Crystal Globe winner Ruka Hurano took silver and Kaishu Hirano, the Guinness World Record holder for highest halfpipe air, took bronze to round out the podium.

The action continues Saturday with the men’s ski slopestyle, women’s ski and snowboard knuckle huck, men’s and women’s snowboard street, women’s ski superpipe, men’s and women’s ski big air, men’s snowboard big air and men’s ski knuckle huck.

STARTERS

Men’s ski slopestyle

• Mac Forehand
• Alex Hall
• Colby Stevenson

Women’s ski knuckle huck

• Rell Hardwood

Men’s and women’s snowboard street

• Judd Henkes
• Luke Winkelmann

Women’s ski superpipe

• Svea Irving
• Riley Jacobs

Women’s ski big air

• Rell Harwood

Men’s snowboard big air

• Chris Corning

Men’s ski knuckle huck

• Alex Hall
• Cody LaPlante
• Colby Stevenson

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
12:30 p.m. - men’s ski slopestyle - live on ABC, live stream on xgames.com 
2:30 p.m. - women’s snowboard knuckle huck - live stream on xgames.com 
3:30 p.m. - women’s ski knuckle huck - live stream on xgames.com 
4:15 p.m. - men’s and women’s snowboard street - live stream on xgames.com 
7:00 p.m. - women’s ski superpipe - live stream on xgames.com 
8:30 p.m. - women’s ski big air - live stream on xgames.com 
10:00 p.m. - men’s snowboard big air - live on ESPN, live stream on xgames.com 
11:00 p.m. - men’s ski knuckle huck - live on ESPN, live stream on xgames.com 

In front of a cheering hometown crowd at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley, Jaelin Kauf and Hannah Soar scored podium spots at the United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA, finishing second and third, respectively. 

While the weather didn’t cooperate, seeing everything from snow to freezing rain throughout the day-long competition, the competition was fierce for the individual moguls competition on Friday.

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team women stacked seven into the 16-person finals, continuing their dominating season. Five athletes then qualified for the six-person super finals, guaranteeing at least two spots on the podium. Alli Macuga, Kasey Hogg and Olivia Giaccio all had trouble in the finals as course conditions worsened with the weather, but Kauf and Soar put down clean and fast runs to take second and third place, respectively. New Hampshire native Hogg finished just off the podium in fourth, a career best. Giaccio was fifth and Macuga sixth. Jakara Anthony won the event—her sixth World Cup in a row—and clinched the win of the overall single moguls Crystal Globe.

“The conditions were so tough, but the women’s success today shows how good of skiers we are and how much fight we have,” said Kauf. “No matter the conditions, no matter how tough and icy and challenging they were, the girls were able to put runs together and really showcase the strength of our skiing. Maybe Hannah is used to this east coast weather, but most of us are spoiled out west!”

Soar, a New England native from Connecticut who went to the Killington Mountain School, laughed about the conditions and was happy to land on the podium in front of family and friends. “Normally when I ski in the rain on the east coast—which is all the time—I’m wearing a rubber suit, I have my dish gloves on and I am prepared for it,” she laughed. “I’m a New Englander and I know how to prepare for it! But this is one of my first time competing in this kind of weather. In the super final when everyone was crashing in front of me, I just knew that there was one thing I know how to do and it’s skiing a top-to-bottom run in the rain.”

Behind the super finals, Tess Johnson was 11th and Park City Ski & Snowboard's Skylar Slettene was 14th. It was Slettene’s first World Cup and her first World Cup finals. Slettene also went to Vermont's Stratton Mountain School (SMS), just a few hours away from Waterville Valley.   

On the men’s side, five men sent it into the finals. Cole McDonald was the top American man, finishing fifth. Landon Wendler sent it to seventh place and Asher Michel was 11th, a career best. Nick Page and Dylan Marcellini had trouble putting down their runs in finals, finishing in 14th and 16th.

On the podium, Ikumu Horishima of Japan finished first, Cooper Woods of Australia was second and Mikael Kingsbury third.

The United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA was the first freestyle World Cup at Waterville Valley, which is known throughout the world as the birthplace of freestyle skiing. “Waterville has so much freestyle history,” said Kauf. “Wayne Wong is here. Donna Weinbrecht is commentating (on Outside). Hannah Kearney and Trace (Worthington) are commentating on NBC. It’s really cool to be a part of history and having the old freestyle community coming together for it. It’s really special. It really shows the family community that freestyle is.”

The weather looks to dry out at Waterville with dual moguls closing out the event on Saturday in front of a rowdy New England crowd.

RESULTS
Women
Men  

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
Jan. 27
2:00 p.m. - men's and women's dual moguls, Waterville Valley, NH - Outside Watch

Jan. 28
2:00 p.m. - men's and women's dual moguls, Waterville Valley, NH - CNBC (next day delay)

Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athlete Elizabeth Lemley led the United States to victory at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in the team dual moguls competition in Gangwon, South Korea. 

On a picture-perfect day in Gangwon, Lemley took the top box alongside Porter Huff of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, triumphing over the Republic of Korea’s Yun Shinee and Lee Yoon Seung in the big final. USA’s Abby McLarnon and Jiah Cohen also put on a dominant performance, taking home the bronze medal in the small final against Japan’s Hikaru Sakai and Takuto Nakamura. With today’s competition coming to a close, Team USA is not taking home one, but two, Youth Olympic Games medals to the U.S. 

“I had such confidence in Liz that she would always put down a good run and be up in the points. She’s one of a kind, a prodigy. I’m so happy to be teamed with her,” said Huff to an Olympics reporter. 

Throughout Lemley’s career, the young moguls star has already secured four World Cup podiums, most recently in Ruka, Finland where she was second. With today’s result, Lemley added another podium to her career, this time, from one of the biggest stages of the sport. 

RESULTS
Team dual moguls

It was another exciting day of racing in Switzerland for the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Cross Team at the St. Moritz World Cup. Nick Baumgartner led the way for the Americans, taking fifth and Stacy Gaskill was eighth. 

Stacy Gaskill headed into finals sitting in second overall after an impressive showing in Thursday’s round of qualifications. She was joined by teammate Bri Schnorrbusch, making her first appearance back on the World Cup circuit after taking seventh at the Youth Olympic Games earlier in the week. Gaskill advanced through the round of quarterfinals, but was taken out in the round of semifinals after a tricky roller section late in the course proved costly for the American and finished the day in eighth place. Schnorrbusch finished 13th. Lindsey Jacobellis did not qualify for finals. 

Nick Baumgartner was the top finisher on the men’s side, after a gutsy photo finish in the second quarterfinal earned him a spot in the semifinals. After falling to fourth in the round of semis, Baumgartner captured the top spot in the small final and finished the day fifth overall. He was joined in the day’s final rounds of racing by teammates Jake Vedder and Hagen Kearney, who both earned top-30 results. Vedder ended the day in 15th overall while Kearney took 26th in his first competition back from injury. Senna Leith, Boden Gerry, Nathan Pare, Tyler Hamel, Thoedore McLemore and Cody Winters did not qualify for finals. 

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Cross Team turns their attention towards the next World Cup in Gudauri, Georgia, starting February 2. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

In Gangwon, South Korea Team USA athletes Morgan Shute and Walker Robinson claimed the silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games for the Team Event in Ski Cross. 

The duo coming off a strong individual ski cross result for men and women the day prior hammered hard to come out with the silver. The group finished above Switzerland and below the Swedish ski cross team. 

One of the key moments in this battle for the medal was when Robinson was able to get back up and keep going after crashing hard in his semifinal heat. 

“I crashed in the semi final and went down pretty hard, worst pain I have ever felt,  but I knew I could not let the team down,” said Robinson. “I knew I needed to push through because we had a medal to win so I skied down the second run and thankfully Morgan was able to make it through.” 

This is the second silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games for Shute who claimed the silver in the women's ski cross event. 

RESULTS
Ski cross

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team rookie slopestyle athlete Henry Townshend took home a gold medal at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in the freeski slopestyle contest in Gangwon, South Korea. 

In perfect conditions in Gangwon, 17-year-old Townshend of Park City, Utah, who was just named to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team earlier this season, pulled off a flawless run, putting down a 90.25. Through the contest, Townshend kept setting the bar higher and ultimately landed his first podium of the season and his career-first podium at the Youth Olympic Games. 

“So thankful for the opportunity to compete in the Youth Olympics,” said Townshend in a personal Instragram post following the medal ceremony. 

Townshend’s last victory was back in 2023 at the national championships at Copper Mountain, where he won the men’s freeski slopestyle. Now, on the world stage, he’s back on top, putting another gold medal into Team USA’s overall medal count. 

Jake Rodeheaver of Team USA also competed in the slopestyle contest, finishing the day in 19th. Olly Nicholls of Japan took the silver medal and Finland’s Jaakko Koskinen took bronze, respectively. On the women’s side, Stifel U.S. Freeski Team rookie athlete Kate Gray and Eleanor Andrews of the Killington Mountain School put down solid performances to land in the top 10. Gray made it through to finals and ended the day in sixth, with Andrews just outside of the finals in eighth. 

Next on the Youth Olympic Games freeski program is freeski big air. Qualifications throw down on Saturday, Jan. 27.

RESULTS
Women
Men

U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announced Easy Green, a new climate change-focused initiative focused on amplifying the conversation around climate and driving widespread commitment to sustainable practices across skiing and snowboarding. 

Named after an “easy green” trail at a resort, the initiative embodies the idea that making sustainable choices when skiing and snowboarding can be easy. Easy Green marks a step forward in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s dedication to becoming stewards of sustainability in winter sports, knowing millions globally are inspired by snow sports and enjoy healthy, active lifestyles in diverse global settings. As climate change poses a growing threat to these sports, Easy Green drives a collective commitment to sustainable practices through five easy actions and recognizes the urgent need to secure the future of our winters. 

“U.S. Ski & Snowboard is focused on using our platform for the greater good, especially when it comes to the climate,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “The industry and our audience listen to our voice, and we will begin using it to engage the winter sports community to focus on sustainable practices. To help protect the future of our sports, to continue to be able to witness our athletes compete at the highest level of skiing and snowboarding for years to come and to continue rewriting history, we must act now, be more proactive and do more.”

Under the Easy Green initiative, U.S. Ski & Snowboard outlined three main goals: (1) reduce the organization’s own impact, (2) offset its carbon footprint through credits and (3) utilize its leadership position, working closely with athletes to increase awareness. 

1. To begin reducing its carbon impact, U.S. Ski & Snowboard created a sustainability task force with leaders in the climate change industry to guide actions. So far, actions have included actively using solar power at U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s headquarters in Park City, Utah, implementing a full hybrid fleet of Toyota vehicles, employing a carpool program and remote work for employees, and continuously promoting sustainable practices at all levels of business, including events and travel.
    
2. U.S. Ski & Snowboard secured funding to offset 10% of the organization’s carbon footprint this season and has begun a fundraising campaign to offset 100% or more of its carbon footprint by 2030. To do so, the organization is working closely with various partners, including Greenly to continue to measure its carbon footprint and Anew Climate, one of the largest developers of forestry credits, to help offset its carbon impact in the forests of Wisconsin, the home of the nation’s largest cross country ski race, the American Birkebeiner. 
    
3. Knowing the impact athletes and sports have on and off the snow, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is also utilizing its platform to educate and drive action through unique awareness campaigns. As an example, the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team wore climate change-themed race suits at the 2023 FIS Ski World Championships in collaboration with Kappa and Protect Our Winters, and hosted the World Cup for Climate at the Stifel America’s Downhill at Aspen. These significant efforts led Protect Our Winters to honor U.S. Ski & Snowboard with the prestigious Jake Burton Award, recognizing the organization’s vital role in promoting cultural change toward climate action. With programs like Easy Green, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to continuing and expanding impactful awareness initiatives.

“I’m really proud to see the steps U.S. Ski & Snowboard is taking to collectively use our voices and create positive change,” said Olympic champion and Protect Our Winters board member Jessie Diggins. “We have many hills to climb with regards to climate change, but we’re charging forward and I’m excited to see the focus on offsetting our carbon footprint as well as taking everyday actions to reduce our impact in the first place.” 

The sustainability commitment and launch of Easy Green are supported individually and with the help of U.S. Ski & Snowboard partners, including: Protect Our Winters, an athlete-founded nonprofit that focuses on protecting the places and experiences they love from climate change; the National Ski Areas Association’s Sustainable Slopes, a program for ski areas to commit to sustainable practices across their operations; the Green Sports Alliance, the environmentally focused trade organization that convenes stakeholders from around the sporting world to promote sustainable communities; and the International Ski & Snowboard Federation’s (FIS) IMPACT Program, created to guide FIS and its key stakeholders through the current and future global sustainability challenges. U.S. Ski & Snowboard aims to propel the conversation and take concrete action toward a more sustainable future. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard remains committed to advancing sustainable practices and instigating a cultural shift towards a greener future. Easy Green is a step in the right direction with more to come. For more information, please visit usskiandsnowboard.org/easy-green. 

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ABOUT U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic and Paralympic 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 competing on 10 teams: alpine, cross country, freestyle moguls, freestyle aerials, snowboard, freeski, nordic combined, ski jumping, Para alpine and Para snowboard. 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.

Park City, Utah (January 22, 2024) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announced the 17 athletes competing in ski jumping and nordic combined at the 2024 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Planica, Slovenia, Feb. 6-11, 2024, the site of the 2023 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. 

The ski jumping team is highlighted by Erik Belshaw, Tate Frantz and Josie Johnson, who are all a part of the U.S. Ski Jumping Team. Belshaw’s career-best finish at the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships came in 2023 in Whistler, Canada, where he placed 11th overall in the Individual HS104. Johnson recently took home a medal in the 2024 Youth Olympic Games, showing that she’s one of the strongest young ski jumpers in the world. All three compete regularly on the World Cup. 

On the nordic combined side, the Junior World Championships roster is highlighted by U.S. Nordic Combined Team athletes Alexa Brabec and Caleb Zuckerman. This will be the fifth Junior Worlds for Brabec, with her highest finish coming in Zakopane, Poland in 2022, finishing 12th overall in the HS105/5km event. It will Zuckerman’s third Junior Worlds. 

“I’m very excited to announce this year’s Junior World Championship team for ski jumping and nordic combined. On the ski jumping side, we have a very strong team led by Tate and Erik. Both athletes have strong medal potential and we’re excited to see them compete,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “On the nordic combined side, we have a young team, most of which have never competed internationally, so it's very much about gaining valuable competition experience.”

"Our junior athletes love to compete and there isn't a bigger stage than Junior World Championships in Planica," said Adam Provost, CEO of USA Nordic. "We have high expectations going into this week and our athletes are ready to go. I'm excited and proud of our teams; they have earned the right to represent the United States and go against the best in the world. It should be a fun week to watch." 

2024 SKI JUMPING FIS NORDIC JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

(Name, hometown, ski club, birthdate, past Junior World Championship teams)

*Denotes first Junior World Championships team 

Women

●  Estella Hassrick (Madison, WI; Blackhawk Ski Club; 5/21/2006; 2023)

●  Josie Johnson (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 10/3/2006; 2022, 2023)

● Sandra Sproch (Chicago, IL; Norge Ski Club; 11/9/2007; 2023)

Men

●  Erik Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 8/23/2004; 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

●  Jason Colby (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 5/21/2006; 2023)

●  Maxim Glyvka (Fox River Grove, IL; Norge Ski Club; 3/26/2006; 2022, 2023)

●  Sawyer Graves* (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 9/30/2008)

●  Tate Frantz (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Educational Foundation; 3/28/2005; 2022, 2023) 

2024 NORDIC COMBINED FIS NORDIC JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

(Name, hometown, ski club, birthdate, past Junior World Championship teams)

*Denotes first Junior World Championships team

Women

●  Alexa Brabec (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 10/8/2004; 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

●  Ella Wilson* (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 3/4/2008)

●  Haley Brabec* (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 6/6/2007)

●  Kai McKinnon* (Lake Placid, N.Y.; New York Ski Educational Foundation; 5/6/2008)

Men

●  Arthur Tirone* (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 2/8/2008)

●  Augie Roepke* (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 5/9/2008)

●  Caleb Zuckerman (Norwich, VT; Ford Sayre Ski Club; 11/1/2005; 2022, 2023)

●  Ian Carmack* (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 10/29/2008)

●  Skyler Amy (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Winter Stars/Team AK Ski Jumping; 11/19/2005; 2023)

2024 FIS NORDIC JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Feb. 6th

● Men’s Nordic Combined HS102/10km PCR

●  Women’s Nordic Combined HS102/5km PCR

Wednesday, Feb. 7th

●  Women’s Ski Jumping Individual HS102

●  Nordic Combined Mixed Team HS102/4x5km

Thursday, Feb. 8th

●  Men’s Ski Jumping Individual HS102

Friday, Feb. 9th

● Women’s Ski Jumping Team HS102

● Men’s Nordic Combined HS102/10km

● Women’s Nordic Combined HS102/5km

Saturday, Feb. 10th

●  Men’s Ski Jumping Team HS102

●  Women’s Nordic Combined Team Sprint HS102/2x4.5km

Sunday, Feb. 11th

●  Ski Jumping Mixed Team HS102

●  Men’s Nordic Combined Team Sprint HS102/2x7.5km
 

The U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team kicked off the second phase of their season in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, where Laurie Stephens landed on her first podium of the season in the giant slalom. 

The event brought the largest field of athletes seen so far this season, increasing the level and depth of the competition. It was an overcast day on the course, causing flat light and shadows throughout, which proved challenging for many competitors, seeing a high number of DNFs and DSQs.

Seven time Paralympic medalist Laurie Stephens led the way for the U.S. women, finishing third in the women’s sitting event. This is Stephens' first World Cup podium of the season, adding to her impressive repertoire of achievements. In the women’s standing event, Allie Johnson finished ninth. 

On the men’s side, Ravi Drugan finished 14th in the men’s sitting event. Patrick Halgren was 16th in the men’s standing event, followed by Spencer Wood in 18th. Andrew Haraghey, Andrew Kurka and Matthew Brewer did not finish.

The team takes on another giant slalom in Veysonnaz on Tuesday, Jan. 23, slated to begin at 3:30 a.m. ET. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The Laax Open wrapped up competition this morning with the second year of men’s and women’s freeski finals in Laax, Switzerland. The Stifel U.S. Freeski team continued to show dominance in the sport with seven athletes set to drop in the innovative and progressive slopestyle course. Jay Riccomini took home his first career podium on the women’s side, while Mac Forehand was second among the men.  

It was a wild start on the women’s side with France’s Tess Ledeux taking an uncharacteristic fall and Rell Harwood slipping off the first downrail, a feature proven to be costly for many riders throughout competition. Riccomini turned things around in his first World Cup finals appearance and found himself in podium position after run one, behind heavy hitters Mathilde Gremaud from Sweden and China’s Eileen Gu. Riccomini improved his score with a clean and highly executed second run that led to his first career World Cup podium, ending the day in third place.

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team was stacked on the men’s side, with five out of 12 competitors representing the stars and stripes, but the pressure was on with no U.S. athletes in podium position after run one. Forehand found himself in 11th place as he dropped in for run two, but backed up his top spot in the FIS park & pipe World Cup standings, executing a stylish and technical line that moved him into second place with only teammate Alex Hall left to drop. Hall laced together an impressive final run and put the results in the judge’s hands, who ultimately scored him fourth overall. Teammates Colby Stevenson finished the day in sixth, Konnor Ralph tied his best World Cup result with seventh place and Cody LaPlante wrapped up his Laax Open campaign in 12th.

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team sits in second overall in the Nation’s Cup standings as they turn their attention to the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Mammoth Mountain at the end of the month.

RESULTS
Men
Women