Park City Freeskiers Advance to Olympic Big Air Final

Mac Forehand and Troy Podmilsak punch tickets to Tuesday's big air final in Livigno, Italy

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Park City freeskiers Mac Forehand and Troy Podmilsak qualified for the Olympic big air final in Livigno, Italy, on Sunday night. Forehand won the qualification round with a combined score of 183, while Podmilsak finished 10th with a 174. Salt Lake City's Konnor Ralph also advanced to the final, while Park City's Alex Hall did not qualify.

Why it matters

The strong performance by the U.S. freeski team, including Forehand and Podmilsak, helps rebuild the team's reputation after the U.S. women failed to qualify for the big air final on Saturday. The big air event is a marquee freestyle skiing competition at the Winter Olympics.

The details

Forehand landed his first two runs cleanly, while Podmilsak landed his first two runs to secure his spot in the final. Ralph landed his first and third runs to earn the final bid to Tuesday's final. Hall attempted new tricks on his runs but was unable to qualify.

  • On Sunday night, the men's big air freeskiers competed in the qualification round in Livigno, Italy.
  • The big air final is scheduled for Tuesday night.

The players

Mac Forehand

A freeskier from Park City, Utah who won the qualification round with a combined score of 183.

Troy Podmilsak

A freeskier from Park City, Utah who finished 10th in the qualification round with a combined score of 174.

Konnor Ralph

A freeskier from Salt Lake City, Utah who qualified for the big air final with a combined score of 171.75.

Alex Hall

A freeskier from Park City, Utah who did not qualify for the big air final after attempting new tricks.

Birk Ruud

A Norwegian freeskier who won the slopestyle gold medal and finished third in the big air qualification round with a combined score of 181.

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What they’re saying

“Felt really good in the air, had no struggles at all. Training has been going great.”

— Mac Forehand (Park Record)

“I did the tricks I wanted to. I set out the plan I wanted to do for qualification. I did it perfectly, and then tried a little step up and it didn't really go my way.”

— Troy Podmilsak (Park Record)

“Both those tricks were tricks I've never landed before. So, that was cool. Then, it didn't work out in the third run, which was a bummer, but still had to go for it. That was a trick I'd only done like once before.”

— Alex Hall (Park Record)

“It would be crazy to get another gold medal. If I can do those two tricks, I'm going to be very, very happy no matter the result.”

— Birk Ruud (Park Record)

“It's definitely going to take a lot to podium. But, I think my mentality will be to come out swinging, and if I land, I land, and if I don't, I don't.”

— Konnor Ralph (Park Record)

What’s next

The men's big air final is scheduled for Tuesday night in Livigno, Italy.

The takeaway

The strong performance by the U.S. freeski team, led by Forehand and Podmilsak, shows the depth of talent on the squad and their potential to medal in the big air final on Tuesday. After the U.S. women failed to qualify on Saturday, the men have a chance to redeem the team and bring home hardware for the United States.