Three Aspen athletes were hoping to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday, but the final results were not in their favor.
Aspen’s Tristan Feinberg and Nick Geiser both needed a first-place finish in the men’s freeski halfpipe to secure a spot on the 2026 Winter Olympics team, but the two athletes placed 10th and 7th, respectively, after they both crashed.
While Feinberg seemed visibly disappointed, Geiser said that he still had one of his best runs.
“This was the last Olympic qualifier,” he said. “I’m just going to try my absolute hardest tricks no matter what,” he said. “I put it all out there, and that makes me stoked.”
Both Feinberg, 22, and Geiser, 21, are Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club alumni.
It was the third time Geiser reached a World Cup final, but the first in Aspen, and it was Feinberg’s fourth final of the season.
They will continue to compete in other competitions and hope to qualify for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Basalt’s Hanna Faulhaber needed to place third in the women’s freeski halfpipe, but she also did not make it to the podium. She placed ninth among ten competitors in her first World Cup final in more than two years.
Faulhaber is two years out from a knee injury, and she said that she pushed herself too far last year. She has been working to add more to her halfpipe runs and rebuild her confidence this year.
Alex Ferreira placed sixth, missing grabs on both of his runs. Athletes often try to grab their skis during tricks in the halfpipe, adding style, control and difficulty to certain moves.
In his last 12 World Cup races, Ferreira secured a spot on the podium. But after failing to complete his grabs on Saturday, the two-time Olympic athlete lost that streak.
It was the first time since January 2023 that he did not win a World Cup medal.
“It’s bittersweet,” he said on Saturday following the competition.
“I want to be on top of the podium where I think I can be all the time. It was just a matter of inches. I missed the grab a little bit, and it changes the scores. But I gave it my best shot, and I only can come back stronger and learn from this, so it’s all good.”
Even with the low score, Ferreira already secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
Despite the losses, Ferreira said there have not been many competitions where four Aspenites made a freeski halfpipe final.
Olympic send-off
U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced three more members of the U.S. Olympic freeski and snowboard teams on Saturday night at the base of Aspen Mountain.
The organization has named nine athletes across the men's and women's halfpipe and slopestyle teams so far.
Seven of them attended the U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen, with the exception of Chloe Kim and Troy Podmilsak.
Halfpipe skier Hunter Hess, from Oregon, came in second in the men’s freeski halfpipe finals, which secured his place on the U.S. team.
Evergreen's Jake Canter placed first in the men’s snowboard slopestyle competition, punching his ticket to the Olympic team.
“The Olympics is a dream for all of us in action sports,” he said at the send-off event. “Being able to go and represent my country and be on the biggest stage in front of everyone and show what we’re all capable of means the world to me.”
Svea Irving, an athlete from Winter Park, was also selected for the women’s halfpipe freeski Olympic team on Saturday. This will be the first time all three athletes are competing in the Olympics.
The other four on stage were: Aspen’s Alex Ferreira, Silverthorne’s Red Gerard, Salt Lake City’s Nick Goepper and Park City’s Alex Hall.
But the teams have not been finalized yet. The U.S. quota for the halfpipe is up to four men and four women, which leaves one more spot for the men's team and up to three for the women's. The remaining teams will be announced in the coming weeks.
