At the Milan Games, a half-dozen Parkites will compete in freeskiing.
Park City will have representation in most of the men’s and women’s slopestyle, big air and halfpipe competitions.
The freeskiing events at the Games will be held in Livigno, an Italian Alps town with 5,000 residents nearly four hours north of Milan. Livigno will also host freestyle competitions such as moguls and aerials.
Freeskiing has been growing in Olympic popularity since its gradual inception into the Games: slopestyle in 2014, big air freeskiing in 2018. The sport sees its popularity often crescendo at the X Games, scheduled this year for Jan. 23-25 in Aspen, Colorado.
Here are some of Park City’s top medal contenders in Livigno, and who may be nipping at their heels in the same competitions.
Alex Hall
Parkite freeskier Alex Hall will be making his third Olympic appearance in Milan in February.
The 27 year old is the reigning slopestyle gold medalist.
Hall will compete in the slopestyle and big air events in Livigno, as he did in Beijing in 2022, finishing in eighth place in the big air competition there.
Hall will be one of the gold medal favorites in both events, having won the 2024 FIS big air Crystal Globe — given to the top year-end finisher in the discipline — as well as the 2025 slopestyle Globe.
Hall finished 42nd in the Steamboat Springs, Colorado, big air World Cup on Dec. 13. He’ll likely compete in the Aspen World Cup and the X Games before heading to Milan.
Hall learned of his third Olympic bids in June. He spent the summer surfing, golfing, relaxing and training before hitting the snow again this fall to gear up for the Olympic season. Hall said before the season that he wouldn’t lay out any firm goals for the season, as taking an event-by-event approach helps him relax and do his best.
“Obviously that one (Olympics) and the X Games are two big ones this year,” Hall said. “So those are definitely going to be super fun, and hopefully we get a good crowd for both.”
Livigno will serve as a bit of a home away from home in February for Hall. He grew up in Zurich, Switzerland, about three hours northwest of Livigno. Hall said he’s skied at Livigno numerous times before.
The Olympic men’s freeski slopestyle final will be on Feb. 10 and the men’s freeski big air final on Feb. 17.
For further information on Hall’s career, see his FIS or X Games pages on fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=FS&competitorid=198595&type=result and xgames.com/athletes/alex-hall/.
Nick Goepper
Parkite freeskier Nick Goepper qualified for his fourth Olympic Games on Saturday.
Goepper won the Calgary, Canada, halfpipe World Cup, the event he’ll compete in during the Olympics.
The 31 year old competed in his first three Olympics in slopestyle and big air, switching over to halfpipe in 2024 after briefly retiring following the 2022 Beijing Games.
Since going to halfpipe, Goepper has re-established himself as one of the best freeskiers in the world. He finished 2024 ranked fifth in the world, second in 2025, and is ranked fourth through two World Cups this season.
Goepper will be one of the gold medal favorites in Milan, alongside Aspen, Colorado’s Alex Ferreira, who qualified in June alongside Alex Hall and New Zealand’s Finley Melville Ives, the world champion in the event.
Following Goepper’s first X Games halfpipe gold medal last season, the freeskier vowed to win his first gold medal in Milan. He won silver medals in slopestyle in PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022, and the bronze medal in the same event in Sochi in 2014.
“I’m going to win a gold medal in the Olympics next year in Milan, Italy. I know that,” Goepper said.
Goepper try to keep his momentum rolling at the Aspen freeski World Cup. The Aspen halfpipe finals will be held on Saturday. The X Games return to Aspen as well Jan. 23-25, and Goepper will likely attempt to defend his gold medal.
For further information on Goepper’s career accomplishments, see his FIS or X Games pages: fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=FS&competitorid=170000&type=summary and xgames.com/athletes/nick-goepper/.
Other contenders
Colby Stevenson: Parkite freeskier Colby Stevenson is looking to qualify for his second Olympics. Stevenson competed in Beijing in 2022, winning the big air silver medal and finishing in seventh place in slopestyle. Stevenson will be a medal contender in both events should he qualify, also having a slopestyle FIS Crystal Globe (highest year-end finisher in the discipline) and five X Games gold medals to his name. Stevenson will aim to erase the Steamboat Springs, Colorado, World Cup big air 26th place finish from his mind and step toward his second Games with a strong showing at this week’s World Cup in Aspen.
Alex Ferreira: Aspen’s Alex Ferreira qualified for his third Olympics in June. Ferreira won the 2018 Olympic silver medal in PyeongChang and the 2022 bronze medal in Beijing. Ferreira is a gold medal favorite in the men’s halfpipe competition in Livigno, having finished the last two seasons ranked No. 1 in the world.
Troy Podmilsak: Parkite freeskier Troy Podmilsak qualified for his first Olympics on Dec. 13, following his second straight World Cup win in the Steamboat Springs big air competition. Podmilsak, 21, will compete in big air and slopestyle in Livigno. Podmilsak won the 2024 X Games big air gold medal.
Rell Harwood: Parkite freeskier Rell Harwood is hoping to qualify for her first Olympics. Harwood is a slopestyle and big air skier who finished in eighth place at the Steamboat Springs World Cup big air competition on Dec. 8, her only showing of the season. Harwood will be an Olympic medal contender in both events if she qualifies, finishing last season ranked fourth in the world in slopestyle, and winning the X Games knuckle huck gold medal
Marin Hamill: Parkite freeskier Marin Hamill is aiming to qualify for her second Olympics. Hamill competed in Beijing in 2022, finishing 12th in slopestyle and 14th in big air. Hamill injured her knee at those Games, missing the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Ranked eighth in the world in slopestyle and 16th in big air through the three World Cups this season, Hamill will look to ski a strong slopestyle event this week at the Aspen World Cup to qualify for her second Games and compete for medals in Livigno.
Hunter Hess: Salt Lake City freeskier Hunter Hess hopes to qualify for his first Olympics. Hess is the No. 1 ranked halfpipe skier in the world, podiuming in two World Cups this season. Hess would be a medal contender in the halfpipe competition in Livigno alongside Goepper and Ferreira, should he qualify. Hess has also won the bronze medal in the last two X Games halfpipe events.