It cost Park City taxpayers nearly $27,000 to send an official delegation from the municipal government to the Winter Olympics in Italy, a summary provided to The Park Record shows.

Mayor Ryan Dickey, Park City Councilor Tana Toly and Jodi Emery, who was the acting city manager at the time of the trip and has since returned to a deputy city manager role, traveled to the Games as part of the delegation.

The dollar figure — $26,889.23 — is the total cost of the three. The municipal government said airfare, lodging and meals were the top spending categories.

The delegation participated in an observers program organized by the International Olympic Committee designed for figures involved in the planning of a future Games. The Park City travelers joined others from Utah on fact-finding missions as part of the effort to prepare for the Winter Olympics in 2034.

The Milano Cortina Games were notable as the first Winter Olympics since the the 2034 Games were awarded to Utah, and it being one of only two Winter Olympics prior to 2034.

“We heard from Utah 2034 that it was important for us to be part of that,” Dickey said about the observers program.

Funds for the trips by the three officials came from an earmark in the municipal budget meant for Games preparations.

City Councilors Bill Ciraco and Diego Zegarra attended the Games as well but did not travel as part of the official delegation. They paid for the trips themselves and did not seek reimbursement. Both of them earlier indicated they would self-fund their trips.

Travel to both the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics is a standard practice for a community planning to host a Games. Officials are able to witness, in person, the successes and challenges of staging a Games. They typically learn about transportation systems, security, business trends and the celebration. The observations can then help guide some of the subsequent planning.

Dickey described the trip as an “every-day grind” and said the travelers opted for lodging well outside Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the Alpine venue communities, to reduce costs.

“This was a work trip. I was happy when it was over,” he said, describing the commute between the lodging and Cortina d’Ampezzo as taking approximately one hour by bus.

The Games in Italy were the second observation opportunity for Park City, following the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The mayor at that time, Nann Worel, traveled to the French capital for research purposes and to be in attendance as the IOC awarded the Games of 2034 to Salt Lake City.

It seems likely Park City will send officials to the upcoming Games — the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps and the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, Australia — as well. Travel was also one of the key sources of information as an earlier generation of Park City officials planned for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The Park City area will have a significant role in the Games of 2034 with Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park identified as competition venues. The community is expected to be crucial to the transportation, security and celebration plans. Park City is in the early stages of preparations.

The Park City travelers in the official delegation to Italy spent time in various locations across the Games region, but there seemed to be special interest in the Alpine community of Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the locations where competitions were held. It is an internationally known mountain resort that in some ways resembles Park City.

During the Games in February, Toly reported learning about transportation and infrastructure with observations in Cortina d’Ampezzo. She said, as an example, “Even with strict vehicle limits in Cortina proper, moving people was hard. Narrow roads. Venues spread out. Long travel times. You could feel the strain on the system.” 

The post Park City spent nearly $27,000 to send officials to Winter Olympics in Italy appeared first on Park Record.

Bill Ciraco is globetrotting through the first half of 2026. 

Two months after attending the Winter Olympics in Italy for fact-finding purposes, the first-term member of the Park City Council is slated to return to Europe. The upcoming trip will allow Ciraco to study transportation systems, learn about investment-related topics and attend a trade show.

Ciraco will be a part of a trade mission from the state that is scheduled to visit Switzerland and Germany. The World Trade Center Utah and the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity invited him. The organizers have outlined the key topics for the trip as being advanced manufacturing, transportation, investment and the related issues of apprenticeships and development of a workforce.

The trip is scheduled from April 13 to April 22. Ciraco said he will pay for the travel himself without requesting taxpayer reimbursement. The World Trade Center Utah estimated the cost at $4,000.

The travelers are scheduled to visit Zurich, Switzerland, a world financial capital, with a discussion there highlighting Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group. That talk is expected to be one of the important items of the trip for Ciraco. Doppelmayr/Garaventa is a top manufacturer of ski lifts and other ropeways used at mountain resorts.

Park City leaders are considering aerial transit as a traffic-fighting measure, and supported additional research into whether Richardson Flat would be a suitable spot for a system connecting to the Snow Park base at Deer Valley Resort. Decisions have not been made, but they are looming with the community hoping to tap any monies that become available from the federal government as the state prepares for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

“I want to become an expert on that,” Ciraco said about aerial transit systems.

He said he wants to learn how aerial transit could apply to Park City and whether such a system would accomplish the goal of reducing traffic amid the long-running complaints about backups inside the city and in surrounding Summit County.

“There is competition for the types of visitors Park City seeks to attract. How do we stand out from the crowd?” he said, contending that aerial transit could be a step toward separating the community from other resort destinations in the mountains.

Ciraco wants to study mockups of various Doppelmayr/Garaventa options and learn about the operational differences between the aerial systems.

A discussion with Stadler Rail, a manufacturer of rail vehicles, is anticipated. Ciraco wants to hear about how the technology works in mountain environments, even though Park City is not currently considering rail as an option to combat traffic.

The trip will be the second to Europe for Ciraco in the span of two months. He attended the Games in February to learn about the staging of the event. He spent time in the host city of Milan as well as the Italian Alps communities of Cortina d’Ampezzo and Bormio. Cortina d’Ampezzo seemed to draw the interest of representatives from the Park City area who attended the Games, with there being a series of similarities between the two prominent mountain resorts.

Ciraco did not travel to Italy as part of the municipal government’s official delegation and instead crafted his own itinerary. He funded the Winter Olympic trip himself. The trip to the Games occurred as Park City is expected to broaden its work toward the Winter Olympics in 2034. The Park City area is a key to the vision for 2034, as was the case during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park have again been tapped as competition venues. The area will also be crucial to the transportation, security and celebration plans.

The post Park City councilor poised to travel to Switzerland, Germany as part of state trade mission appeared first on Park Record.

Diego Zegarra watched the lodging prices dip as the Winter Olympics in Italy approached.

The drop by January was enough that the first-term member of the Park City Council booked a trip. He traveled to the Games as a private citizen but also made observations that will help shape his views as the municipal government continues the early work toward the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Zegarra had never been to a Winter Olympics or a Summer Olympics. He was in Italy for eight days, spending four nights in the host city of Milan and several days in the area of the Alpine community of Cortina d’Ampezzo during the first half of the Games before ending the trip in Venice. Cortina d’Ampezzo was of special interest to officials from the municipal government since it is a prominent mountain resort with similarities to Park City.

Zegarra traveled at his own expense and was not part of the municipal government’s official delegation to the Games. He attended women’s curling competitions in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a women’s hockey game in Milan and women’s speedskating races in Milan. He compared the travel from his outlying lodging to Cortina d’Ampezzo to the time and distance between Park City and Evanston, Wyoming, “plus throw a mountain pass in the middle.”

Zegarra said the experiences in Italy reinforced the idea that Park City needs to ensure it finishes any large capital projects, such as transportation improvements, before the Games in 2034 open. Park City sees opportunities to secure Games-related federal monies to fund projects in coming years.

“We have to be certain we execute these large infrastructure projects on time,” Zegarra said, noting transportation concepts like a dedicated bus lane along the S.R. 248 entryway.

He also said he wants the Games of 2034 to advance the community’s sustainability efforts. Zegarra said he hopes there are no “white elephant projects” at the Winter Olympic locations.

Zegarra took office in early January and his term runs through the first days of 2030. The municipal government during the term is expected to make significant progress on the Games work and related infrastructure. The elected officials in that time will likely render decisions regarding projects that will be pursued before 2034 as well as weigh options for the community’s role in the event itself.

The Park City area is critical to the overall Games, as was the case during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park are identified as competition venues. The community will also be a key to the transportation, security and celebration plans.

The event in Italy was the first chance for Park City officials and others from the state to study the operations of a Winter Olympics since the Games were awarded in 2024. Four of the six elected officials in Park City — Zegarra, Mayor Ryan Dickey, City Councilor Tana Toly and City Councilor Bill Ciraco — traveled to the Games either individually or as part of the official delegation.

Park City and Summit County leaders in early March convened to share observations from the Games in Italy and discuss potential upcoming steps as both government institutions address the planning for the Winter Olympics in eight years.

The post Park City councilor returns from Winter Olympics stressing need to finish infrastructure in time for 2034 appeared first on Park Record.

If you were at the Milano Cortina Olympics in Livigno, it’s likely you crossed paths with Miky’s Disco Club. 

What became the hot spot for partying during the Games in Livigno was unmissable, even if just in its vicinity. Miky’s long-tenured DJ and expansive outdoor space featuring food, bars and plenty of tables made sure its presence was felt, or more so heard. 

Miky’s owner Michele “Miky” Martinelli estimates two to three Olympic medalists came through the club’s doors to party each day during the Games. Miky’s welcomed tons more to its outdoor space, Dutch house on its main floor and famed downstairs disco with a DJ, bar and widespread dance floor. 

Opening at 4 p.m. everyday, Miky’s made sure they had just enough food and TVs showing the Games to keep everyone there through its 2 a.m. close. If you had one too many drinks before the disco opened at 10 p.m., there was even a golden slide to escort you from the main floor down to the disco dance floor. 

Martinelli believes Miky’s became Livigno’s go-to spot during the Games because of his, his staff’s and regular customers’ welcoming attitudes. 

Ringing in the achievements of their lifetimes at Miky’s was just about every medalist and Olympian in Livigno, including Park City’s Elizabeth Lemley, Salt Lake City’s Jaelin Kauf and Aspen, Colorado’s Alex Ferreira. Ferreira even took advantage of a Dutch house media setup to field his NBC interview with Mike Tirico from the club, standing alongside family and friends. He shortly after popped down to the disco, where he was serenaded with Queen’s “We Are The Champions.”

“I think 20 to 25 medalists came here,” Martinelli said. “We have been very proud.”

Martinelli transformed a family barn into the club 25 years ago. The disco walls don cow print in honor of his family. In the two decades-plus since Martinelli started chasing his dreams, much of his staff and local customers have stuck with him. Martinelli still stands outside the doors to Miky’s at night, welcoming customers with a smile and positive, outgoing attitude. 

“Every person from the town has come here to party for 25 years,” Marintelli said. “We have a house for everybody. … We try to do everything for the clients, to make them happy.”

Martinelli and Miky’s reputations travel. Herbert Cool of the Dutch ski federation found out it was the place to be about a year ago and worked with Martinelli to set up the Dutch house, called Casa Olanda for these Games, where Dutch athletes, families and fans came to grab a bite and a drink and watch their compatriots. Casa Olanda had a bar, dining area and TVs with the Games on, all draped in orange, Dutch insignia. 

“We both had a very clear vision on what the energy should be,” Cool said about Martinelli. “He knows that during the Olympics, especially in Europe, there’s always this Dutch house, and they throw a great party.”

Cool felt Miky’s and Casa Olanda perfectly encapsulated the happy-go-lucky vibe of the Games. Cool welcomed the Dutch Olympic committee to Casa Olanda and was confident they liked what they saw. Cool would love to keep the tradition rolling into the 2030 and 2034 Games. 

“They were like, ‘Okay, maybe we should have done a bit more with this concept.’” Cool said. “I hope in the French Alps we can go for the 2.0 version, and then we should take 3.0 absolutely to Park City. We’d love to go.”

Latham Jenkins of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and his family and friends were late arrivals to the Games in Livigno last week. They had dinner reservations to rush off to Thursday but arrived at Miky’s for some pre-dinner drinks after hearing nothing but good things about the club. Jenkins and his crew were in Livigno to cheer on Kauf and skimo skier Anna Gibson, both from Wyoming originally. 

“You can’t miss it,” Jenkins said about Miky’s. “It’s the go-to place in Livigno, that’s for sure. Just being here in the energy of everyone that’s enjoying the Games is pretty incredible.”

Martinelli said the Games weren’t going to set any business records for the club since February and March are typically a busy tourism season anyways. While Miky’s typically sees a lot of European tourists during this period, he was overjoyed to welcome customers from places like the U.S., Canada and Australia. Like many of the other business owners in Livigno, Martinelli hopes the new visitors decide to come back in future seasons. Martinelli believes returning tourism is a direct reflection of how the locals and businesses treated tourists their first time in Livigno. 

“In these three weeks, we saw the world, and it was amazing,” Martinelli said. “I saw so many cultures partying together.”

The post Olympians celebrate glory at Miky’s Disco Club in Livigno appeared first on Park Record.

LIVIGNO, Italy — Park City aerialists Chris Lillis, Kaila Kuhn and Connor Curran won the Olympic mixed team aerials gold medal Saturday at the Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park. 

Lillis, Kuhn and Curran landed all six of their jumps from final one and two. In final two, Lillis landed a back double full-full-full, Kuhn a back full-full-full and Curran a back full-double full-full for scores of 117.19, 113.72 and 94.44, respectively.

Lillis, Kuhn and Curran’s team score of 325.25 edged out Switzerland in second place and China in third place, who had scores of 296.91 and 279.68, respectively. 

The mixed team aerials gold medal is the second straight for the United States, which won the inaugural event in Beijing in 2022 with Lillis and Parkites Ashley Caldwell and Justin Schoenefeld. 

Saturday’s win was considered a massive upset in the sport, as China’s team had men’s gold medalist Wang Xindi, women’s gold medalist Xu Mengtao and men’s bronze medalist Li Tianma. Lillis, Kuhn and Curran had also struggled in their individual competitions, finishing in eighth, fifth and 12th place, respectively. 

“We’ve had quite a lot of success with it,” Lillis said about mixed team aerials. “I’ve thought about it quite a bit. … I think the fact that a lot of U.S. athletes come from team sports and use each other as motivation really helps us.”

Lillis, Kuhn and Curran’s win set the record for the most U.S. gold medals in a Winter Olympics at 11, surpassing the 10 won at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. 

“I think I did a press conference two weeks ago and told you guys we were going to win,” Lillis joked. “I don’t know why they took today to count.”

The post Park City aerialists win Olympic mixed team gold to set key U.S. record appeared first on Park Record.

Park City Councilor Tana Toly is traveling in Italy to learn about the staging of the Winter Olympics and has observed the atmosphere from how the Games are celebrated and the tradition of trading Olympic pins to the transportation systems in the Alps.

Toly said she wants Parkites to be involved in the Utah 2034 Games in a series of prepared responses to a Park Record inquiry about her experience in Italy.

“One idea I want to bring back is this: Make 2034 deeply personal. How do we ensure every resident feels connected to the Games? How does welcoming the world expand daily life for the people who live here?” she said.

Toly is traveling as part of the official delegation from the municipality and is participating in an observers program organized by the International Olympic Committee. She mentioned pins as she explained possibilities for Park City.

“At the Olympics, pin trading isn’t just a souvenir, it’s identity. It’s how people say, ‘This is who I am. This is where I’m from.’ It starts conversations. It builds connection. It’s how strangers become part of something bigger. What if we created a community-wide ‘Pin Project’ leading up to 2034?” she said. “We invite everyone to define their connection to Park City and the Olympics — and tell their story on a pin. When the world arrives, they won’t just see venues. They’ll see a community that knows who it is. 2034 belongs to all of us. What’s on your pin?”

Toly also addressed Main Street’s potential role during the Games, alluding to the pedestrianized celebration zone created on the street during the 2002 Winter Olympics and the role other spots could play. Toly is part of the family that owns Red Banjo Pizza on Main Street, and she has an extensive background in the shopping, dining and entertainment strip.

“We also need to talk about energy,” Toly said. “We need nightlife, athlete parades, community activations. Small business participation across the city, not just Main Street. In 2002, Park City had a fantastic vibe. There was pride, there was celebration, businesses felt involved and residents felt included. Let’s elevate that vibe.”

She indicated options regarding Main Street and the Games could be debated early in the broader talks about 2034.

“If Main Street is going to be a non-competitive venue again, we need to decide that ASAP. That decision affects security, programming, and how businesses prepare,” she said. “We did great in 2002. In 2034, we can take it to the next level.”

Toly also learned about transportation and infrastructure. She pointed to her observations in Cortina d’Ampezzo, an Alpine community hosting some of the competitions. Cortina d’Ampezzo has appeared to be of special interest to the Park City contingent in Italy since it is a mountain resort.

“Even with strict vehicle limits in Cortina proper, moving people was hard. Narrow roads. Venues spread out. Long travel times. You could feel the strain on the system,” she said, adding it took nine hours to travel between the airport and a destination outside of Cortina d’Ampezzo. “It reinforced what we already know in Park City, if we don’t build real alternatives to single occupancy cars, we will feel it during peak moments.”

Toly said certain infrastructure in Italy was not completed before the Games opened. Park City officials see a possibility of pursuing infrastructure projects prior to 2034, with the potential of monies flowing into the state in preparation for the Games.

“A planned gondola and park-and-ride weren’t ready in time, so (Italy) relied on backup plans and extra bussing. That creates stress and inefficiency,” she said. “That means we need strong regional and state, federal partnerships. It means deciding on a park-and-ride location this spring. And it means being honest about whether we’re serious about a gondola from Richardson Flat to Deer Valley and potentially to Main Street.”

Toly also provided a comment summarizing her opinions of Cortina d’Ampezzo, saying the greatest strength she observed is passion and place.

“In Cortina, a medieval mountain town, winter sport is woven into the culture. The stadiums are full and the athletes are celebrities. There’s a deep, visible respect for the Olympic spirit. At the same time, they are working within a historic town that has almost no ability to expand, no meaningful park-and-ride system, limited room for infrastructure, and narrow roads that can’t simply be widened. It’s beautiful, the venues are stunning, and the physical constraints are real,” Toly said.

She continued, “That contrast influences how I think about 2034. Park City is fortunate; we have space to plan smartly. We can build a park-and-ride. We can improve transit corridors. We can expand intentionally before pressure peaks. And like Cortina, winter sport is part of who we are. If we combine our passion for sport with proactive planning, 2034 won’t just look beautiful, it will function beautifully.”

The post Park City councilor at Milano Cortina Games wants 2034 talks about Main Street to start soon appeared first on Park Record.

LIVIGNO, Italy — You can find this U.S. Ski Team kitchen by following your nose upstairs from the Calanda market to an apartment filled with the aromas of a fresh, home-cooked meal.

Here you’ll also find Steve Vierk, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s chef of the past eight years, hard at work with Chris Allen, a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee contract chef, and Hunter Baum, the team’s dietician.

“We started cooking two days before the Games began, as people came into town.” Vierk said, looking around a clean but unassuming apartment. To help make the operation work, Vierk and Allen rented a convection oven from the Calanda owners, who have been helping supply food. “All out of this kitchen.”

While most of the athletes and support staff have eaten Vierk and Allen’s meals on the go, last week the chefs welcomed downhill gold medalist Breezy Johnson to the apartment for dinner.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has contracted chefs for all the competition locations at these Games, though they don’t have kitchen setups like this one.

Vierk and Allen said they have heard nothing but positive feedback so far. In addition to the home-cooked meals, they are aiming to provide some of the comfort of home, which could be a small difference in winning on the slopes.

“Everybody’s super happy,” Vierk said. “That’s why they call and say, ‘Can we come down to dinner tonight?'”

The menu has included burgers, butter chicken and teriyaki salmon. Monday night was teriyaki tofu. The chefs are trying to mix things up and keep everyone from eating pizza and pasta for every meal.

Back home, real home, Allen works out of Lake Placid, New York, and Vierk is from Park City, where he often cooks at U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Center of Excellence for 50 to 80 people. There, he’s known for his “green crack” marinade with lime, jalepeño and cilantro, his Latin and Asian food, and his weekly themed family meals.

“I cook for Olympic gold medalists. You don’t get to say that at a lot of other cooking positions,” Vierk said. “Initially, I might have felt pressure, but not now. I’m pretty comfortable and confident in my abilities.”

This season, he began traveling with the moguls team.

“We train in Park City from the beginning of May until the end of October, so I’m there full time during those months,” Vierk said. “I work Monday through Friday, and my primary job is to provide lunch for the athletes, but we also do a continental-style breakfast.”

Baum, the dietician, works with the athletes on where and when to eat the chefs’ cooking. Many athletes are interested in their diets, and others prefer mac and cheese and chicken nuggets for every meal. Baum said one athlete requested Dino nuggets during the Games, which he approved as a taste of home.

“I work with athletes on every team,” Baum said. “It’s just about being a part of their lives and being able to help in any way that we can.”

Baum attended halfpipe practice Monday night, after Vierk and Allen served up teriyaki tofu, sesame noodles and vegetables. Baum said he hopes his presence serves as a visual clue to athletes in Livigno to properly fuel up.

“Hopefully they’re taking advantage of a lot of things that Steve and Chris are able to provide,” Baum said. “If that helps them in their performance, that’s what we’re here to do.”

The post Two chefs and a dietician keep ski team well fueled, along with a taste of home cooking appeared first on Park Record.

A Park City delegation is at the Winter Olympics in Italy, observing the mechanics of the Games in a fact-finding mission designed to assist officials as the municipal government appears poised to broaden the work toward the 2034 Games in the coming months.

The travelers, including Mayor Ryan Dickey, are scheduled to return shortly and are expected to distill their observations from Italy and outline how the experience will help shape talks about the upcoming Winter Olympics in Utah.

Dickey, who took office in early January, addressed the Games work he anticipated would occur in the weeks after the event in Italy. The comments, made during the campaign last fall, were in response to a Park Record inquiry about what the mayoral candidates hoped to have accomplished by late April, about two months after the end of the Winter Olympics in Milan.

Dickey said he wanted “Park City to be engaged, steady, and organized — with clear priorities, early groundwork underway, and our community meaningfully involved in shaping an Olympic plan that reflects both lessons learned and our future aspirations.”

“By then, we’ll also have launched a local Olympic steering committee that mirrors the Utah organizing structure, with subcommittees on transportation, Main Street activation, and other key issues. Our local listening tour with Olympics CEO Brad Wilson will be underway, ensuring residents’ voices are central from the very beginning,” he said.

This week, the mayor said the listening tour he mentioned in October is completed in the Wasatch Back. Dickey also outlined upcoming steps once the Games are finished in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and elsewhere in the Italian Alps. Cortina d’Ampezzo is of special interest with the similarities between that ski town and Park City. He said people involved with the Games efforts are “eager to begin standing up a planning structure when we are back from Italy.”

“What I said during the campaign is certainly directionally accurate, but we’ve all learned a lot here in Cortina together and will probably evolve those ideas further, especially thinking even more regionally across the Wasatch Back,” Dickey said on Monday.

“I think the structure I described in the campaign remains our ultimate target, (but) we may have an intermediate-state that’s more at a vision and strategy level, before we break out subcommittees,” he added.

The mayor’s predecessor, Nann Worel, during the State of the City address in the spring of 2025 announced she planned to form a committee to consider early steps in the City Hall work toward the Games. Worel, though, did not seek reelection and left office in early January without having seated a committee.

There has been intermittent progress at City Hall since the International Olympic Committee awarded the Games to Salt Lake City in the summer of 2024, nearly 10 years before the opening ceremony. More consistent progress is expected following the Games in Italy and countdown to 2034 at eight years.

Park City leaders in the coming years will make critical Games-related decisions. They will, as examples, need to finalize infrastructure concepts that could be eligible for any monies from the federal government that may become available as the state readies for the Games and craft a vision for Main Street’s role during the Games. The relationship between Park City and the Winter Olympic organizing committee will also be crucial.

The Park City area is critical to the overall Games with Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park identified as competition venues. Transportation, security and celebration plans will be crafted, and Main Street with near certainty will be one of the popular gathering spots to celebrate the Games. There is a roster of people associated with the area involved in the organizing committee’s leadership structure, including Dickey through his role as the mayor.

The post Park City mayor’s vision for next Winter Olympic steps is evolving appeared first on Park Record.

LIVIGNO, Italy — Too much snow can be a bad thing at the Olympic Winter Games.

A snowstorm socked in the Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park Tuesday morning, along with the rest of town. The run up to the aerials jumps became too slow and sticky, the visibility too poor, and medical helicopters would be unable to cut through the storm if needed.

The postponement of Tuesday’s men’s and women’s aerials qualifications didn’t bum out the athletes or their friends and family. They’re used to dealing with just this thing. The qualifications and finals will be held later this week, TBD.

The women’s snowboard slopestyle final was also postponed at the Livigno Snow Park Tuesday. As of early afternoon, the men’s big air final at the park, set to begin at 7:30 p.m., is still on, though they’ll run into the same problems if the snow doesn’t stop.

The women’s big air final pushed through heavy snowfall Monday night but had a brief period when the snowfall relented leading into the event.

“We can jump with a little bit of snow,” Parkite Quinn Dehlinger, part of the U.S. men’s team said. “Once the snow stops, we’ll get the speed dialed in, and it’ll be good.”

Dehlinger said the men’s and women’s fields have their tricks ready for heavy or no snowfall. He’s said he’s excited to support his girlfriend and fellow Park City aerialist, Kaila Kuhn, and his men’s teammates, as well as maybe win some hardware of his own, of course.

The families of Kuhn and Park City teammates Winter Vinecki, Tasia Tanner and Kyra Dossa were waiting out the snow, hoping qualifications would go on Tuesday morning. First the women’s qualification was pushed from 10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., then 11:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to noon and finally noon to 1:45 p.m., before the event was canceled. The families danced to the DJ’s music at the venue throughout the cancellations and heavy snowfall, and said their daughters’ upbringings, most in chilly, Midwestern cities, will have them ready for whatever elements are thrown at them.

“Real fired up,” Kuhn’s brother Quinton Kuhn said. “Last Olympics we couldn’t go due to COVID.”

The Kuhns have 10 members of their immediately family in Livigno, in addition to friends. It’s unclear if they counted their dog, Goose, who was loving the snowfall Tuesday. Goose gets out often to Park City, so the weather didn’t faze him.

“This journey has been really long and with lots of sacrifice for Kayla and family,” said Kuhn’s mother, Tammy Kuhn. “To have it all be culminating today with her on this stage is really unbelievable. We’re really grateful to be here witnessing this first hand.”

A family friend let out a big roar when asked how loud the family would be cheering for Kuhn.

“She grew up in these conditions in northern Michigan,” Tammy Kuhn said. “And then Park City, other than this year. … So she’s very acclimated.”

Dossa’s parents also feel confident in their daughter’s adaptability to any conditions, having grown up in Cleveland, Ohio. They’ve certainly been enjoying the snowfall, skiing at Livigno’s Carosello 3000 resort.

Brian and Lisa Dossa aren’t missing the icy slopes of the Midwest.

“It’s so fun. I love it here. It’s beautiful,” Lisa said.

Brian said the family was in shock when Kyra was announced as a member of the team in January. At 22, Dossa is the 15th-ranked aerialist in the world.

“We knew she had a chance at the beginning of the World Cup season,” Brian said. “She had a really good World Cup season, put down some good scores. … Unbelievably proud. I can’t stop and haven’t stopped smiling in two months.”

Lisa Dossa said Kyra spoke her Olympic bid into existence over the summer. Whenever Dossa, Kuhn and the rest of the aerialists hit the snow, the Dossas will all be ready.

“She’s jumped in all kinds of weather,” Tammy said.

“They only have to see for a minute,” Brian said. “Everybody’s just so excited and stoked to be here on behalf of the United States. I think people just can’t wait to get this thing started.”

The post Snowstorm postpones Olympic aerials qualifications appeared first on Park Record.

LIVIGNO, Italy — The U.S. men’s team of big air freeskiers advanced three of four skiers into the finals on Sunday, a day after all four U.S. women failed to qualify for theirs.

Park City’s Mac Forehand and Troy Podmilsak, along with Salt Lake City’s Konnor Ralph qualified, while Parkite Alex Hall came up short — literally.

Forehand led the whole pack, finishing first with a combined score of 183. Austria’s Matej Svancer followed with a 182.25, and Norway’s Birk Ruud qualified with 181. The top 12 in the qualifying round advanced to the finals.

Podmilsak landed his first two runs for a combined score of 174, finishing in 10th place. Ralph landed his first and third runs for a combined score of 171.75. Ralph had about a 15-minute wait to see if his 12th place finish would hold, which it did, earning him the final bid to Tuesday night’s final.

Hall only landed his second run. On his third and final chance, he didn’t catch enough speed, landing short and falling.

“Super pumped,” Forehand said about skiing Sunday night. “Felt really good in the air, had no struggles at all. Training has been going great.”

With Forehand earning such high scores on his first two jumps, he could try a fun trick he saw in a Tom Wallisch ski video. Wallisch, a Parkite, has been commentating the freeski events for NBC Olympics.

“Felt really cool,” Wallisch said. “I’m a huge fan of his and so happy to play any role in the inspiration of this generation.”

Forehand loved the big crowd on Sunday night. He’s planning to up both his tricks for Tuesday night’s final.

“I’m hyped to do those and push myself a little bit harder,” he said. “It’s pretty fun, and landing the tricks under that pressure — they’re pretty big and scary with the crowd here — is a different feeling. I’m really excited to get that feeling again.”

Forehand called the talent of the U.S. team “insane.” He said they’re best friends and love traveling the world together competing.

“I did the tricks I wanted to,” Podmilsak said. “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.”

Podmilsak has two big tricks he’s aiming to throw in the finals and he said he’s excited to ski alongside Forehand and Ralph.

Podmilsak said he’s always been drawn to the high-flying nature of big air. He even wishes the course at the Livigno Snow Park was bigger.

Despite winning the big air Crystal Globe in 2024 as the season’s best World Cup big air skier, Hall doesn’t love the event. He said he was attempting tricks he’s never thrown before Sunday night, hoping to walk away unscathed.

“Both those tricks were tricks I’ve never landed before,” Hall said about runs one and two. “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.”

Hall said he knew the odds were stacked against him entering the competition. He’s excited to cheer on his teammates Tuesday night.

“It was fun to be a part of it,” Hall said. “I was scared to do the tricks I was doing. … The main focus was to try and get a medal in slope. So I was really stoked it worked out, and I was still giving it my all for big air.”

Ruud, who won Tuesday’s slopestyle gold medal, will defend his big air gold from the 2022 Beijing Games on Tuesday night. He said he picked up a couple of new tricks in practice Sunday that he’ll debut in the final.

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

He said he favors competing in big air “because I love the feeling of flying.”

Ralph prefers slopestyle to big air, like Hall, though he acknowledged he’s been a stronger big air skier. He also plans on trying new tricks and “getting crazy” Tuesday night.

“It’s definitely going to take a lot to podium,” Ralph said. “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.”

The post Park City freeskiers Mac Forehand and Troy Podmilsak advance to Olympic big air final appeared first on Park Record.