Men’s Olympic Big Air Qualifier Turns Into a Battle Royale for Finals Spots

All Images: Courtesy of U.S. Ski Team | Skier: Mac Forehand

The second Men's Olympic Big Air event in history kicked off Sunday evening, leaving jaws on the floor, announcers dumbfounded, and big names in the sport, crushed. It was a night unlike anything the sport has seen before, where triple cork 1800s failed to break the top twelve, and the level of skiing set a new precedent for the sport. 

All athletes had three runs to secure a spot in the top 12, with a combined score of the best two jumps. The first run immediately separated the field. American Mac Forehand led the competition from his first jump, while Matej Svancer of Austria and Norwegian slopestyle gold medalist Birk Ruud were not far behind. By the final run, the trio did not need to push for high-risk tricks. After the first two jumps including switch triple 1800s with safety grabs, Mac threw a crowd-pleasing zero spin as a flex, Birk skipped his third jump, and Matej’s radiant smile carried through a smooth dub flat 7, showing they were riding purely for the joy of the moment.

For the rest of the field, the competition was a battle royale of redemption tricks and sending the 113 ft jump to 140 ft into the landing, the true definition of a Big Air event. The performances of the top eleven skiers earned at least one individual jump score of 90-plus. Highlights included Sweden's veteran Jesper Tjader debuting a new trick that involves two flips, and a complete 360 revert he calls “The ABBA” while American rookie Konnor Ralph squeezed into finals by redeeming a triple cork 1800 mute he fell on during his second jump. Troy Prodmalski made it into the finals despite falling on the same trick, a triple cork 1800 on the third jump that cost him finals in slopestyle a few days earlier. Surprisingly, freeskiing favorites, including Switzerland's Fabian Boesch, Canada's Evan McEachran, spinning master and Italian favorite, Marco Tabinelli, and even American slopestyle silver medalist Alex Hall, didn’t make the finals. 

Skier: Mac Forehand

The crowd was electric, and the top 12 delivered skiing that defied belief despite the surprises and upsets. Luca Harrington of New Zealand, Timothee Svignon of France, and Dylan Dechamps of Canada impressed with three consistent jumps each, landing massive triple corks that looked effortless. Amongst the future spins, it was refreshing to see Tormod Frostad of Norway in fourth place as he reminded us that a switch right tail butter double bio scoring a 96.25 can compete with a switch triple cork 1800 esko grab.

Announcers Tom Wallisch and Devin Logan said it well: if qualifiers left us dumbfounded, who knows what Tuesday night will bring, and audiences' eyes might see spins well into the 2160 and 2340 range. One thing was certain tonight, boot grabs don’t count, the length of a grab matters more than another 180 rotation, and this qualifier was a precursor to a big air final that could be as defining as 2010 X Games Big Air with Bobby Brown or TJ Schillers switch 1440 at the 2006 US Open Big Air.

Don’t miss the Olympic Big Air Finals set for Tuesday, February 17, at 11:30 AM (MST) on the Peacock app. 

2026 Men's Olympic Big Air Qualifying Results