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 just shy of finals. It was a night unlike any qualifier 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 of Freeskiing.
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 refrained from pushing high-risk tricks with a crowd-pleasing zero spin as a flex by Mac, or a floaty dub flat 7 by Matej, showing they were riding purely for the joy of the moment.
For the rest of the field, the competition was more intense. A battle royale of redemption tricks began on the 113-foot jump as the field sent landings to 140-feet, the true definition of a Big Air event. Every performance from the top eleven skiers earned at least one individual jump score of 85-plus. Highlights included Sweden's veteran Jesper Tjader debuting a new trick that involves two flips with a complete 360 revert, which he calls “The ABBA”. American rookie Konnor Ralph squeezed into the finals by redeeming a triple cork 1800 mute he fell on during his second jump. Konnor's American teammate, Troy Prodmalski, made it into the finals, lacing two jumps for a collective score of 174, putting him in 10th. His coach, TJ Schiller, was likely biting his nails when Troy fell on a triple cork 1800 on his third jump, the same trick that cost him a spot in the slopestyle finals a few days earlier. Surprisingly, several freeskiing favorites didn't make finals, including Switzerland's Fabian Boesch, Canada's Evan McEachran, spinning master and Italian favorite, Miro Tabanelli, and even American slopestyle silver medalist Alex Hall.
Skier: Mac Forehand
Skier: Mac Forehand
The crowd was electric, and the top 12 delivered skiing that exceeded expectations despite the surprises and upsets. Luca Harrington of New Zealand, Timothee Svignon of France, and Dylan Dechamps of Canada impressed judges 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 the world that a switch right butter double bio 1620 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, grabs matter more than an additional 180 rotation, and this qualifier was a precursor to a big air final that could be as defining as the 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
