Women's Freeski Halfpipe Final Shifted to Sunday After Heavy Snow Delays
Updated (10 articles)
Snowstorm Triggers Multiple Event Postponements Across Livigno Heavy snowstorms dumped more than six inches of fresh powder in Livigno on Thursday, Feb 19, forcing the men’s freestyle ski halfpipe qualifying and the men’s aerials competition to be moved to Friday, Feb 20, while the women’s halfpipe qualification stayed on schedule [5][6][7]. The International Ski Federation warned that the snow buildup made the halfpipe unsafe, prompting officials to cancel the Saturday evening start for the women’s final [1]. Similar weather disruptions earlier in the week delayed men’s skicross and snowboard slopestyle events, highlighting a pattern of storm‑induced schedule reshuffling [1][8].
Men’s Halfpipe Held on Feb 20 After One‑Day Delay After the postponement, four U.S. skiers—Alex Ferreira, Nick Goepper, Hunter Hess and Birk Irving—competed in the delayed halfpipe qualification, with Goepper, Ferreira and Irving advancing to the final [3][4][5]. In the final, Ferreira delivered a 93.75‑point run to claim gold, followed by Estonia’s Henry Sildaru (93.00) for silver and Canada’s Brendan Mackay (91.00) for bronze [2][3][4]. The competition marked Ferreira’s completion of an Olympic medal set, adding gold to his previous silver and bronze medals from earlier Games [2].
Ferreira’s Winning Run Featured a 720‑to‑1080 Upgrade During his decisive third attempt, Ferreira upgraded a 720 to a full 1080, boosting his score to 93.75 and securing the lead over Sildaru [3][4]. Goepper’s final jump resulted in a “Did Not Improve” (DNI) designation after a fall, while Irving placed fourth with an 88.0 score; Hess finished ninth [3][4]. Ferreira’s victory was celebrated with remarks about drinking beer and being the “best moment of my life,” underscoring his personal triumph [2].
Women’s Halfpipe Final Rescheduled to Sunday, Feb 22 The women’s Olympic freeski halfpipe final was moved to Sunday at 10:40 a.m. local time after constant flurries left unsafe snow on the pipe, prompting the ISF to cancel the original Saturday evening start [1]. Defending champion Eileen Gu, the 22‑year‑old U.S.–born skier competing for China, will seek a third medal at the Games, adding to her two silvers from Italy and three‑medal haul in Beijing [1]. Her main challengers include Canada’s Amy Fraser, the only skier to beat Gu since 2022, and Britain’s Zoe Atkin, who topped Thursday’s qualifying round [1].
Sources
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1.
AP: Women’s Olympic Freeski Halfpipe Final Moved to Sunday After Heavy Snow – Details the postponement to Sunday, safety concerns, and Gu’s medal ambitions, noting rivals Fraser and Atkin .
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2.
AP: Alex Ferreira Wins Halfpipe Gold, Completes Olympic Medal Set – Reports Ferreira’s gold with a 93.75 score, his medal set completion, and includes commentary on his celebration and Hess’s “L” gesture controversy .
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WBNS: Alex Ferreira Captures Gold in Men’s Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe – Highlights the U.S. team lineup, qualifying cuts, Ferreira’s winning run, and Goepper’s DNI .
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King5: Alex Ferreira Wins Gold in Men’s Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe at Milan Olympics – Mirrors WBNS coverage, emphasizing the 1080 upgrade and historical context of the halfpipe event .
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WBNS: Heavy Snow Forces Postponement of Men’s Ski Halfpipe and Aerials at Milan‑Cortina Olympics – Describes the snow‑induced delay of men’s halfpipe and aerials, while women’s qualification remains on schedule .
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6.
King5: Winter Games Ski Events Delayed by Heavy Snow in Livigno – Reports the same postponements, storm forecasts, and extra preparation time for U.S. aerialists and halfpipe skiers .
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7.
AP: Snowstorm Delays Men’s Halfpipe Qualifying and Aerials in Livigno – Notes over a half‑foot of snow, delayed men’s events, and that Gu’s women’s qualification stays on track .
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8.
CNN: Day 11 Winter Olympics Highlights: Figure Skating, Freeski, and Weather Delays – Provides broader context of weather‑related delays affecting multiple freestyle events, including the men’s big‑air gold and snowboard slopestyle rescheduling .
Timeline
Jan 15, 2026 – Shaun White retires from competition and leads the new Snow League, which replaces traditional scoring with head‑to‑head elimination brackets, and he confirms he will attend the Milan‑Cortina Games as a VIP rather than a competitor, signaling a shift from athlete to sport‑shaper[6].
Feb 5, 2026 – Ayumu Hirano declares his intent to defend his halfpipe title at Milan‑Cortina despite a broken nose and pelvis suffered in a Swiss contest, saying “I just have to trust what I’ve built up… ride the way I’m capable of riding” as he resumes training for the Wednesday qualifying round[5].
Feb 16, 2026 (Day 11 of the Games) – Japan’s Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto sweep the women’s figure‑skating short program, the United States’ Alyssa Liu holds third, Norway’s Tormod Frostad wins men’s freeski big‑air, Jens Luraas Oftebro secures Norway’s second gold in Nordic combined, Sweden beats Latvia 5‑1 to set a quarter‑final versus the USA, and France upsets Norway in the men’s biathlon relay, reshaping the medal table across multiple disciplines[1].
Feb 19, 2026 – A heavy storm dumps more than a half‑foot of snow on Livigno, forcing the postponement of men’s freestyle‑ski halfpipe qualifying and men’s aerials to Friday and prompting officials to warn of further disruptions, while women’s halfpipe qualifying stays on schedule[4]; the same storm is reported to bring over six inches of fresh snow, delaying the events and giving U.S. aerialists an extra preparation day[8].
Feb 20, 2026 – Alex Ferreira captures men’s freestyle‑ski halfpipe gold with a 93.75‑point run, upgrading his third jump to a 1080, and declares “I’m going to drink copious amounts of beer” as the best moment of his life, completing his Olympic medal set after silver and bronze in previous Games[3]; the final features four U.S. skiers after the weather delay, with Estonia’s Henry Sildaru taking silver and Canada’s Brendan Mackay bronze[7].
Feb 21, 2026 – The International Ski and Snowboard Federation postpones the women’s freeski halfpipe final to Sunday (Feb 22) because snow accumulation makes the pipe unsafe, while defending champion Eileen Gu, who seeks a third medal in Cortina and a sixth overall, prepares to compete against rivals Amy Fraser and Zoe Atkin[2].
Feb 22, 2026 (scheduled) – The women’s freeski halfpipe final is set to take place at 10:40 a.m. local time in Milan, concluding the delayed halfpipe competition series that has been repeatedly reshuffled by the Livigno snowstorms[2].
Historical context – Freestyle‑skiing halfpipe makes its Olympic debut at Sochi 2014, nearly two decades after snowboarding’s inclusion, establishing the event that athletes like Ferreira and Gu now contest[7]; Shaun White’s 2022 retirement from competition and his subsequent Snow League leadership illustrate the sport’s evolution since its early Olympic years[6]; Eileen Gu earned two silvers in Italy and a historic three‑medal haul in Beijing 2022, underscoring her pursuit of a third medal in Cortina[2].
All related articles (10 articles)
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AP: Women's Olympic freeski halfpipe final moved to Sunday after heavy snow
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AP: Alex Ferreira Wins Halfpipe Gold, Completes Olympic Medal Set
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WBNS (Columbus, OH): Alex Ferreira Captures Gold in Men’s Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe
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King5 (Seattle, WA): Alex Ferreira Wins Gold in Men’s Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe at Milan Olympics
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WBNS (Columbus, OH): Heavy Snow Forces Postponement of Men’s Ski Halfpipe and Aerials at Milan‑Cortina Olympics
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King5 (Seattle, WA): Winter Games Ski Events Delayed by Heavy Snow in Livigno
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AP: Snowstorm Delays Men’s Halfpipe Qualifying and Aerials in Livigno
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CNN: Day 11 Winter Olympics Highlights: Figure Skating, Freeski, and Weather Delays
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AP: Ayumu Hirano Targets Milan Cortina Halfpipe Title After Swiss Injury
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AP: Shaun White shifts from competition to shaping snowboarding with Snow League ahead of Milan-Cortina Olympics