WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Olympic athletes fly more than 20 feet in the air during halfpipe events. U.S. Olympic free-ski and snowboard stars Alex Ferreira, Nick Goepper, Maddie Mastro and Chloe Kim described the experience to NBC Olympics. You can watch this full story on NBC Olympics’ website.

The final day of qualifying at the 2026 Aspen Grand Prix meant that the competition was stiff for the American men in the freeski halfpipe trials.

Jake Burton came along, refined the toy and helped turn snowboarding into a mass market sport. Along the way superstars like Shaun White and Chloe Kim redefined what could be done in the air and the sport is always reinventing itself in terms of tricks. What to expect as the Winter Olympics arrive.

Maddie Mastro, Alessandro Barbieri, Nick Goepper and Svea Irving are among the biggest names trying to qualify for the U.S. Olympic halfpipe team.

The United States' ski and snowboard team takes another step in naming its roster for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.