Takeaways from US Grand Prix: Mac Forehand braves elements for win

U.S. athletes secured podium finishes in three of the four finals at the U.S. Grand Prix on Friday.
Mac Forehand won the men’s freeski slopestyle, likely securing his spot for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Maddy Schaffrick and Alessandro Barbieri also virtually guaranteed their Olympic berths with podium finishes in snowboard halfpipe.

ASPEN, CO – It was a good day for the U.S. ski and snowboard team at the 2026 U.S. Grand Prix. 

Of the four finals, the U.S. placed a competitor on the podium in three events. Mac Forehand won the men’s freeski slopestyle competition and more or less – more on that later – clinched his spot for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. 

In women’s snowboard halfpipe, Maddy Schaffrick placed second, while Alessandro Barbieri finished third on the men’s side. Both essentially punched their tickets to Italy with the showing. 

U.S. Ski and Snowboard is not officially announcing any additional team members until the evening of Jan. 10, when Day 2 of finals wraps in Aspen, at the earliest. Which is why we can’t say with complete certainty any of the aforementioned athletes are going to Milan, but basic mathematics of the standings, the waning competition schedule in advance of the Games, and the number of slots allotted to American teams dictate that these athletes are almost surely Olympians. 

Let’s dive deeper into their successes from Friday.   

Mac Forehand brushes off elements for huge win

The start of Forehand’s day was less than ideal. The temperatures in the Rockies were the coldest of the week by far and snow pelted the area for nearly 24 straight hours, with conditions worsening in the morning. 

“Everyone was not in the best compete mood,” he said. 

To make matters worse, Forehand and an unfortunate local man who wanted to ski the fresh powder were stuck on a stalled chairlift together for about 35 minutes after his fifth training run. He squeezed in two more runs once the lift was operational again and then the contest started. 

“I just wasn’t feeling that on today,” Forehand told USA TODAY Sports. “It worked out. It all clicked in my run when it mattered.” 

Forehand’s lift partner left him with some parting encouragement: “I hope you’re the best today,” Forehand recalled. 

Forehand also credited a voice in the back of his mind that told him he would win Friday. It was his fourth World Cup victory – three have been on American soil. 

“I just think I had the best run today,” Forehand said. 

Forehand tells people he’s not thinking about making the Olympics. In reality, it’s an all-consuming idea.

In November, Forehand broke his right thumb during a European training camp. He flew to Vail, Colorado, for two nights to surgically repair it and returned to Europe afterward with five pieces of metal in his hand. It was more annoying than painful, he said.

“Just wasn’t going my way early in the season,” he said, “and it finally worked for me. I really needed that. It feels so good. The pressure is lifted. I just want to go ski my best at the Olympics now.” 

Konnor Ralph finished fourth with a 73.21. He lost speed going into his second jump and had to settle for an easier trick, which was a factor in leaving him off the podium. He’ll compete in Laax, Switzerland, and then return to Aspen for the X Games later this month.

The first set of runs had scores set in the 60s, a bit lower than what’s expected in the finals of a World Cup competition. 

“People were kind of struggling a little bit,” Hunter Henderson said, “and it showed in the first run. I think it was pretty accurate what the judges gave, especially for myself. I was a bit sloppy.” 

Colby Stevenson will have to win in Laax next week or be the beneficiary of some serious “standings math” magic to make the Olympic roster, with one spot open for the men’s slopestyle/big air squad. 

Canada’s Max Moffatt was hoping for a top-eight finish to help improve his status, and nobody on the slopestyle course finished more emphatically than a screaming Moffatt, who put down a run that allowed him to finish sixth. 

“(The judges) were being super harsh on being early off the rails,” Moffatt said, “which is fair. It’s kind of like missing a grab in the air. I think they were looking for cleanliness.” 

Maddy Schaffrick’s podium means more than silver

Six hits. Six different directions. Maddy Schaffrick’s halfpipe runs were a technician’s dream and enough for second place behind Mitsuki Ono of Japan. 

And even though it’s not official, Schaffrick is surely a lock to join Maddie Mastro, Chloe Kim and Bea Kim as the women’s halfpipe squad in Italy. 

“I am going to have to learn how to lock it up, emotionally,” Schaffrick said. “Because it is going to mean so much to be there in Italy. I feel like what’s helped me here today is going to help me there.” 

What helped her this week was staying present, even though her entire extended family was visiting to watch her compete for the first time in 16 years. Schaffrick spoke about that with her sports psychologist. 

“I was like, ‘I really want to do well in front of them.’ He talked about, of course, you want to do well. That’s not going to go away. You can’t block out that feeling. But what you can is wanting to show them what you do well.” 

Schaffrick realized playing to her strengths would carry her to where she needed to be. She went big. She made her tricks look smooth and added style. 

“When I am leaning into that aspect of my snowboarding, it’s so much fun,” Schaffrick said. “I have a lot of fun. As opposed to forcing things.” 

Alessandro Barbieri ready for Italian-style homecoming

Call him “ACE.” 

Barbieri carries a custom “Ace” card – his coach, Ben Connors, taught him how to play poker and gave him the idea – because it stands for the first initial of his first name and that of his father and mother, Cristiano and Elisabetta. He also has a chain with the acronym that his mother gifted him for his birthday and he wears it every time he rides.  

The 17-year-old rode like an ace all week. And he became the first American to land a triple-cork in World Cup competition. 

“It feels amazing to be the first,” said Barbieri, who has done it in competition prior but not in one with this visibility.  

“It’s a practice event,” he added. “I don’t have to dominate this event. I just have to dominate on one day, and that’s the 13th of February.” 

The day of the men’s Olympic halfpipe final. The date is ingrained in his mind, he said. 

“Everything else is just in preparation for that one day, that one moment, that one run,” he said. 

Barbieri’s parents emigrated from Italy to the U.S. and all four of his grandparents are still alive and living in Italy. He’s already hoping for a solid turnout from his aunts, uncles and cousins that are over there. 

Japan’s Yuto Totsuka and Shuichiro Shigeno finished first and second, respectively. 

What’s on tap 

The snowboarding slopestyle finals are Saturday and are in the morning (local time), while the freeski halfpipe finals will go off in the afternoon. The men’s freeski halfpipe competition could certainly be an American sweep.