Olympics
U.S. Ski & Snowboard has officially unveiled its inaugural team nominations for freeride skiing and snowboarding as the big-mountain discipline builds toward its Olympic debut at the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps. The roster announcement on social media follows the governing body’s decision earlier this summer to formally integrate freeride into its national program, providing top American big-mountain athletes with elite coaching, sports science, and commercial backing for the four-year runway leading up to the 2030 Games.
- Related: Freeride is Headed to the 2030 Olympics, But the World’s Best Riders Are Torn Over the Sport’s Soul
The list of nominated athletes features a heavy-hitting mix of proven Freeride World Tour contenders and rising big-mountain talent. On the freeski side, team nominations include:
- Molly Armanino
- Lily Bradley
- Kelly Hilleke
- Kai Jones
- Joey Leonardo
- Wynter McBride
- Toby Rafford
- Ross Tester
Joining them on the snowboard roster are:
- Mia Jones
- Michael Mawn
- Blake Moller
- Holden Samuels
- Shayne Blue Sandblom
Under the new organizational structure, nominated skiers will compete under the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team banner, while snowboarders will represent the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team.
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The addition of freeride as an official U.S. Ski & Snowboard discipline aligns directly with the International Olympic Committee’s decision to add the sport to the program for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps (Alpes 2030), following the International Ski & Snowboard Federation’s (FIS) acquisition of the Freeride World Tour in 2022. According to criteria released by U.S. Ski & Snowboard, objective qualification for the 2026-27 Pro Team caps the roster at a maximum of 12 athletes (with no more than eight per gender), evaluated on results from the 2026 FIS Freeride World Championships in Andorra and podium finishes during the 2025-26 Freeride World Tour season. U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt noted that freeride’s inclusion confirms these athletes belong on the global stage, while Chief of Sport Anouk Patty emphasized that high-performance resources are being deployed immediately to support riders well ahead of 2030.
As the official pathway takes shape, one of freeskiing’s most recognizable names is putting his hand up to guide the squad. Seven-time X Games gold medalist and Armada Skis co-founder Tanner Hall — also known as “Ski Boss” — recently took to Instagram to announce his intention to become the head coach of Team USA’s first Olympic freeride team. Hall said that he wants to lead the program in memory of his late friend and mentor Jim Jack, the legendary “Godfather of big mountain skiing” who died in a 2012 avalanche at Stevens Pass. While freeride’s Olympic entry has sparked debate among purists who fear over-regulation by the FIS and IOC, Hall believes his deep roots in backcountry progression and competition make him uniquely qualified to protect the sport’s rebellious, creative soul while hunting for Olympic gold medals.
As legendary singer and songwriter Bob Dylan put it, “The times are a’changin.'” And those changes, whether agreed upon on not, will at the very least be exciting to watch as they unfold on the planet’s most distinguished competitive stage.
