Mac Forehand Leads Historic Freeski Big Air Qualifying

Sunday night in Italy became the moment freeskiing changed forever, as athletes pushed their sport to levels nobody thought possible at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

American Mac Forehand led the charge in men's big air qualifying, combining a switch left triple cork 1980 with a left nose-butter triple cork 1620 to score 183.00 points and claim first place. He'll compete last in Tuesday's final with every advantage on his side.

The kicker? Forehand learned his second trick just three or four days before the competition. And he's saving an even bigger one—a nose butter triple cork 1980—for the final round.

"It's going to be one of the best finals ever on skis," Forehand said after his runs. "If it's good weather like this, it'll be insane."

The American wasn't alone in making history. Eleven skiers received at least one individual jump score above 90 points, a remarkable feat that had judges working overtime to differentiate between nearly impossible tricks.

Austria's Matej Svancer took second with 182.25 points, while Norway's Birk Ruud—defending champion and fresh off a slopestyle gold medal—placed third with 181.00. Ruud felt so confident he skipped his final qualifying run entirely.

Norway's Tormod Frostad earned the night's highest single-trick score of 96.25 for his right nose butter double bio 1440. Two French skiers, Matias Roche and Timothe Sivignon, surprised everyone by placing sixth and seventh despite minimal World Cup podium experience.

Forehand's teammates Troy Podmilsak and Konnor Ralph barely squeezed into the 12-skier final cut in 10th and 12th places, though their scores would have dominated in previous Olympic cycles.

Why This Inspires

This qualifying round represents more than athletic excellence. It shows what happens when athletes push each other to new heights rather than competing in isolation. Luca Harrington of New Zealand, who placed fifth, called the tricks "spectacular" and "massive," noting that skiers pulled out bigger moves just for qualifying than they'd normally save for finals.

The collective progression speaks to a generation of freeskiers who grew up learning from each other through video, training together, and celebrating innovation over rivalry. They're not just competing—they're collaborating to expand what's humanly possible.

The men's freeski big air final takes place Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET, and based on what these athletes just delivered in qualifying, the world is about to witness something extraordinary.