On a snowy evening at Livigno Snow Park, the men’s freeski big air final at the 2026 Winter Olympics delivered a spectacle that will be talked about for years to come. The event, held on February 17, 2026, was not only a showcase of athletic mastery but also a testament to the creative evolution of freestyle skiing. At the heart of the drama stood Team USA’s Mac Forehand, a 24-year-old Vermont transplant by way of Connecticut, who soared to an Olympic silver medal with a trick that had never before been landed in competition.
The anticipation for the men’s big air final had been building all week, with Forehand coming in hot after qualifying in first place with a score of 183.00. Despite a disappointing 11th-place finish in the slopestyle final earlier in the Games, Forehand was determined to redeem himself on the big stage. As the twelve finalists lined up for their three attempts, it quickly became clear that the level of competition was off the charts. The top six athletes were separated by the slimmest of margins, and each run seemed to push the boundaries of what was possible on skis.
Forehand’s Olympic journey reached its climax on his third and final run. With the crowd roaring and the pressure mounting, he launched into a nose butter triple cork 2160—a trick so complex and daring that it had never been performed in competition. “I learned the nose butter triple cork 21 a couple of days ago in training. I didn’t really want to do it, but my coaches and I talked about it at the top, and they said I could do it for sure,” Forehand recounted after the event. “And I wanted to do it for myself. It was a scary moment with the crowd cheering, and the pressure was on. But we watched the video at the top, and I stomped it first try.”
That remarkable jump earned him a score of 98.25, the second-highest of the night, and briefly vaulted him into first place. “Oh my God,” Forehand exclaimed on the live broadcast, unable to hide his excitement and disbelief. For a moment, it looked as though the gold medal was his. But the drama was far from over.
Norway’s Tormod Frostad, already a decorated competitor in his second Olympics, had one last trick up his sleeve. With the gold on the line, Frostad delivered a nose butter double bio 16—a move that, while featuring fewer rotations than Forehand’s, was executed with such technical precision and unique style that the judges awarded it a staggering 98.50. Frostad’s combined score of 195.50 out of a possible 200 edged out Forehand’s 193.25, leaving the American with a hard-fought silver and Austria’s Matej Svancer with bronze at 191.25.
The razor-thin margin between gold and silver was the subject of much debate, especially among fans and commentators on social media. But Forehand himself was quick to shut down any talk of controversy. “I’ve seen it so many times before: I got robbed, someone I beat got robbed—rob this, rob that,” he said. “But we know so much about our sport. We know what scores well, what should do well. The guys that are out here tonight know what the podium is going to be at all times. People on the outside perspective might not really understand that, but that’s just how it’s going to be. And, you know, judged sports—like I’m sure in figure skating—it’s the same way. But what do they really know about our sport?”
Indeed, the level of difficulty and inventiveness on display made the judges’ task nearly impossible. As fellow American Konnor Ralph put it, “It’s the worst job to be a judge. So I’m not mad at them. No one’s mad at them. But it could have been flip-flopped either way.” For Forehand, the satisfaction of landing a world-first trick and helping to push the sport to new heights outweighed any disappointment. “The level of skiing was off the charts today,” he said. “The way [Frostad] does it, the approach on takeoff is so unique and so different. I don’t think anyone’s ever done those two tricks before so it’s cool to see that and it’s good for our sport. We can only spin so much and it’s pushing the boundaries in a different way. I wish I could do tricks like that.”
Frostad, for his part, emphasized the importance of style in freeskiing. “Style is everything, in my opinion,” he explained. “Because that’s our only way to differentiate each other and to see style. It’s a trick you can learn, but you can’t really teach someone about style. That’s a whole process of finding yourself and going into different realms of using your inspiration to craft your style. And that’s why someone who spent a lot of time on their style, to me, is really impressive. My take-offs are quite unique. The reason I came out on top is because I was doing stuff people didn’t think was possible. The judges seemed to really like it and I ended up on top.”
The competition also saw defending champion Birk Ruud of Norway falter, crashing on two of his runs and finishing a surprising eighth with a score of 118.25. Meanwhile, Americans Troy Podmilsak and Konnor Ralph finished just shy of the podium in fourth and fifth, underscoring the depth of talent in the field. Podmilsak later said, “That was the hardest I’ve ever cheered for anything in my life when [Forehand] landed that last one. I thought he was gonna win. You never really know what the judges are gonna do and which way they’re going to do with it.”
For Forehand and his family, the silver medal represented the culmination of years of dedication, sacrifice, and early mornings on the slopes. His parents, Ann Marie and Ray, were overcome with emotion, while his sister Savannah joined the celebration via FaceTime from the U.S. “It looks all glamorous. It’s not,” Ray said. “It’s nitty-gritty, early mornings. But so well-deserved. I couldn’t be prouder.”
As snow continued to fall and volunteers worked to keep the course clear, the athletes delivered what many are calling the greatest big air competition in Olympic history. In the end, Forehand summed up the moment best: “This is the stuff I’ve wanted to do since I was a young kid, going out there and pushing the sport as hard as I can and trying to win medals.”
The men’s freeski big air final in Livigno wasn’t just a contest for medals—it was a night that redefined what’s possible in the sport, and Mac Forehand’s silver will shine just as brightly in the memories of those who witnessed it.