Team USA Talks 2026
The Rocky Mountains may have still been dotted in spring snow, but for Team USA’s top ski and snowboard athletes, minds are already racing toward the paler peaks of Milan-Cortina 2026. With two years to go until the next Winter Olympics, members of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team gathered at Copper Mountain for a media powwow as much about purpose as it was about powder.
From the Slopes to Spotlight: The Road to Italy Begins
Emerging from the fog of Beijing 2022 and the high-octane energy of the World Cup season, athletes like Alex Hall, Colby Stevenson, and Hailey Langland stepped into the Colorado sunshine to reflect, recharge, and refocus. While the Olympic podium is still two calendar pages away, the foundation is quietly being carved with every turn on the mountain.
“It’s not just about what you see on race day,” said Maggie Voisin, a veteran slopestyle skier with two Olympics under her belt. “These off-season camps, this kind of vibeit’s actually where the magic starts.”
Skiing and Snowboarding in Sync
Unlike the chaotic shuffle of competition schedules, this out-of-competition setting allowed for rare camaraderie between disciplines. Snowboarders were chatting pipe-side with halfpipe skiers. Younger upstarts brushed shoulders with Olympic medalists, and personal coaches shared playbooks across events. It was, in a word, organic. And it was by design.
“We’re creating a new kind of synergy,” said Jeremy Forster, the head of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Snowboard, Freeski, and Freestyle Teams. “It’s about building culture as much as results.”
This culture-rich approach is something Team USA hopes gives it the competitive edge come 2026.
Learning from the Past, Eyeing Podiums Ahead
For Olympians like Alex Hall, who claimed gold in men’s slopestyle in Beijing with an iconic run that defied gravity and expectations, the takeaway wasn’t just about medalsbut momentum.
“A lot of what we took away wasn’t about landing the run, but about team vibes and mental strength,” Hall said. “You don’t win gold with just tricksyou win because you feel good around the people you’re with.”
Feeling good, in this case, also means being better prepared. The team’s focus is sliding toward off-season facilities, health, and holistic athlete developmenta marked shift from the granola-and-grind grime of the early X Games era. Cutting-edge facilities and sports psychologists are now just as prominent as wax techs and ski straps.
Teens, Talk, and Training
One of the most inspiring themes at Copper was the role of youth. Rising stars like Dusty Henricksen and Maddie Mastro are no longer the wide-eyed rookiesthey’re steadily becoming team anchors. Their messages echoed a mix of gratitude, hunger, and responsibility.
“We want to compete, but we also want to lead,” said Henricksen. “There are 14-year-olds watching this stuff on TikTok dreaming of being on this team. That’s huge.”
And if Gen-Z slang occasionally leaks into training lingo, no one seems to mind. The new generation is not just shredding, they’re shaping the team’s identity.
Milano-Cortina: Not Just Another Olympics
The 2026 Winter Games mark a return to Italy, a setting steeped in alpine heritage and cinematic backdrops. It’ll be the first joint-hosted Winter Olympics with one hint of the Adriatic in Milan and the other nestled in Cortina’s Dolomites. And for Team USA, it’s a terrain rich with possibilityand transition.
“We’ve got to balance experience and experimentation,” said Forster. “You’ll see veterans, yes, but you’ll also be introduced to a bold new slate of Americans ready to surprise the world.”
Indeed, halfpipe queen Chloe Kim is planning a return, while others like Red Gerard look to reclaim Olympic glory after tough performances in Beijing. There’s a palpable sense of narrative weight already beginning to stack.
A Future Written in Snow
If there’s one lesson this mid-season gathering drove home, it’s that building a championship team doesn’t only happen under the Olympic lights. It happens in the shared lift rides, the post-session pizza nights, and the quiet early-morning laps before the cameras turn on.
With a renewed sense of purpose and unity, Team USA’s snow athletes are not only preparing for Italythey’re creating a culture that could carry them far, on and off the podium.
Looking Ahead, Together
From Halfpipe wizards to Slopestyle savants, from Olympic veterans to fearless rookies, Team USA is blending past, present, and future into something refreshingly cohesive. At 9,600 feet and climbing, the air at Copper Mountain wasn’t just thinnerit was richer with ambition.
“We’re out here with smiles on our faces, doing what we love,” said Langland, eyes squinting against the alpine sun. “If that’s not the first step toward Olympic success, I don’t know what is.”
All roads now point toward Milan-Cortina. But as Team USA showed in Colorado, the journey isn’t just about a destinationit’s about a declaration. And they’re ready to make theirs heard. Loud and clear.
