LOS ANGELES — Reigning Olympic slopestyle gold medalist Alex Hall leads the first group of U.S. skiers officially qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
Hall, 26, secured his spot in both slopestyle and big air events. Joining him are fellow Olympic medalists Alex Ferreira (halfpipe) and Jaelin Kauf (moguls), as well as aerials skier Quinn Dehlinger. The U.S. team is expected to include three or four athletes in each skiing discipline by the time of the Games.
Each of the four earned early qualification by being the highest-ranked American in their event who also ranks in the top three worldwide on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) rankings.
Hall currently shares first place on the FIS men’s slopestyle list with Norway’s Birk Ruud, the 2022 Olympic big air champion and two-time reigning world slopestyle champion. Since winning Olympic gold in 2022, Hall has captured five World Cup titles across big air and slopestyle.
Ferreira, 30, also holds a share of the top spot on the men’s halfpipe FIS list with New Zealand’s Finley Melville Ives, who won the world title in March. Ferreira earned halfpipe silver at the 2018 Olympics and bronze in 2022. He recently finished second at the X Games and third at the world championships, both times narrowly behind fellow American Nick Goepper. Notably, Ferreira had a perfect 7-0 record on the World Cup circuit in the 2023-24 season, becoming the first U.S. male freestyle skier to win every event in an Olympic discipline during a season.
Goepper, a three-time Olympic slopestyle medalist ranked third on the halfpipe list, is aiming to qualify in his new halfpipe event during the upcoming season.
Kauf, the 2022 Olympic moguls silver medalist, enters Milan Cortina as the reigning World Cup champion in both moguls and dual moguls, and holds the world championship title in dual moguls. She shares first place on the women’s moguls FIS list with France’s 2018 Olympic gold medalist Perrine Laffont. Moguls has been an Olympic event since 1992, while dual moguls will make its Olympic debut in 2026, offering Kauf two medal opportunities.
Dehlinger, 23, is tied for fourth on the men’s aerials FIS rankings but moves up a spot for Olympic qualification since Russian athletes remain banned from international competition following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He is expected to make his Olympic debut in 2026 after recent successes including gold in the mixed-gender team event and silver in the individual event at the last two World Championships. Dehlinger developed his skills alongside Goepper at Perfect North Slopes in Indiana.
Another aerialist, Winter Vinecki, who competed at the 2022 Olympics and ranks third on the FIS list, has yet to secure early qualification due to an injury that preserved her ranking. She remains a strong candidate for one of the three or four female aerials spots expected on the final team.
These four skiers join snowboard stars Chloe Kim and Red Gerard, plus the mixed doubles curling team of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, as early qualifiers for the U.S. Olympic team.
Ultimately, the U.S. will send around 200 athletes across all winter sports to Milan Cortina in 2026.