Freeski favourites battle it out for World Cup points at Copper Mountain halfpipe
Dec 19, 2024·Freeski Park & Pipe)
Freeski’s finest have gathered in Copper Mountain for what is set to be a tightly contested second halfpipe event of the 2024/24 FIS Freeski World Cup season.
A total of 64 skiers - 45 men and 19 women - will be dropping into the Copper Mountain halfpipe on Thursday, with the women’s qualification round beginning at 9:30 local time.
China’s Eileen Gu leads the women’s field fresh off her second halfpipe win of the season in front of an enthusiastic Secret Garden crowd in China a little less than two weeks ago.
Secret Garden runner-up Li Fanghui (CHN) and third-placed Svea Irving (USA) are also on hand in Copper Mountain as part of a strong field of women chasing precious FIS points to qualify for the Milano Cortina 2024 Olympic Winter Games.
Gu previously topped the Copper Mountain podium in 2023, with 2023 runner-up Hanna Faulhaber (USA) and third-placed Zoe Atkin (GBR) also returning to Colorado this year.
The reigning halfpipe World Champion, Faulhaber will be returning to competition action this week in Copper after suffering a catastrophic knee injury 11 months ago, where she tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus. Typically the biggest boosting skier in the women’s field, expect the 20-year-old to ease herself back into things this weekend.
It will likely be up to the USA’s Svea Irving to lead the way for the six U.S. skiers contesting the women’s event. The host squad will face tough competition from their Canadian neighbors with veterans Cassie Sharpe, Rachael Karker and Amy Fraser all more than capable of landing in the top-3.
Sharpe, a gold and silver Olympic halfpipe medallist, narrowly missed the podium at Secret Garden earlier in December to finish fourth, while Fraser finished fifth.
Karker did not progress past the qualification round at Secret Garden, breaking a record streak of 13 consecutive World Cup podiums that dated back to the 2018/19 season. The final podium of that incredible run came at the beginning of this season with her third-place finish at Cardrona (NZL) in September.
Tied with Karker for 13 consecutive halfpipe World Cup podium runs is Eileen Gu, who will be looking to set a new benchmark with her 14th halfpipe win this weekend. Gu will also be looking to pull ahead of France’s Tess Ledeux atop the all-time FIS Freeski World Cup wins leaderboard, where the two exceptional skiers currently sit tied with 16 victories apiece.
Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin returns to Copper Mountain having finished third at last year’s edition. Expect the 21-year-old to put a less-than-ideal seventh place finish in Secret Garden behind her as she pushes for a podium spot in Copper.
On the men’s side, the U.S. team will be fielding a huge squad of 20 skiers, with leaders Nick Goepper, Alex Ferreira, David Wise looking to give the USA its second halfpipe podium sweep in as many competitions.
Goepper shook up the freeski halfpipe world in Secret Garden when the three-time Olympic slopestyle medallist claimed his first World Cup halfpipe win just over a year since making the switch to the ‘stunt ditch.’ Already boasting a unique bag of tricks that is unparalleled in the pipe, Goepper’s transformation from slopestyle specialist to halfpipe ace is unprecedented in freeski history.
What was also historic about the Secret Garden halfpipe sweep for Goepper, Ferreira and Wise was their ages, with 30-year-old Goepper the oldest men’s winner in FIS Freeski World Cup history and the trio becoming the first all 30-plus podium in FIS Freeski World Cup history.
Aside from fourth place which went to reigning men’s halfpipe World Champion Brendan Mackay of Canada, the rest of the top six spots in Secret Garden were filled by U.S. skiers, with Hunter Hess and Dylan Ladd taking fifth and sixth place respectively.
Given the depth of talent on the U.S.men’s side and the advantage of competing at the U.S. ski team’s usual training centre, the Copper Mountain podium this year could prove to be an all-American affair for a second year running. In 2023 Ferreira took pole position at Copper Mountain, followed by Hunter Hess, Birk Irving, Goepper, and Wise in fifth place.
Mackay, however, will be hoping to grab another podium after the Canadian opened the halfpipe season with a win in Cardrona in September. The 27-year-old also previously finished second and third at Copper in 2022 and 2021 respectively.
Up and coming New Zealand teenagers Luke Harrold and Finley Melville Ives could also pull new tricks out of their bag, with 18-year-old Melville Ives previously finishing sixth at Copper in 2022 while 16-year-old Harrold finished seventh at Copper last year.
Seung Hun Lee (KOR) is another one to watch, with the 19-year-old finishing fourth on last season’s halfpipe World Cup rankings. While he did not make it past the qualifying round at Secret Garden, Lee has already given the public a taste of what he is capable of since taking third place and his first World Cup podium in Calgary in February.
The top eight women and top 10 men from Thursday’s qualifications will progress to the finals on Saturday.
HALFPIPE FACTS & FIGURES
Eileen Gu (CHN) has won 13 halfpipe World Cup events since 2020 for a total of 16 wins across halfpipe and slopestyle.
Gu is the all-time leader for halfpipe wins across men’s and women’s competition, and comes into Copper riding a streak of 13 straight halfpipe podiums.
Alex Ferreira (USA) has nine halfpipe World Cup victories out of 17 podiums.
Rachael Karker (CAN) has amassed 15 halfpipe World Cup podiums, including two wins.
QUICK LINKS
Copper halfpipe World Cup data page (start lists, livescoring, results)
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