A talented and experienced U.S. men's freeski team has potential to win all three events and match its Sochi slopestyle sweep at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and NBC and Peacock will be there to capture it all.
David Wise, a father of two, enters as the two-time defending gold medalist in halfpipe, while fellow American Alex Hall attempts to double – both in topping that possible first-through-third podium result, as well as winning big air's Olympic debut.
Leading a U.S. charge in freestyle events are aerialist Winter Vinecki and mogul skier Jaelin Kauf, with multiple competitive teammates in tow. Meanwhile, San Francisco-born Eileen Gu of China is poised to claim all three golds in women's freeski.
Wise broke his femur in early 2019, yet was back on skis by the end of the year. He clinched 2018 gold on his third and final run, dealing a stinging defeat to compatriot Alex Ferreira, who up until that point had posted the best three scores. Ferreira has been the top American this season, but he and Wise face mighty opponents in reigning world and X Games champion Nico Porteous of New Zealand and their own teammate Aaron Blunck.
Fresh off his first flagship X Games title in the event, Hall will contend for Olympic big air gold with reigning world champion Andri Ragettli of Switzerland, who just recently returned from a knee injury, and Austrian Matej Svancer, the world No. 1. Hall's bound to toss in a Buick grab or two while vying for slopestyle gold with teammates Nick Goepper, the 2014 bronze and 2018 silver medalist, and Colby Stevenson, who made a remarkable recovery in 2016 after a truck crash. The U.S. trio went one-two-three at December's Dew Tour, with Stevenson taking first, Hall second and Goepper third.
Three-time world medalist Ashley Caldwell has a shot to make the individual aerials podium, as does Vinecki, who ran a marathon on each of the seven continents before turning 15. Vinecki could also help earn the U.S. a medal in the new Olympic event of mixed team aerials. Two-time reigning world champion Maxim Burov, representing the ROC, is the men's favorite.
Kauf and her U.S. moguls teammates Olivia Giaccio, Kai Owens and Hannah Soar have a chance to reach the podium, while Canadian legend Mikael Kingsbury seeks a title defense on the men's side. Over in ski cross, two-time world champion Sandra Naeslund of Sweden is riding a near-perfect World Cup season, winning nine of the circuit's 10 big finals thus far.
Gu, 18, is undefeated in halfpipe this season and won world and X Games titles in both halfpipe and slopestyle in 2021. She won December's Steamboat World Cup by landing a competition-first double cork 1440. Her biggest test may come in slopestyle, matched up against Estonian Kelly Sildaru, who's won four X Games titles in the event. France's Tess Ledeux will also challenge.
Freestyle skiing kicks off Thursday, Feb. 3, with qualifying in women's moguls, followed the next week by big air and mixed team aerials' Olympic debuts, Feb. 6-8 and 10; and five days after Super Bowl LVI (56) on NBC, the sport wraps Friday, Feb. 18, with finals in men's ski cross and halfpipe.
Sign up to stream every event at the 2022 Winter Olympics LIVE on Peacock. Users can also authenticate via TV Everywhere to stream events in the NBC Sports app or on NBCOlympics.com. See below for full broadcast and streaming details for every freestyle skiing event. You can also see a full freestyle skiing streaming schedule on NBCOlympics.com.
SEE MORE: How to watch the 2022 Winter Olympics on NBC and Peacock
Date/Time | Event | Network/Stream |
---|---|---|
Thu, 2/3 5:00a |
Women's Moguls Qualifying 1 | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Thu, 2/3 6:45a |
Men's Moguls Qualifying 1 | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sat, 2/5 5:00a |
Men's Moguls Qualifying 2 | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sat, 2/5 6:30a |
🏅 Men's Moguls Finals | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sun, 2/6 5:00a |
Women's Moguls Qualifying 2 | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sun, 2/6 6:30a |
🏅 Women's Moguls Finals | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sun, 2/6 8:30p |
Women's Big Air Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Mon, 2/7 12:30a |
Men's Big Air Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Mon, 2/7 9:00p |
🏅 Women's Big Air Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Tue, 2/8 10:00p |
🏅 Men's Big Air Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Thu, 2/10 6:00a |
🏅 Mixed Team Aerials Finals | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sat, 2/12 9:00p |
Women's Slopestyle Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sun, 2/13 6:00a |
Women's Aerials Qualifying | *USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sun, 2/13 8:30p |
🏅 Women's Slopestyle Final | *NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Sun, 2/13 11:30p |
Men's Slopestyle Qualifying | *USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Mon, 2/14 6:00a |
🏅 Women's Aerials Finals | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Mon, 2/14 8:30p |
🏅 Men's Slopestyle Final | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Tue, 2/15 6:00a |
Men's Aerials Qualifying | *USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Wed, 2/16 6:00a |
🏅 Men's Aerials Finals | *USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Wed, 2/16 8:30p |
Women's Halfpipe Qualifying | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Wed, 2/16 10:30p |
Women's Ski Cross Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Wed, 2/16 11:30p |
Men's Halfpipe Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Thu, 2/17 1:00a |
🏅 Women's Ski Cross Finals | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Thu, 2/17 8:30p |
🏅 Women's Halfpipe Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Thu, 2/17 10:45p |
Men's Ski Cross Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Fri, 2/18 1:00a |
🏅 Men's Ski Cross Finals | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Fri, 2/18 8:30p |
🏅 Men's Halfpipe Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
*TV broadcast not live;
- W Aerials Qualifying: 6 a.m. → 2:15 p.m.
- W Slopestyle Final: 8:30 p.m. → 12:30 a.m. (Feb. 14)
- M Slopestyle Qualifying: 11:30 p.m. → 1 p.m. (Feb. 14)
- M Aerials Qualifying: 6 a.m. → 1:30 p.m.
- M Aerials Finals: 6 a.m. → noon