2021 U.S. Snowboard & Freeski World Championship Teams Announced
U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 35 athletes to the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard World Championship Teams.
American freeskiers and riders are ready to throw down on home soil at the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships, featuring the Visa Big Air, at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colo. March 10-16. This is the first time that a nation has hosted consecutive FIS World Championships following the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski World Championships held in Utah.
“It’s great to be able to host back-to-back World Championships on home soil,” said U.S. Snowboard & Freeski Director Jeremy Forster. “The depth and talent across slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air for both sports is second to none and should make for an exciting event for those tuning in all over the globe. The 2020-21 competition season has had no shortage of challenges, so we are beyond grateful to Aspen Snowmass, FIS, and the greater Aspen community for the opportunity to host the world’s top riders at an iconic venue.”
The snowboarders will field 18 riders, 14 of whom have World Championship experience. Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim will be defending her title from 2019. Kim hasn’t skipped a beat following her hiatus from competition during the 2019-20 season to pursue an education at Princeton University. She’s taken home the gold at both events she has entered this season, including the Laax Open World Cup and X Games Aspen 2021. Seven-time Crystal Globe Winner Chris Corning will also be defending his title in slopestyle from 2019.
The U.S. Snowboard World Championships Team also includes 2018 Olympic slopestyle gold medalists Red Gerard and Jamie Anderson. Anderson has been on a tear this season winning the Laax Open and two gold medals at X Games Aspen. Fellow X Games Aspen 2021 double-gold medalist Dusty Henricksen will make his World Championship debut looking to add to his rapidly growing list of accolades.
“I’m so stoked to be heading back out to Aspen for more competitions,” said Henricksen. “I have never ridden at such a crazy fun venue and I can’t wait to get back. I am extremely stoked to be competing in my first world championships and I’m super excited to see what goes down.”
The freeskiers will make their way to Aspen with no shortage of talent. The team includes 17 athletes, 13 of whom have World Championships experience. Back-to-back FIS World Champion Aaron Blunck will be aiming for the three-peat supported by an impressive cast including two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper, double-Olympic gold medalist David Wise, and Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney. We also can’t forget hometown favorite and two-time X Games gold medalist Alex Ferreira, who has historically performed very well in the Buttermilk superpipe.
A friendly face will also return to the competition scene in Aspen. Maggie Voisin will rejoin her fellow Americans for the first time this season following her second ACL surgery in two years. Voisin is familiar with returning to competition at Buttermilk. Last season, Voisin displayed incredible resilience earning bronze in X Games Aspen slopestyle in her first competition back from surgery.
2021 U.S. Snowboard and Freeski World Championship Teams
(Name, Hometown, Club, USASA Series, Birthdate, World Champs Teams)
SNOWBOARD
Halfpipe
Men
- Taylor Gold - (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 11/17/93; 2011, 2013)
- Chase Josey - (Hailey, Idaho; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Big Mountain West Series; 3/31/95; 2015, 2019)
- Chase Blackwell- (Longmont, Colo.; Jim Smith Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 2/27/99; 2017, 2019)
- Toby Miller - (Truckee, Calif; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; North Tahoe Series; 2/14/00; 2017, 2019)**
- Joey Okesson - (Southbury, Conn.; Okemo Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/23/02)*
Women
- Chloe Kim - (Torrance, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/23/00; 2019)
- Maddie Mastro - (Wrightwood, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/22/00; 2017, 2019)
- Tessa Maud - (Carlsbad, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 10/10/03; 2019)
- Zoe Kalapos (Avon, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/17/97; 2017)
- Alexandria Simsovits - (Calabasas, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 9/30/04)*
Slopestyle/Big Air
Men
- Chris Corning - (Silverthorne, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/7/99; 2017, 2019)
- Red Gerard - (Silverthorne, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 6/29/00; 2019)
- Dusty Henricksen - (Mammoth Lakes, Calif; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/2/03)*
- Judd Henkes - (La Jolla, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/3/01; 2017, 2019)
- Lyon Farrell - (La Jolla, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/3/01; 2015, 2017, 2019)
Women
- Jamie Anderson - (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.; South Tahoe Series; 9/13/90; 2019)
- Julia Marino - (Westport, Conn.; Southern Vermont Series; 9/11/97; 2015, 2019)
- Hailey Langland - (San Clemente, Calif.; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; Tahoe Series; 8/2/00; 2019)
- Ty Schnorrbusch - (Monroe Township, N.J.; Tru Snowboarding, Rocky Mountain Series 5/15/02)*
FREESKI
Halfpipe
Men
- Aaron Blunck - (Crested Butte, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/12/96; 2013, 2017, 2019)
- Birk Irving - (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Freeride Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 7/26/99; 2017, 2019)
- David Wise - (Reno, Nev.; 6/30/90; 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019)
- Lyman Currier - (Boulder, Colo.; Winter Park Freeski Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 8/28/94)*
- Alex Ferreira - (Aspen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen/Snowmass Series; 8/14/94; 2019)
Women
- Brita Sigourney - (Carmel, Calif.; Intermountain Series; 1/17/90; 2011, 2017, 2019)
- Devin Logan - (West Dover, Vt.; Mount Snow Academy; Southern Vermont Series; 2/17/93; 2011, 2017)
- Abigale Hansen - (June Lake, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team; Unbound Series; 5/26/98; 2019)
- Hanna Faulhaber - (Carbondale, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/04/04)*
Slopestyle/Big Air
Men
- Mac Forehand - (Winhall, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/4/01; 2019)
- Colby Stevenson - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 10/3/97; 2015)
- Nick Goepper - (Lawrenceburg, Ind.; Cork Technologies and Consulting; Rocky Mountain Series; 3/14/94; 2013, 2019)
- Alex Hall - (Salt Lake City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 9/21/98; 2017, 2019)
Women
- Caroline Claire - (Manchester Center, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 2/2/00; 2019)**
- Marin Hamill - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 4/5/01)*
- Rell Harwood - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 6/1/01)*
- Maggie Voisin - (Whitefish, Mont.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 12/14/98; 2017, 2019)
- Darian Stevens - (Missoula, Mont.; Missoula Freestyle Ski Team; 10/29/96; 2017)
*Denotes first World Championships team
**Sidelined with injury, but met team criteria
All times EST
Friday, March 12
11:30 a.m. World Freestyle Championships Snowboard Slopestyle - LIVE, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast Olympic Channel
3:00 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Freeski Halfpipe - LIVE, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast Olympic Channel
Saturday, March 13
12:00 a.m. World Freestyle Championships Freeski Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Snowboard Slopestyle - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast NBCSN
1:00 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Freeski Slopestyle - same-day broadcast, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast Olympic Channel
3:00 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Snowboard Halfpipe - LIVE, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast Olympic Channel
Sunday, March 14
12:00 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Snowboard Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast NBCSN
Tuesday, March 16
1:30 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Freeski Slopestyle - delayed broadcast, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast NBCSN
Sunday, April 11
SCHEDULE
Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships
Slopestyle, Halfpipe, and Big Air
March 10-16
Snowboard:
March 10 - Slopestyle qualifications
March 11 - Halfpipe qualifications
March 12 - Slopestyle finals
March 13 - Halfpipe finals
March 14 - Big air qualifications
March 16 - Big air finals
Freeski:
March 10 - Halfpipe qualifications
March 11 - Slopestyle qualifications
March 12 - Halfpipe finals
March 13 - Slopestyle finals
March 15 - Big air qualifications
March 16 - Big air finals
