This year’s American freeskiing squad stood on the podium at nearly every event they entered, nabbing 28 podium finishes—six of them first places—from 11 different team members. Talk about strength in numbers. Here’s a look back at the top moments of 2015.
David Wise took second in Tigne, which gave him the overall World Cup title.
DAVID WISE WINS FIS HALFPIPE WORLD TITLE
David Wise not only claimed his first FIS World Cup title in 2015, he made history in the process—landing the first rightside double cork 1440 in a contest. This put his name in the history books on both counts.
Maddie Bowman won her third X Games gold medal. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Nathan Bilow)
MADDIE BOWMAN WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE X GAMES GOLD
Maddie Bowman has a way of winning most contests she enters, but in by taking her third X Games win, she matched the record for most consecutive freeskiing halfpipe wins with legendary skiing pioneer, the late Sarah Burke.
The American guys swept the podium in Park City, Utah. (Getty Images-Gene Sweeney Jr)
U.S. MEN SWEEP SLOPESTYLE PODIUM IN PARK CITY GRAND PRIX
The U.S. men’s slopestyle team came out swinging to the final stop of the U.S. Grand Prix in Park City, Utah, earning all three top spots on the podium led by Olympic Champion and Park City’s golden boy, Joss Christensen. Christensen put down a clutch final run to wow the crowds and snag the top spot above teammates McRae Williams and Gus Kenworthy. The crowd went wild, really wild.
Gus Kenworthy dominates at the Park City Grand Prix. (Getty Images-Tom Pennington)
GUS KENWORTHY’S PARK CITY GP HALFPIPE RUN
A day after being part of the Park City U.S. Grand Prix sweep, Gus Kenworthy put down what was arguably the best run of men’s halfpipe skiing—throwing four gigantic, flawless doubles in his winning run, proving that Kenworthy has what it takes to win both halfpipe and slopestyle events. Bam.
Bobby Brown took home a silver in the X Games big air. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom)
DOMINATING THE X GAMES AND DEW TOUR
At two of the biggest events of the year, the Americans snagged the majority of the top spots with seven podiums at both the X Games and the Dew Tour. This includes wins from Torin Yater-Wallace, Maddie Bowman. Nick Goepper, Kerri Herman, and Gus Kenworthy.
Nick Goepper charged to his third X Games gold. (Getty Images-Doug Pensinger)
NICK GOEPPER WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE X GAMES GOLD MEDAL
It’s hard enough to win one X Games gold medal, but Nick Goepper managed to win his third-straight X Games gold at this year’s slopestyle showdown. Goepper, who nearly missed making the finals, charged his way to the top of the podium in front of teammate and Olympic gold medalist Joss Christensen.
Gus Kenworthy shows off his award for winning the first-ever Air+Style.
GUS KENWORTHY WINS INAUGURAL AIR+STYLE
This year marked the first-ever Air+Style in Los Angeles and the first time that Shaun White’s newest enterprise including skiing on the roster. On a rainy day in Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, Gus Kenworthy landed a double cork 1440 to snag the win—all while being serenaded by The Flaming Lips and Kendrick Lamar. Put your hands up.
Torin Yater-Wallace upsets David Wise to take the Dew Tour win. (Dew Tour)
TORIN YATER-WALLACE WINS DEW TOUR
Torin Yater-Wallace reclaimed the top of the podium this season at the Dew Tour, putting together a topnotch Wallace run with his classically large and stylish airs, re-kindling the Wallace-Wise freeskiing rivalry of years past.
Birk Irving shreds at the U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain.
BIRK IRVING WINS SLOPESTYLE AND HALFPIPE AT REV TOUR
The next generation of freeskiers is looking good, especially in the likes of 15-year-old Birk Irving who won three U.S. Revolution Tour stops this year, including both slopestyle and halfpipe events at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort stop. And he finished second overall in slopestyle and first in halfpipe in the Rev Tour. A young Gus Kenworthy in the making, perhaps?
Total season results count: three World Championships medals, 14 World Cup podiums, one World Cup globe, three World Cup globes, four Junior Worlds medals, seven X Games medals, 25 major event podiums.
Joss Christensen and McRae Williams celebrate their third and first place finishes at the AFP World Champs. (AFP/Freeskier - Henrik Lampert)
AFP CLEAN UP
Not only did Annalisa Drew, Torin Yater-Wallace and Bobby Brown walk away with World Championships titles at the AFP Tour Finals but David Wise, Gus Kenworthy, Devin Logan and McRae Williams all nabbed tour titles for the 2015 season. Not a bad weekend in Whistler for the U.S. Freeskiing team.
