Ferreira stays perfect with Mammoth halfpipe win after weather cancels finals
Courtesy of Emily Tidwell/U.S. Ski & Snowboard
The beat marches on for Aspen’s Alex Ferreira, even when the contests get canceled. The local halfpipe skier, fresh off his win at X Games Aspen, made it four-for-four this season after winning the Mammoth Mountain Grand Prix on Friday, Feb. 2, in California.
Ferreira was first in qualifying on Jan. 30 and it was his run there that led to his win after the finals were canceled because of weather. When World Cup finals are canceled, the final results typically default to how athletes placed in qualifying.
“Obviously we would have liked to have held the contest,” Ferreira said from the Mammoth base lodge, per a FIS recap. “The athletes want it, Mammoth wants it, U.S. Ski wants it, FIS wants it … but we did have a beautiful qualification day on Tuesday, and everyone knew there could be bad weather later in the week and that we had to go all-in. I was fortunate enough to go all-in and do a great run, and I’m super grateful to keep this train rolling.”
The final results have Ferreira winning with an 87, followed in second by Oregon’s Hunter Hess (86.5) and in third by Indiana’s Nick Goepper (86) for the American podium sweep. Two-time Olympic gold medalist David Wise of Nevada was fourth (84.75), while Aspen’s own Cassidy Jarrell was seventh (81.25) and Tristan Feinberg was 11th (79).
Ferreira has won all four contests he’s entered this season, including the World Cup stops in Secret Garden and Copper Mountain back in December. He then won his third X Games Aspen gold medal in January at Buttermilk Ski Area, before getting the weather-aided win in Mammoth.
“It all comes down to hard work,” the 29-year-old Ferreira said in the FIS report when asked to explain his success this season. “I’ve been putting in lots of time in the gym and the skating rink and on rollerblades, doing everything that I possibly can. And to see all my hard work pay off is just the most beautiful thing I could ever ask for.”
The women’s halfpipe ski win went to Canada’s Amy Fraser (85.5), with China’s Eileen Gu in second (83.5) and Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin in third (82.5). Basalt’s Hanna Faulhaber remains injured and did not compete.
The only remaining World Cup for halfpipe skiers this season is the Feb. 15-17 event in Calgary. Select athletes will also have the chance to compete at Winter Dew Tour when it returns to Copper Mountain from March 8-10.
Reach Austin at acolbert@aspentimes.com
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