How Team USA’s Alex Hall won slopestyle gold at Beijing 2022
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com the newly crowned freeski champion detailed how he navigated the pressure to deliver a run jam-packed full of style and his trademark creative flair.
Freestyle Skiing
“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet,” said US freestyle skier Alex Hall to Olympics.com after winning gold in the men's slopestyle final at Beijing 2022.
In fairness to Hall, not many that watched the American take home the top prize in his first finals run have managed to digest the scintillating display of flair and execution they witnessed.
When the 23-year-old took off for his last jump no one was quite expecting what he would do next.
Already, Hall had played several skill-cards during his opening run at the Genting Snow Park.
He had tiptoed through the rail section in his own unique way, dropped a massive double-cork on the first jump feature and then, creatively used the wave section to put down a switch left 720 nosebutter to 540 Japan out.
What followed blew everyone away.
The lanky American stomped a right double cork 1080 bring-back, effectively stopping a rotation mid-air to come back the other way. It was a trick so innovative it had spectators and commentators roaring in awe.
In a nod to his daring Hall picked up a score of 90.01 from the judges which was enough to bag him the gold ahead of the two-remaining round of runs. Team-mate Nick Goepper eventually clinched the silver for a US 1-2 ahead of Sweden's Jesper Tjader in third.
Recognising the magnitude of what he had just put down on the Olympic stage Hall flopped over the barrier with his head in his hands.
That overwhelming sense of joy and relief was still with Hall when Olympics.com caught up with him after he had collected his golden prize for his boundary-pushing endeavours:
The Alaskan-born skier who grew up in Zurich, Switzerland said, still beaming with pride: “It’s been incredible. I’m just thankful to ski my best and put down a run I was excited about.
“The main thing for me is always that I’m enjoying myself and skiing as best I can, so I’m just happy that that’s what I was able to do.”
Relishing the experience and focusing on the ‘why’ was a critical part of Hall’s success in Beijing.
That meant for the skier leaning into the unique challenge presented by the Olympic cycle.
Having the chance to shoot your shot once every four years can add an extra burden of weight on top of an already highly pressurised performance. And when Hall reflected on his golden day, he was the first to admit he experienced nerves:
“It does add the pressure having it every four years. And I think for me, the qualies [qualifiers] are even more nerve wracking than the finals, just because I wanted to make it to the finals, and I wanted to get another chance to show the world what I had.
“It's so tough to have it go your way on that given day because some courses are so hard to get down and, you know, nail every jump in every rail perfectly, especially one like this one that was really, really tough for us to figure out.”
But once Hall clipped into his skis, he found he was able to unshackle himself from expectations by focusing on what matters most to him - having fun:
“As soon as I got on the snow and started skiing, I kind of forgot about a lot of it and just tried to enjoy myself and tell myself that I love skiing and that’s the main reason I do it.
“If I can come out and lay down an awesome run and get a medal on top of that, it’d be sweet. But as long as I’m having a good time, that’s what counts for me.”
"Having it all go your way is really, really special. And I think that's what's so awesome about freeskiing, we all have so much fun doing it. And joy is such a big part of it.
“I just think individuality, creativity and having a good time is the best part of our sport.” – Alex Hall to Olympics.com
Alex Hall, Nick Goepper, Colby Stevenson and Mac Forehand – Team USA's freeskiers Stronger Together
The path to Olympic gold is one rarely walked alone, and while freestyle skiing may be an individual sport, there is little doubt in Hall’s mind that his achievement in Beijing was one made possible because of the support of others.
The slopestyle specialist, who also competed in the big air competition at the now infamous Shougang stadium, credited his compatriots for the environment they created enabling him to thrive:
“I have so many great friends in the team: Nick, Colby and Mac. They’re all such great guys and amazing skiers and they ski so well that you want to push yourself to ski your best and be part of that energy.
“I definitely wouldn't be where I am right now in terms of my ski ability, but probably also who I am as a person so, a ton of factors that come into play there, and I'm just thankful to spend a lot of time with them.”
It’s not just those closest to him either that the newly crowned Olympic champion recognised. Speaking to the freestyle skiing community Hall acknowledged that being part of a tight-knit group at in a sport where the limits of what is possible are constantly being pushed is really important:
“On top of the U.S. team and all those boys, [I’m thankful for] everyone else in the competition I'm friends with.
“With everyone I'm competing against in a slope course or a big air event, whether they're from Canada, Sweden or wherever, we're all really close and that's just a great atmosphere. I think it brings the best out of us as people and also, brings the best out of our skiing.”