USA freeski star Alex Hall: More than 'just spinning'
American freeski slopestyle specialist Alex Hall proved he has a deep bag of tricks by winning the X Games big air finals in Aspen on Saturday with a never-before-seen 2160 to set himself up as a firm two-podium threat at next month's Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Freestyle Skiing
Team USA's Alex Hall has it all.
Known for his signature tap dances through the rail sections of a slopestyle course, Hall – one of the most stylish skiers currently in the freeski game – can also pull out the massive rotations when called for.
He proved it on Saturday night in Aspen, Colorado when, in need of a huge score in his final run to see off the rest of a highly motivated field in the X Games big air competition finals, he did what no freeskier has ever done before.
His massive 2160 was met with a gasp of disbelief from the crowd and had the on-slope commentators counting and recounting to make sure they’d got the arithmetic right.
Big spinner when needed
“I don’t really know what happened there,” said the tall, elegant skier, born in Alaska, raised in Switzerland and now a resident of Park City, Utah, after edging American teammate Mac Forehand (silver) and Canada's Edouard Therriault (bronze). “The rest of the guys were just landing some huge tricks all night and I figured I’d have to try to match everyone else.
“It was super fun,” added the skier who values style over spinning – but who can obviously rotate with the best of them ahead of freeski big air’s Olympic debut at the Games in Beijing.
“The progress in the sport is so crazy that people are choosing to spin more and more and more,” he said in a recent exclusive interview with Olympics.com “I like to think of something creative that no one is doing, even if it’s less spinning.
"Stuff you wouldn’t think of is what I like most,” added Hall.
The Saturday-night ‘jam session’ format big air contest in Aspen was full of ferocious competitive spirit, but the camaraderie on display at the bottom of the landing area was something to behold. This same spirit was also on display during the slopestyle event, where Hall sealed a second podium in Aspen with a bronze-medal finish thanks to a monster 1800.
It’s all part of the sport that Hall – now a hands-down favourite for gold in slopestyle or big air (or both) next month at his second Olympic Winter Games – takes inspiration from.
Competition and camaraderie
“That’s one of the beautiful things about our sport,” said Hall after pairing two scores of 46 and 48 (out of 50) for a huge combined score of 94. “It’s really competitive but we all are supportive of each other. There are no enemies. I want them all to ski their best.”
Four years ago, at PyeongChang 2018, Hall was a 19-year-old surprise inclusion in the USA freeski team and finished in the middle of the slopestyle field. This time out, at Beijing 2022, he’s aiming to put a little less pressure on himself.
“I have a focus on the Olympics for sure, but I don’t want it to live too much in my mind. Last time around, I let it get to me more than I should have,” said Hall ahead of Sunday's X Games freeski slopestyle finals. “It made things less fun. This time I told myself not to think about it too much. Thinking about it less should help."
“I don’t want to let it get to me,” added the humble man of the moment who can go big when needed. “I want to have fun along the way. But really, I have to just ski.”