Nick Goepper, a three-time Olympic medalist in slopestyle, is officially headed to his fourth Winter Games. And this time, he’ll be in the halfpipe.

The 31-year-old overcame challenging conditions to win the men’s freeski halfpipe contest at the Calgary Snow Rodeo, locking up his spot on the U.S. Olympic team in the process.

Sitting in 5th after his initial run, Goepper upped his technicality and execution to score a 94.80 on Run 2 and surge into the top spot. His winning run was capped off with his signature switch bio 900.

New Zealand’s Fin Melville Ives, who landed the only 1620s of the day, scored a 92.20 on Run 1 but was unable to improve on his final run and finished in 2nd behind Goepper.

The win was important for Goepper, who has been battling a deep contingent of talented American skiers for a spot on the Olympic team all season. The Calgary Snow Rodeo was the third of four selection events for freeski halfpipe. Goepper missed the first one due to a crash, then finished last in the 16-man final at the second event.

“[This win] feels amazing,” Goepper said afterward. “I really needed this one to qualify for the Olympics for the USA team. It was the opposite result last year at this contest between me and Fin, so it’s a fun way it turns out this year.”

Two U.S. men automatically get named to the Olympic halfpipe team based on their best single result at one of the selection events, and Goepper’s victory assures him of one of those two automatic spots.

Alex Ferreira previously qualified for the team based on last season’s results. The other automatic spot will be decided at next week’s U.S. Grand Prix event in Aspen, Colorado. A fourth man will be named to the team later, but U.S. Ski & Snowboard can choose to make a discretionary pick for that final spot.

“We like to pick the person that’s skiing the best right when it counts, right when they’re peaking,” Goepper said of the selection process. “This is how it happened with me [before the last Olympics], it was kind of last second, so I’m just thrilled to come away with the win today.”

For about a decade, Goepper was regarded as one of the world's premier slopestyle skiers. He won medals in that discipline at all three Olympics he's competed in, and is perhaps best known for being part of a historic U.S. podium sweep at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Goepper hasn't competed in slopestyle since earning silver at the last Winter Olympics in 2022. He struggled with burnout and briefly retired from competitive freeskiing, but returned 10 months later after deciding to switch disciplines.

“I decided that I wanted to reinvent myself and my approach to the sport, but do it in a slightly different way,” Goepper said of his decision. “In a way that wasn't the same, but it rhymed. And that was with halfpipe.”

Now in his third year as a halfpipe skier, Goepper has continued to take leaps forward each season. A win at last year's X Games helped solidify him as a legitimate gold medal contender for the Milan Cortina Olympics. Despite that, the process of qualifying hasn't been a simple task given the strength of the U.S. in this particular discipline.

That depth was on display in Calgary, as eight of the 13 skiers in the men’s final were Americans. Birk Irving landed on the podium in 3rd, edging out teammate Matt Labaugh by just .20 points. Hunter Hess, the current World Cup points leader, finished 5th.

If a U.S. man aside from Ferreira or Goepper wins next week in Aspen, they will automatically join the Olympic team. In any other scenario, either Hess or Irving would claim that spot.

In the women’s contest, 15-year-old Australian Indra Brown reached a new milestone in her breakout season, and Svea Irving moved closer to securing her own spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

Brown, currently in her first season on the World Cup circuit, earned her first career win ahead of Zhang Kexin and Irving. The Australian has now finished on the podium in all three of her World Cup starts and is starting to open up a sizable lead in the overall standings.

“I’m just full of joy,” Brown said afterward. “Super happy to be able to land a run and ski how I did today in these conditions.”

For Svea Irving, the younger sister of Birk Irving, her 3rd-place finish in Calgary is a major boost to her Olympic hopes. Up to three women can automatically be named to the U.S. team based on their best single result from a selection event, but they must have a podium finish to trigger that automatic nomination. Irving is so far the only U.S. woman to accomplish that.

The Calgary Snow Rodeo also hosted snowboard halfpipe contests later in the day, though most of the top riders did not compete, and the competitions were not used as U.S. selection events. Australia's Valentino Guseli, a rare triple threat who also competes at a high level in slopestyle and big air, won the men's halfpipe contest as he continues a successful return from a torn ACL. On the women's side, Canada's Elizabeth Hosking earned her first career World Cup victory.

The World Cup circuit heads to Aspen, Colorado, next week for a U.S. Grand Prix event. Halfpipe competitions in both freeskiing and snowboarding will take place at Buttermilk, while the slopestyle contests have been moved to Snowmass. All competitions will be part of the selection process for the U.S. Olympic team.

Men’s Freeski Halfpipe

1. Nick Goepper (USA), 94.80
2. Finley Melville Ives (NZL), 92.20
3. Birk Irving (USA), 89.80
4. Matt Labaugh (USA), 89.60
5. Hunter Hess (USA), 83.40
6. Dylan Marineau (CAN), 82.00
7. Aaron Blunck (USA), 79.80
8. Ben Harrington (NZL), 70.60
9. Dylan Ladd (USA), 66.20
10. Evan Wischmeyer (USA), 59.00
11. Andrew Longino (CAN), 51.80
12. Gus Kenworthy (GBR), 23.80
13. Tristan Feinberg (USA), 21.20
14. Brendan Mackay (CAN), DNS

Women’s Freeski Halfpipe

1. Indra Brown (AUS), 85.20
2. Zhang Kexin (CHN), 84.20
3. Svea Irving (USA), 83.20
4. Li Fanghui (CHN), 82.80
5. Cassie Sharpe (CAN), 82.60
6. Amy Fraser (CAN), 81.00
7. Liu Yishan (CHN), 74.20
8. Sabrina Cakmakli (GER), 70.40
9. Abby Winterberger (USA), 62.80
10. Dillan Glennie (CAN), 23.40

Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe

1. Valentino Guseli (AUS), 87.75
2. David Habluetzel (SUI), 80.00
3. Pat Burgener (BRA), 79.25
4. Jonas Hasler (SUI), 78.75
5. Haku Shimasaki (JPN), 78.50
6. Wang Ziyang (CHN), 77.25
7. Mischa Zuercher (SUI), 75.25
8. Christoph Lechner (GER), 70.00
9. Hiroto Sugizaki (JPN), 66.50
10. Koyata Kikuchihara (JPN), 60.50
11. Kade Martin (USA), 53.25
12. Noah Avallone (USA), 52.25
13. Chaeun Lee (KOR), 33.00
14. Jio Lee (KOR), 29.00

Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe

1. Elizabeth Hosking (CAN), 82.50
2. Wu Shaotong (CHN), 77.25
3. Isabelle Loetscher (SUI), 76.00
4. Yang Lu (CHN), 67.50
5. Brooke D’Hondt (CAN), 65.50
6. Leilani Ettel (GER), 61.25
7. Felicity Geremia (CAN), 57.50
8. Ai Yanyi (CHN), 54.75
9. Lee Na-Yoon (KOR), 44.00
10. Kona Ettel (GER), DNS