The slopestyle season is underway this week in Aspen, Colorado, and the U.S. Olympic snowboard and freeski teams are about to come into sharper focus.

The U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen is hosting World Cup events across two different mountains. Snowmass will be the site of slopestyle competitions, while Buttermilk will be the home for the halfpipe contests.

Across the board, it’s a significant stop for members of Team USA, as this will be the final selection event for freeski halfpipe and the penultimate event for all other disciplines.

All events will stream live on Outside TV. There will be additional TV broadcasts Saturday at 2 p.m. ET (CNBC, Peacock) and Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock).

Here’s a breakdown of what to watch for in each of the competitions happening in Aspen.

Freeski Slopestyle

  • Date: Friday, Jan. 9
  • Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
  • Platform: Outside TV

This is the penultimate selection event in freeski slopestyle and big air for the U.S. team.

Some of the weekend’s biggest drama will come from the men’s freeski slopestyle contest. Alex Hall and Troy Podmilsak have already qualified for the U.S. Olympic team, leaving just two men’s spots still available. Colby Stevenson and Mac Forehand entered the season as favorites to make the team, but right now it’s Konnor Ralph — thanks to a 2nd-place finish at the last selection event — who has the inside track for the final automatic nomination.

One man will automatically qualify for the U.S. team based on their best single result from one of the selection events. U.S. Ski & Snowboard has the option of making a discretionary pick for the final spot.

Hall, Stevenson, Forehand and Ralph are among the six Americans who qualified for the final.

On the women’s side, Avery Krumme was the lone American to advance to the final. The 17-year-old rookie was born in Canada but officially switched her nationality over the summer to represent the United States. Although she does not yet have the podium finish needed to trigger automatic qualification, she came very close with a 4th-place result at the last event. The international field includes Kirsty Muir, Anni Karava and Megan Oldham.

Snowboard Halfpipe

  • Date: Friday, Jan. 9
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Platform: Outside TV

The U.S. Grand Prix is the second of three selection events for the U.S. Olympic team in snowboard halfpipe.

The competition for Olympic spots among the U.S. men remains wide open. Six Americans qualified for the final, led by Alessandro Barbieri and Jake Pates. The international field is missing Olympic favorites Ayumu Hirano and Scotty James, but does includes a lot of notable names such as Yuto Totsuka, Ruka Hirano, Campbell Melville Ives and Valentino Guseli.

On the women’s side, Chloe Kim already has an Olympic spot locked down and is not competing in Aspen. U.S. teammate Maddie Mastro is also not competing in this event. A big opportunity is available for Maddy Schaffrick, the only U.S. woman to qualify for the final, against an international field led by Japan’s Rise Kudo and Sena Tomita.

Snowboard Slopestyle

  • Date: Saturday, Jan. 10
  • Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
  • Platform: Outside TV

This is the third of four qualifying events for the U.S. snowboard slopestyle and big air team. Red Gerard, who is competing in Aspen, is the only rider prequalified.

The 60-rider men’s field is full of big names, both domestically and internationally. American Ollie Martin, 17, has been on the come up over the last year and will look to build on his success after a 3rd-place finish in big air at the previous qualifying event. As things stand right now, Sean FitzSimons, who has a 3rd-place finish of his own, is currently in position for the other automatic qualifying spot.

The women’s field, which is missing two international heavy hitters in Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Mia Brookes, includes two-time Olympic champion Jamie Anderson among the U.S. contingent. Last month, Anderson, who gave birth to two children during this Olympic cycle, finished 6th in a big air event — her first competition of any kind since the 2022 Winter Games. 

Freeski Halfpipe

  • Date: Saturday, Jan. 10
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Platform: Outside TV

The U.S. Grand Prix will wrap up with arguably the most consequential event of all: the fourth and final U.S. qualifier for freeski halfpipe.

On the men’s side, Alex Ferreira and Nick Goepper have already secured qualification. One more skier will automatically join the U.S. team at the conclusion of this event. If an American other than Ferreira or Goepper wins, they get the spot. If not, it could go to either Hunter Hess or Birk Irving, depending on how things play out. A fourth man will be named to the team at a later point.

No women have clinched a spot on the U.S. team yet, but that will change after this event. Up to three women can earn automatic berths based on their best single result from one of the selection events, but a podium finish is necessary to trigger the automatic nomination. Svea Irving is currently the only U.S. woman who meets that criteria.