Andiamo! Freestyle skiing begins at Milan Cortina 2026 with women’s slopestyle qualifying. Thirty skiers will flow down three rail and jib features before hitting three jumps across the 680-meter (approximately 2230-foot) course at Livigno Snow Park, with the top 12 athletes advancing to the final on Monday, Feb. 9.

Continue reading to see what can be expected from this contest.

Chinese freeskier Eileen Gu stomped into history when she became the first freeskier to win three medals at the same Winter Olympics four years ago in Beijing. She is one of the few freeskiers who competes in all three disciplines — halfpipe, slopestyle and big air — a testament to her versatility and consistency.

Gu is the defending Olympic champion in halfpipe and big air, but was denied triple gold four years ago when Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud surpassed her by a mere 0.33 points to win the slopestyle event.

The pair encountered each other when they threw down their most difficult tricks during the big air final earlier at the Beijing Games. (The technical skills needed to compete in big air are transferable to slopestyle.) That time, Gu won gold and Gremaud took bronze.

Four years later, Gu and Gremaud will face each other in a rematch that may be Gu’s toughest challenge. She’s only competed in four World Cup slopestyle events since Beijing, but was on top of the podium for three of them. Gu's most recent win was at the Laax Open in January, where she finished 14 points ahead of the 2nd-place finisher, American Marin Hamill. On the other hand, Gremaud is the reigning world champion in slopestyle and has finished top two in eight of nine World Cup appearances since November 2023.

"Coming into the Olympics as the defending champion…it feels really motivating and exciting. It’s definitely a bit of pressure,” Gremaud said. "It’s really, really great to even be able to call myself that. It’s a title that lasts for four years. Now I have the chance to defend it, and I will do my best."

Both Canada and the U.S. have not earned a medal in women’s freeski slopestyle since 2014, but that could change in Livigno. Canadian Megan Oldham is poised to improve upon her Beijing slopestyle performance after claiming two world championship medals since those Games.

Oldham will be joined by team members Skye Clarke, Naomi Urness and Elena Gaskell, who will all be making their Olympic debut. Clarke replaced Olivia Asselin after she fractured her heel at the Aspen World Cup event last month. Gaskell qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics, but tore her ACL the day before the big air qualifying event.

"This one will be very different for me," Gaskell said of Milan Cortina 2026. "Everyone watches the Olympics, and one thing I love about my sport is you don’t have to know that much about it to watch it and think, 'Wow, that is so cool'. You feel like your nation is behind you, and you have lots of people messaging, saying they’re supporting you."

Hamill is returning to this Games as the sole member of the U.S. team with Olympic experience. Her finish at the Laax Open last month was her first World Cup podium since 2022. Americans Grace Henderson, Avery Krumme and Rell Harwood will all make their Olympic debut.

Watch the women start off freestyle skiing at Milan Cortina 2026 when the slopestyle qualification commences at 4:30 a.m. ET, shortly followed by men’s qualifying at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 7. Both contest can be watched live on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.