Freeride snowboarding is coming to the Olympics, and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams have named the first round of nominees for the 2026-2027 team.

The USSSA has partnered with FIS to oversee the grassroots competition series. That means riders and skiers in the freeride world will receive the same support as those who compete in halfpipe, slopestyle, snowboard cross, and other disciplines.

Here are the U.S. team nominees.

Women

• Mia Jones. Truckee, California; Palisades Tahoe Pursuit Team; Dartmouth College.

Men

• Michael Mawn. Bozeman, Montana; Montana State University.
• Blake Moller. Edwards, Colorado; Team Summit.
• Holden Samuels. Big Sky, Montana; University of Colorado Boulder.
• Shayne Blue Sandblom. Silt, Colorado; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; University of Nevada Reno.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announces its teams in two phases: nomination and acceptance. The athletes are formally nominated to the U.S. Freeride Team in August. Pending their acceptance of the nomination and adherence to the team’s expectations, the 13 athletes will be officially announced to the team in October.

Get More of Our News on Google

Set The Weather Company as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.

The athletes are nominated based on predetermined selection criteria for both freeride ski and snowboard. Here’s the criteria for snowboarding:

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Snowboard Sport Director is responsible for applying the selection criteria herein, subject to the oversight of the Chief of Sport.

• Objective selections shall be based on 2026 Freeride World Tour results and the 2026 Freeride World Championships.
• Discretionary nominations, if any, may be based on a variety of factors, including competitions conducted outside of the qualification system described above.
• Team status does not guarantee funding from U.S. Ski & Snowboard for competition or preparation.
• No minimum team size will be established.
• A maximum of twelve (12) Pro Team athletes will be nominated using the criteria outlined below, with no more than eight (8) athletes per gender. If more than twelve (12) Pro Team athletes qualify under the criteria, then athletes will be nominated in order of priority as outlined in the Objective Criteria below. If ties exist following the final bullet, priority will be applied in order of the single best Freeride World Tour result. This process may repeat as many times as needed to break the tie.
• Athletes must sign and be willing to commit to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Athlete Agreement.

FIS purchased the Freeride World Tour back in 2024. Officials have considered the towns of Montgenèvre and La Grave in France as potential freeride venues for the 2030 Olympics. If the contest comes to Utah in 2034, Powder Mountain, Snowbird, and Brighton seem like obvious choices.