Team USA delivered a dominant performance in the men’s final at the FIS Halfpipe World Cup on Sunday, with Aspen native Alex Ferreira securing victory in front of an electrified home crowd. Ferreira’s third-run score of 95.75 led a U.S. sweep of the podium, while Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin claimed the women’s title for her first World Cup win in more than five years.
Ferreira, 30, saved his best for last, overtaking fellow American Nick Goepper, who had set the early benchmark with a 94.00 in the first round. Ferreira’s winning run began with a switch right double cork 1080 Japan and ended with a soaring right double cork 1620 leading tail grab. The two-time X Games champion called the victory “one of the best moments” of his career, adding that overcoming the pressure and nerves made it even sweeter.
The win marks Ferreira’s fourth podium of the season and 11th career victory, following victories in Copper Mountain and runner-up finishes in Cardrona, New Zealand, and Secret Garden, China. He remains atop the men’s World Cup Halfpipe standings with 360 points, ahead of Canada’s Brendan Mackay, who finished ninth in Aspen.
Goepper took second, while Matthew Labaugh secured his first career World Cup podium with a 93.00, edging out teammate Hunter Hess (92.50). Seven of the 10 finalists scored above 90 points in what was one of the season’s most competitive halfpipe events.
On the women’s side, Atkin set the tone early with a 90.00 on her opening run, highlighted by a right alley-oop 360 leading Japan and a switch right 720 tail grab. The 22-year-old last won a World Cup event in 2019 at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Second place went to China’s Li Fanghui, while Canada’s Amy Fraser rounded out the podium. Chinese-American dual citizen Eileen Gu, who competes for China, did not compete at the World Cup in Aspen but still leads the Halfpipe standings for the season after three victories earlier in the season.