A sudden showdown: X Games 2026 Men’s Ski Halfpipe heats up

Unlike some of the other events like Big Air and Slopestyle, where some of the top riders skipped X Games to prepare for the Olympics, the men’s ski halfpipe field was stacked with nearly all of today’s top competitors. With the big five-ringed show coming up in just a few weeks’ time, this was a good chance to see what the top dogs have in store.

Run 1: Finley takes the lead

The men’s halfpipe contest got off to something of a rocky start, with only half of the field able to put down a complete run on their first tries. X Games rookie Matt Labaugh kicked off the proceedings with a solid run featuring a switch left 1260 into a switch right 10, back to back dub 12s and a big dub flat 900 japan for a benchmark score of 74.66. Crashes or miscues followed from the likes of Birk Irving, Gus Kenworthy, David Wise, Brendan Mackay and Hunter Hess.

Young New Zealand rider Luke Harrold—the kid with the triple—was the first to break into the 80s with the help of matching switch alleyoop doubles at the top of his run. But it was his compatriot Finley Melville Ives who broke out into the lead with the evening’s first monster run: switch right  900 japan, switch left double 1080 japan, right dub 1620 safety, left dub 16 mute for a score of 89.33.

The last rider to drop, in American-flag pants and a t-shirt from the Finnish folk metal band Ensiferum, was defending champion Nick Goepper. Nick linked a switch left dub 10 japan into back to back dub 12s, finishing with a right dub 10 into a switch right misty 9 for a score of 87 and provisional second place.

Run 2: Labaugh breaks out

The rookie Matt Labaugh stepped up his game on Run 2, lacing up his switch 12, switch 10 and back to back dub 12s clean before holding his last-hit double flat 900 to a 720—a strong showing and a creative finish that bumped him up into second place with a score of 88.

The next big run came from Brendan Mackay, who this time around was able to land his opening trick, the switch left alleyoop double 12 safety, continuing with a switch left dub 10 safety, alleyoop flat 5 mute, and both way dub 12s. It was an impressive run with one of the night’s most unique tricks—but only a single rightside spin, which kept his score out of podium contention.

Determined to not only hold his lead but extend it, Finley Melville Ives blasted his run just as cleanly as before, and managed to squeeze in a fifth hit this time, an alleyoop dub 9 mute, earning the first score in the 90s and a commanding lead. The last three riders all bobbled: Hunter Hess clipped the deck and crashed hard on his first hit, Alex Ferreira stepped up with a dub 16 but landed backseat, and Nick Goepper, also served up a dub 16, but caught the lip on his last hit and lost a ski.

This set the stage for a classic X Games moment: a third and final run with lots of opportunities for podium shakeups.

Run 3: An unexpected showdown

The final run: Pressure’s on. Birk Irving put down a left double 1440 in a last minute podium bid, but couldn’t land the dub flat 900 on his last hit. Gus Kenworthy crashed on his own dub 14 attempt and rode out holding his elbow in pain—let’s hope he’s in shape for the Olympics next month. Instead of unpacking the switch triple that many expected to see, Luke Harrold opted for a switch alley-oop dub 12, and improved his score but not his placement.

David Wise and Brendan Mackay crashed, while Hunter Hess underrotated his second hit and quit his run early, leaving four riders left to drop: Alex Ferreira, Nick Goepper, Finley Melville Ives and Matt Labaugh. Unexpectedly, the next 10 minutes turned into the classic X Games showdown we know and love.

Sitting in seventh place, the hometown hero Ferreira stepped it up on his final go: switch right dub 10 japan, left dub 12 tail, right flat 7 safety, switch dub 10 safety, right dub 16 tail—everything stomped. A score of 90 vaulted him into second place, bumping the rookie Labaugh into third and Goepper off the podium.

Nick Goepper was next to drop, and if there’s anything that fires up Nick, it’s some healthy competition. Skiing like a man possessed, Goepper executed his run to perfection: switch left dub 10 safewty, right dub 16 safety, left dub 12 mute, right dub 10 safety, switch right misty 9 tail. And just like that he was back on the podium, this time in silver, bumping Ferreira to third.

The next man to drop was the current leader, Finley Melville Ives. He could have played it safe, but instead Finn—staring into the pipe with an intense look—unpacked what I can only describe as one of the best halfpipe runs ever skied: a switch right 900 japan that broke the 20-foot (6-meter) mark, a switch left dub 1440 safety that I’m not sure has ever been seen in competition, another 20-foot dub 16 safety, left dub 12 mute, and alley-oop dub flat 900. Score of 95, a dominant show of strength and a clear message: Finley is the kid to beat in the stunt ditch these days.

It was a bit of an anticlimactic end when the final skier, Matt Labaugh, missed his grab on a dub 12 and ended his run early. But that didn’t erase the high of watching three of the world’s best pipe skiers go back-to-back-to-back with insane runs. Here at Downdays, we can and will occasionally give X Games a friendly ribbing when we think something—judging, formats, commentary—is wack. But when we see something awesome, we give credit where credit is due. Thanks X Games and the skiers for putting on one hell of a show.