Meet the 13 Athletes Nominated to the Inaugural U.S. Freeride Ski and Snowboard Team

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, skiers and snowboarders! The time to meet the inaugural U.S. Freeride Team is finally here.

Following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) announcement that freeride skiing and snowboarding would be included in the upcoming 2030 French Alps Games, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has officially announced its 13 nominees for its first ever Freeride team.

Nominations include heavy hitters on the Freeride World Tour circuit, such as Ross Tester, Toby Rafford, Molly Armanino, and Wynter McBride.

Kai Jones famously secured third place on a wildcard invitation at the first-ever Freeride World Championships last season. He’s included on the inaugural roster alongside his cousin Mia Jones.

Keep reading for the full roster.

26/27 U.S. Freeride Men’s Ski Nominations

• Kelly Hilleke (Glenwood Springs, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 12/29/2005)
• Kai Jones (Jackson Hole, WY; 5/5/2006)
• Joey Leonardo (Edwards, CO; Montana State University; 3/3/2003)
• Toby Rafford (Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 3/23/2003)
• Ross Tester (Truckee, CA; University of Utah; 1/5/1999)

26/27 U.S. Freeride Women’s Ski Nominations

• Molly Armanino (Placerville, CA; University of California Santa Cruz; 5/5/1993)
• Lily Bradley (they/them) (Lake Tahoe, CA; Olympic Valley Freeride Program/University of California Berkeley; 3/7/2002)
• Wynter McBride (Ogden, UT; Snowboard Sports Education Foundation; 1/10/2000)

26/27 U.S. Freeride Men’s Snowboard Nominations

• Michael Mawn (Bozeman, MT; Montana State University; 11/21/1999)
• Blake Moller (Edwards, CO; Team Summit; 6/14/2000)
• Holden Samuels (Big Sky, MT; University of Colorado Boulder; 11/26/1999)
• Shayne Blue Sandblom (Silt, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; University of Nevada Reno; 2003)

26/27 U.S. Freeride Women’s Snowboard Nominations

• Mia Jones (Truckee, CA; Palisades Tahoe Pursuit Team; Dartmouth College; 6/21/2005)

How Nominations To The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Work

“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. The athletes are nominated based on predetermined selection criteria for both freeride ski and snowboard.”

Related: Molly Armanino Contemplates Freeride’s Olympic Inclusion and Whether She’ll Try To Qualify

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