Montanan Konnor Ralph will soon step into the global sports spotlight. The 23-year-old freestyle skier from Helena has qualified for the Olympic men’s freeski slopestyle event, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time on Tuesday, Feb. 10. This marks Ralph’s inaugural Olympic appearance, making him the first Helena native in over 50 years to join a U.S. Winter Olympic team in more than 50 years.
Ralph’s Olympic journey continues later with the freeski big air event. Qualifying kicks off on Feb. 15, with the finals on Feb. 17. While slopestyle debuted in the 2014 Winter Olympics, big air joined the lineup in 2022. Ralph secured his spot by achieving a top-10 score in Livigno, Italy, earning a chance to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Scheduled to ski third, he eyes a medal as an eager Montana cheers him on.
Ralph began skiing at Great Divide Ski Area near Helena at the age of two. His passion evolved into a national-level career, culminating in his Olympic selection for freestyle skiing. Notably, Ralph clinched a third-place finish at the 2024 FIS Freestyle World Cup Slopestyle event and a second-place finish at the FIS Freestyle World Cup Big Air in 2025, earning recognition as “Most Improved” by his team.
Freeski slopestyle challenges athletes to ski courses with rails, boxes, and jumps. Judges score runs on a 0-100 scale, considering difficulty and execution. In Olympic qualifiers, skiers take two runs, and the highest score counts. Ralph’s 68.91 score advanced him to the finals, showcasing technical maneuvers and high-difficulty aerial tricks involving spins and flips.
In the slopestyle final, competitors will have three runs, with the top score determining medal placements. The freeski big air event focuses on a single jump, rewarding skiers for amplitude and execution of tricky aerials. With limited room for error, skiers take three attempts, with the top two scores counting if tricks meet event criteria.
Big air demands precision and skill, while slopestyle tests versatility across a full course. As Ralph prepares for these events, he acknowledges the pressure but remains focused. He told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, “The goal for the last five years has been to get an Olympic medal, so that’s what I’m going for.”
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