Reno’s David Wise has competed and medaled at every iteration of the ski halfpipe in Olympic history. But the Wooster High product will need a little help to get to this year’s Milano Cortina Games.
The ski halfpipe’s final Olympic qualification was held Saturday at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen Snowmass with Hunter Hess finishing second to earn an Olympic spot for Team USA. He joined Nick Goepper and Alex Ferreira, who had previously qualified for the Olympics.
Team USA is allotted four ski halfpipe spots in the Olympics with Saturday’s competition marking the final Olympic qualifier. The fourth and final spot on the team will be announced in the coming days. U.S. Ski and Snowboard has the option of making a discretionary pick for its fourth spot, which, per the standings, would go to Birk Irving, who is third in the World Cup standings behind New Zealand’s Melville Ives and Hess. American Matt Labaugh also slots ahead of Wise in the top five. Seven of the top-eight spots in the World Cup ski halfpipe standings are held by U.S. athletes with Hesssecond, Irving third, Goepper fourth, Labaugh fifth and Ferreira sixth…