The FIS Freestyle Skiing Aerials World Cup was in Lake Placid on January 11-12. It was originally supposed to be in Utah, but due to climate change, it was relocated to Lake Placid. This was the final World Cup event before the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. This was a critical event for the athletes before they head to Cortina, Italy, to compete for a gold medal.
Aerials are one of the most exciting winter sports to watch. Athletes perform crazy flips and twists trying to get the highest score based on their form, air, and landing. The higher the difficulty of the trick, the higher the score.
Ms. Fagan’s ADK classes had the opportunity to watch the men’s and women’s freestyle finals on Monday afternoon. For most students, this was the first time they had seen an event like this in person. “It was one of the coolest events I have ever seen, and I was so glad we did this trip as a class.” Said Devin Smith 26′
The events featured some high-flying tricks and two first-time World Cup winners on the podium. On the women’s side, Michigan native, Kaila Kuhn, won with a score of 105.60 by completing a back-full-full-full. Kuhn is on the US national team and headed to Italy. In second place was reigning Olympic Champion Mengtao Xu from China, and in third was Danielle Scott from Australia. On the men’s side, 20-year-old Li Xinpeng from China won the event with a massive back full-double-full-double-full, scoring 137.19 points. A huge margin of win over his teammate Wang Xindi, who scored 112.0 points, and Canadian Miha Fontaine, with 107.73 points, in third place. “I thought the winners definitely had the best technique and control. They were not going for a ton of air like the other athletes, and they performed their tricks with a lot of precision. Especially Xinpeng that day, he was on another level compared to the rest of the field.” Stated Smith.
Attending school in Lake Placid offers great opportunities to see elite athletes compete at Olympic venues. This experience has gotten students excited to watch the upcoming Olympics. “I’m really excited after getting to see these athletes in person to watch them on the big stage.” Said Smith. The Olympic Winter Games will be happening from February 6-22, 2026.
Photos by Ms. Marcy Fagan
