An aerials athlete soars through the air during a competition in Lake Placid.
(Provided photo — Olympic Regional Development Authority)
LAKE PLACID — The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Freestyle Aerials World Cup will return to the Olympic Jumping Complex on Jan. 18-19. This marks the event’s first appearance in Lake Placid since 2019.
The two-day competition will feature men’s and women’s individual events and a mixed team event under the lights. Renowned as a captivating spectator sport, freestyle aerials showcases world class athletes launching high into the night sky to perform acrobatic twists, turns and flips before landing in a confined outrun area lined with hordes of cheering fans.
The level of difficulty increases as the field narrows into a final group of six who compete for podium positions and additional World Cup points. In Sunday’s mixed team event, three jumpers — at least one of each gender — represent their nations in pursuit of the top prize. Team USA, the defending Olympic champion in the mixed event, is among the favorites in Lake Placid.
The U.S. Aerials Team has enjoyed success throughout the years, capturing the gold medal in the inaugural Olympic aerials mixed team event at the 2022 Beijing Games. Among the top American athletes include Chris Lillis, a 2022 Olympic gold medalist and 2023 World Championship gold medalist in the mixed team event, from Rochester. Lillis placed third in last season’s overall World Cup standings and became the youngest male to win an FIS aerials World Cup event in 2016 at age 17. On the women’s side, Team USA will be led by Winter Vinecki, a World Cup overall points runner-up last season, with three individual wins. Vinecki is a multi-sport athlete who ran marathons on all seven continents at age 15 to become the youngest to do so at the time. Her first career Aerials World Cup start was in Lake Placid in 2017.
Lake Placid, a regular stop on the FIS Aerials World Cup circuit between 1985 and 2019, is the opening event on the 2024-25 FIS Aerials World Cup calendar. The remainder of the season includes a World Cup stop at the 2026 Olympic venue in Livigno, Italy and wraps up March 17-30 with World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland.
The gates will open to ticketed guests at 5 p.m. each day as the competition begin at 7 p.m. The Olympic Jumping Complex will be open for regular operations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. prior to the start of the World Cup competitions.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit tinyurl.com/hk7yp226.
