17
Portland, OR
Alessandro Barbieri, known as "Alè," started skiing at age 3 before switching to snowboarding at age 5 on the slopes of Mount Hood. With unwavering support from his parents, he quickly developed a passion and laser focus that distinguished his approach to the sport, showcasing an array of tricks beyond his young age. His pre-drop ritual has become his signature — he claps his hands three times and does a little ollie before dropping into the pipe, a good luck charm that gets him in the zone.
Barbieri burst onto the international stage at the Youth Olympic Winter Games Gangwon 2024, where he earned a silver medal in halfpipe. Sitting in fourth place heading into the final run, he remained calm and collected as pressure mounted for a potential podium finish. He stomped his third run on autopilot, as he described it, securing second place.
During the 2024-25 season, Barbieri earned his first world cup podium with a third-place finish at the Calgary Snow Rodeo in February 2025. That result announced him as one of the most exciting young athletes to watch heading into Olympic qualifying.
Competing in The Snow League events during the 2025-26 season, Barbieri made history in China when he became the first American — and the youngest rider in the world — to land a triple cork 1440 in halfpipe competition. He later perfected the trick in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, alongside fellow American Joey Okesson, with both riders becoming the first Americans ever to land such an advanced maneuver in the halfpipe. At the Snow League stop in Aspen, he went head-to-head with Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano, landing a run he had never put down before. His signature triple cork and switch backside 1260 have become defining elements of his competitive arsenal.
In 2026, his performances throughout the qualifying window secured his nomination to the U.S. Olympic Team at just 17 years old, making him one of the youngest members of Team USA. Beyond snowboarding, he pursues his passion for action sports as a competitive kiteboarder and avid skateboarder and surfer. He still loves watching skiers compete, paying homage to his roots on skis.
When Maddy Schaffrick retired from professional snowboarding at just 20 years old, it wasn’t because her body gave out — it was because her mind did. A rising star who had been competing internationally since age 14, Schaffrick walked away from the spo...
Over 100 elite skiers and snowboarders from around the globe are set to hit the slopes and compete in X Games Aspen 2025 on Buttermilk Mountain in scenic Aspen, Colorado. Several American athletes making an appearance also have their eyes set on making...
The 38-year-old rider landed her 60th career World Cup podium with a second-place showing in Austria.
Weinberg is hoping to follow in the footsteps of U.S. greats like Chloe Kim, who won a pair of YOG gold medals in 2016.
It is a golden opportunity for more than 1,800 teenage athletes from 78 countries to gain invaluable life experience and further their athletic pursuits, all of which may serve as a launching pad to greater sporting endeavors as they compete at the Win...
