How Tahoe’s Alessandro Barbieri did in the Olympic halfpipe final
MILAN, Italy — Tahoe’s own Alessandro Barbieri closed out his Olympic debut Friday morning, finishing 10th in the men’s snowboard halfpipe final at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a top score of 75.
Riding for Team USA, the 17-year-old entered the final as one of the youngest competitors in the field after advancing through qualifiers earlier in the week with the fourth-best score.
Halfpipe finalists take three runs down the course, with only their highest score counting. Riders are judged on amplitude, difficulty and progression.
Barbieri opened strong on his first run, landing his technical combination but struggling on the landing and posting a 75, briefly sitting in fifth. However, the field quickly surged ahead as multiple riders broke into the 90s.
After slipping on his second run for no score, Barbieri needed a 92 or higher on his final attempt to reach the podium. He linked a switch backside double cork 1260, a frontside triple cork 1440, a frontside double cork 1260 and a backside double cork 1620 — but slipped on the landing and did not record a score.
Japan’s Ryusei Yamada set the early pace with a 92, before teammate Yuto Totsuka delivered a 95 on his second run to secure gold.
The final capped Barbieri’s first Olympic appearance. During Wednesday’s qualifiers, he scored an 88.50 to advance, landing a clean run that included a switch backside 900, a 1440 and multiple 1260s.
Barbieri competes locally with Tahoe Select Snowboard Team and has quickly risen through the international ranks. He made his World Cup debut in 2023 and earned silver in halfpipe at the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Winter Games, later landing his first World Cup podium at the Calgary Snow Rodeo.
He also made history as the youngest rider — and first American — to land a triple cork 1440 in halfpipe competition.
