Ferreira reflects on his season as weight of Olympics begins to build

Like many others, Alex Ferreira found himself stuck at Denver International Airport on Tuesday after his flight home to Aspen was canceled because of the weather.

No bother, however, as the halfpipe skier was only a day removed from winning bronze at the world championships in Switzerland, capping off yet another standout season.

“I’m really happy with how it all went,” Ferreira said via phone on Tuesday. “I’m so, so happy. There is no way you can be upset with those results, and I’m super, super grateful and super happy. I’m healthy, I’m strong, I’m in the best shape of my life, and I’m ready for it to happen.”

The end of this season means we are officially full send for the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he will be chasing his third Olympic medal in three tries. He’s already a virtual lock to make the U.S. ski team’s roster for the Games in Italy and will be one of the frontrunners for gold.

The 30-year-old won silver in his Olympic debut in 2018 (South Korea) before snagging bronze in 2022 (Beijing). The 2026 Olympic qualifier for men’s halfpipe skiing is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 19 in Livigno, a town in northern Italy that isn’t too far from St. Moritz, which just hosted the world championships this past weekend. The finals are Feb. 20.

“I can definitely start to feel the weight on my shoulders,” he said. “I’m still feeling that same pressure. The only thing that feels different is this will most likely be my last one, so I’m giving it everything I got. All in.”

Ferreira hasn’t said he necessarily plans to retire after next year’s Olympics but admits making it all the way to the 2030 Games in the French Alps is unlikely. An Olympic gold medal is about the only major piece of hardware missing from his portfolio.

As it was with many of the athletes, his Olympic preparations began this past weekend at the world championships. He took bronze with a new run — although he was bringing back some old tricks from the 2018 Games — a run he plans to use next winter in Italy.

“It’s less than a year out. The competition level is super high,” he said. “I’m definitely happy with where it’s at. You could always say I wish it was a little farther along, and I do, but I feel I’m in a great position to allow myself to do well.”

Ferreira’s bronze at worlds means his historic podium streak continues. Last winter, he became the first men’s halfpipe skier to win all seven competitions during the season, including X Games Aspen 2024, and he has landed on the podium all seven times this season, winning twice (Copper, Aspen).

The last time he missed a World Cup podium was in January 2023 at Calgary, taking fourth. He has a record 11 World Cup halfpipe wins in his career.

“It’s probably the closest thing that we get to an Olympic setting and an Olympic-pressure moment, I guess you could say,” he said of his mentality at worlds this past weekend. “I just wanted to prepare myself the best I possibly could for the Olympics. I’m going to amplify what I did at the world champs for the Olympics, but it’s still the same structure of my run.”

While the competition season is over, Ferreira doesn’t plan to slow down too soon. There is still snow to be had and training that can be tackled in the coming weeks before summer really sets in.

In his mind, the Olympic season is already here.

“I would look forward to some vacation time, but I don’t think I’m going to get any,” he joked. “We are going to film the next Hans, and then I’m going straight back into training.”

Hotdog’s return

Sometime between his extended stay at DIA and Friday afternoon, Ferreira will undergo a transformation. He’ll trade hometown hero for his ornery alter ego, Hotdog Hans, a character he created about six years ago.

Each year, Hotdog Hans — who claims to have been a world champion back in the day — returns with a new short film. But this year, he’ll make a rare live appearance at Freestyle Friday, a laid-back moguls skiing competition at Aspen Highlands.

Not only will Hotdog Hans be there, but he’ll go head-to-head against skiing icon Jonny Moseley, who won Olympic moguls gold at the 1998 Games in Nagano.

“I thought we were going to do one episode and done,” Ferreira said of the character, making note of Hotdog Hans’ popularity locally.

“It’s huge. Aspen is what gave Hans his first breath of life,” he continued. “To have them behind us is awesome. To have Aspen Skiing Company interested and excited is awesome. To have AVSC interested and bringing the kids out is amazing. To have everyone so on board and excited about it is really, really cool. We are trying to make the event as big as possible this year and we are trying to make it as big as possible in future years.”

Ferreira said it took about three hours of makeup to become Hotdog Hans when they first started, but thanks to a face mold and prosthetics, it only takes about an hour today.

“It’s worth it. Every time we look back and any time I watch one of the Hans, I’m in awe,” he said. “I’m really proud of what we are able to accomplish with so little.”

Freestyle Friday is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. on Friday on Scarlett’s Run above Merry-Go-Round at Highlands. It’s free to attend, but a ski pass will be needed to access the chairlifts. Pre-registration is required to compete. There will be an ’80s and ’90s neon and denim theme, with the pro division skiers battling for the $250 first-place prize.

So, can Hotdog Hans, who is well past his prime, take down an Olympic champion in Moseley? You’ll have to wait and see.

“This Freestyle Friday is exciting. Not only because they are bringing it back, but for the first time Hotdog Hans will be at Freestyle Friday,” Ferreira said. “I think Hotdog can take Jonny. He’s an excellent bumps skier, but Hans knows.”

acolbert@aspentimes.com