Poor weather forces Olympic organizers to postpone snowboard, freestyle ski events

Heavy snow falls, postponing the women's snowboarding slopestyle finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

LIVIGNO — Snow and poor visibility forced Milan Cortina Olympic organizers to postpone the women’s snowboard slopestyle final and both the women’s and men’s freestyle aerials qualification Tuesday.

The slopestyle final at Livigno Snow Park was the first to be called off. Then it was the aerials’ turn at the nearby Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park.

Initially organizers postponed the men’s aerials qualifying, allowing them to push the start of women’s aerials qualifying back to 1:45 p.m. local time, from its original 11:15 a.m. start time, in hopes the weather would clear.

But that too was called off, because the air ambulance needed in case of emergency couldn’t fly in the conditions.

The snowboard slopestyle final, originally scheduled to start at 1 p.m. local time Tuesday, will now go ahead Wednesday, although no start time was immediately available. The men’s slopestyle final is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. local time Wednesday.

If needed, there are open days at Livigno Snow Park Thursday through Sunday, when the games end.

The only event left on Livigno’s Tuesday schedule was the men’s freeski big air final, slated for 7:30 p.m. local time depending on the weather.

It marked the second day in a row that poor weather has disrupted the Livigno Olympic schedule. The women’s freeski big air final at Livigno Snow Park was delayed Monday evening due to a snowstorm but eventually started 75 minutes late with Canadian Megan Oldham winning gold.

Slopestyle qualifying was shifted to last Sunday from Monday because of the threat of poor weather. Mother Nature had co-operated before that in Livigno, located in the Italian Alps near the Swiss border.

Canadian snowboarders Laurie Blouin, who won silver in slopestyle in 2018 in Pyeongchang and placed fourth four years ago in Beijing, and Juliette Pelchat are both in the 12-woman slopestyle field.

Blouin, a 29-year-old from Quebec City, is a two-time world champion (slopestyle in 2017 and big air in 2021), and a six-time medallist at the Winter X Games (one gold, one silver, four bronze).

Pelchat, a 21-year-old from Whistler, B.C., is at her first Olympics.

Canadians Mark McMorris, who notched three bronze medals in his three previous trips to the games, and Cameron Spalding are set to compete in the men’s slopestyle final.

Spalding, a 20-year-old from Havelock, Ont., won the Crystal Globe as the overall FIS World Cup champion for slopestyle in 2024-25.

The 650-metre slopestyle course at Livigno Snow Park, which boasts a vertical drop of 165 metres, features rail and jumps with riders judged on the breadth, originality and quality of their tricks. Heavy snow slows down the riders, affecting the jumps.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2026.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press