American skier Mac Forehand trains for 2026 Olympics, mastering a rare trick to medal in big air.

Mac Forehand, a 24-year-old American freestyle skier from Vermont, is training intensively for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, focusing on a rare switch triple cork 1980 mute—five-and-a-half rotations with three off-axis flips—aimed at securing a medal in big air skiing. The trick, previously landed only by Birk Ruud at the Olympics, is central to Forehand’s strategy after his 11th-place finish in Beijing. He’s practicing the maneuver at Utah Olympic Park using airbags, building on his progression from a 1260 mute mastered at age 17. Now prioritizing consistency in qualifying rounds, Forehand aims to save his most difficult trick for the final, learning from past pressure to maximize his chances.