Finley Melville-Ives, current 2025/26 FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Cup Standings leader with the yellow bib. Photo: FIS/Andrew Wevers
Nineteen-year-old freeskier Finley Melville-Ives of Wānaka continues to warm up for the Winter Olympics in sensational style by winning the Aspen Freeski Halfpipe World Cup in Colorado.
Melville-Ives was the top qualifier into the finals and immediately showed why, when he dropped into his first of two runs, producing a technical display with consistently massive amplitude.
He scored 95.00 to surge straight to the top of the leaderboard.
Despite the best efforts from the star-studded field, Melville-Ives's score remained untouchable, with his second run a victory lap all the way to the top of the podium for the third time in his already impressive career.
"I had such a good training, so I said to my coach, 'I am going to go hammers for my first run' and I was stoked, I can't believe it held," Melville-Ives said.
He was joined on the podium by two Team USA athletes, with Hunter Hess in second place and three-time Winter Olympian Nick Goepper in third.
The result also means the reigning world halfpipe champion now leads the standings for the 2025/26 Freeski Halfpipe World Cup Tour and was presented the yellow bib.
"I am just trying to have as much fun as possible when I'm skiing and skiing is my happy place," he said.
"The halfpipe is like a blank canvas and you're just like an artist with a paint brush."
Snowboarder Dane Menzies also secured a podium finish at Aspen, with a third place in the Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup, marking his first World Cup podium.
Qualifying through to the finals in 10th position, Menzies put down a clutch performance on the first of his two finals runs, stomping back-to-back 1620s on the jumps and executing near flawless technical rail tricks to impress the judges.
Sitting in the top spot after run one and looking to up the ante, Menzies unfortunately had a bobble on the second rail feature, resulting in a throwaway score.
With nine athletes still to drop in, it was a nerve-wracking wait to see if his score would hold for podium position, but it did.
"It means a lot to make it on the podium, after getting fourth here last year and consistently making finals, but not getting on the box," he said. "I have been working super hard for this one, really trying to get more consistent and dialled in on my rails and cleanliness on the jumps, so I am happy it paid off!"
Aucklander Mischa Thomas, 17, competed in the women's Freeski Halfpipe finals, with a career-best fifth-place finish in just her fourth World Cup appearance.
Gustav Legnavsky, 20, competed alongside Melville-Ives in the men's final, finishing ninth.
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