• Finley Melville Ives claims 2026 Men’s Freeski Halfpipe Globe in historic first for New Zealand
• Luke Harrold achieves FIS World Cup Freeski Halfpipe win, and his first world cup victory, in Silvaplana
• Mischa Thomas delivers inaugural FIS World Cup Freeski Halfpipe podium, claiming a second place in her rookie season

• New Zealand now ranked third in the world in Freeski Park and Pipe Nation’s Cup standings, behind USA and Canada

Men’s Freeski Halfpipe World Champion Finley Melville Ives has claimed overnight the Freeski Halfpipe Globe with 280 World Cup points, despite not even competing in the final event of the season.

Melville-Ives has been grounded since breaking his collarbone in Milano Cortina, however his points total up to that time, from two victories and a second place finish across three World Cup starts, were sufficient to hold onto the top spot.

Nineteen-year-old Melville Ives has now made history becoming the first New Zealander to win the Freeski Halfpipe Crystal Globe with a dominant campaign that unfortunately, due to a fall, was not capped with an Olympic medal.

“It’s pretty surreal, I didn’t expect it. I was chilling at home watching the event and it just came up that I won. The whole season was a game of two halves and I’m just really grateful and thankful to my coaches for looking after me,” Melville Ives said.  “The team really dug in today. The skiing was so sick to watch. It’s so great for Luke and Mischa with her first ever world cup podium - what a weapon. It’s so sick to see the kiwis are shredding.”

In the men’s Freeski Halfpipe final, New Zealand’s Luke Harrold achieved his first World Cup win knocking Estonia’s Henry Sildaru from the top spot with his massive second run score of 93.25.

Sildaru, the Milano Cortina 2026 Freeski Halfpipe silver medallist, looked set to take his first World Cup victory overnight before 17-year-old Harrold overtook him. After posting 80.25 in his first run, Harrold upped the ante in his second run with a switch right alley oop double 900 critical grab, a switch left alley-oop double 900 mute, then a switch left cork 720 Japan, a right dub 1260 mute, to end on a massive left double 1620 safety on the last hit. Harrold’s score of 93.25 pushed Sildaru’s 88.00 into second place, while Finland’s Jon Sallinen was third.

Harrold said he was glad he could close out the 2025/26 season with a career-first World Cup victory. “I was at the top, I was trying to have as much fun as possible. Just wanting to try to give everything I had in this last run, last run of the year. Just gave it my all and it worked out, so I’m super happy,” he said. 

New Zealand’s Mischa Thomas also achieved a career first, coming in as runner-up on 80.75 in the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe.  Reigning champion Zoe Atkin (Great Britain) won the women’s event to claim the second Crystal Globe of her career. With this performance, 18-year-old Thomas now has her first World Cup podium under her belt during her rookie season where she also finished eighth at Milano Cortina 2026.

Snow Sports NZ Park and Pipe Head Coach Tom Willmott says the wider team of more than a dozen athletes have contributed to placing New Zealand third in the world in Freeski Park and Pipe for the season, with only Canada and the USA ahead.

“We have the strongest ever depth in the team in terms of size and strength, and also breadth across the genders and disciplines. Luke, Fin and Luca would have dominated the points, given they are winning world cups, but a large group of athletes have contributed to that result,” he says.

Willmott says the athletes now go into a reset phase as the focus shifts to 2030 and beyond. That includes working with up-and-coming junior athletes as part of the strategic transition towards 2034.