Alex Hall has been skiing for so long that he can’t remember the first time he skied down a mountain. But the U.S. Olympian can pinpoint exactly what draws him to the sport of freestyle in particular.
“I’ve always been skiing,” Hall, 27, told People ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. “I’ve always loved skiing, but especially freestyle skiing, and I really got into it when I saw some videos of my dad of freestyle skiing almost way back in the day, before it became an official sport. It used to be called “hot doggy.”
Hall was fascinated by old footage of his father, Marcus Hall, “hot dogging” in the snow, trying out tricky moves and pushing the limits of snowboarding with friends. After watching the footage, the Alaskan-born skier knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps on…well, the slopes.
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“I love watching his videos,” said Hall, who grew up in Switzerland, where his parents were professors. “It inspired me to try freestyle, try flips and tricks on skis, and it just started from there. We just love going out together and trying new things on our own.”
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Since then, Hall and his snowboarding brother Aldo have often been spotted filming each other’s new tricks.
“My parents both loved skiing, so skiing is definitely in my blood,” Hall said. “My dad is from Salt Lake City and so is his whole family. It’s definitely been a lifelong family tradition for us.”
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After spending nearly his entire life in Switzerland, when he was 16, Hall decided to move back to the United States and attend a specialized ski high school in Park City, Utah, about 30 miles from where his father grew up.
“I knew if I made a change like this, I would take the next step and really work towards achieving a dream like this [the Olympics],” Hall said.
Hall honed his craft, becoming one of the sport’s rising stars and amassing a massive social media following after posting videos of himself testing new tricks. In 2015, when he was 17, the U.S. Ski Team called. But Hall still feels he still has a lot of work to do to reach the pinnacle of winter sports.
“The Olympics weren’t always in the picture,” Hall admitted. “Maybe they just felt so far-fetched that I never really dreamed much about them. I would say it all really clicked when I actually made my first team in 2018 to represent the U.S. in freestyle skiing.”
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Hall has competed in the Olympics before but finished 16th in the slopestyle event at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. He is determined not only to return to the global stage in 2022, but also to stand on the podium.
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At that year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, Hall exceeded even his own expectations, and his electrifying run earned him Olympic gold, adding to his already loaded trophy case. Hall also collected 12 X Games medals, including six gold and three silver in four different events.
“Winning the gold medal in China is a great memory,” Hall said. “Landing down and running the way I wanted to, more of a creative approach and not necessarily following the rules – that was a very proud moment and will always be a great memory.”
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Hall said he was “excited” to be flying to the Olympics for the third time in February, noting that his Italian mother and the rest of his immediate family and friends will be attending for the first time since 2018 (after the 2022 Games were canceled due to COVID-related restrictions).
“It’s going to be very sweet,” said Hall, who acknowledged that having his family there would undoubtedly add “some pressure” for him to get on the podium again.
But he knows it all started on the slopes with his family, and that will never change: “I know even if I don’t do well, they’ll still like me!”
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit people.com for ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games on NBC and Peacock starting February 6. (edited)
Read the original article on People