Olympic halfpipe snowboarding resembles a game of high-stakes poker, where athletes balance strategy, risk, and precision to claim victory. Riders execute complex maneuvers in a frozen U-shaped trench, layering schemes that decide medals or disappointment.
Strategy Defines Success
Valentino Guseli, a 20-year-old contender for a medal in the Milano Cortina 2026 men’s halfpipe final on Saturday at 5:30 a.m. AEDT in Livigno, emphasizes strategy’s role. “Strategy is massive,” Guseli states. “It’s definitely like gambling. But we’re gambling with quite a lot. We’re gambling with our bodies … even trying a new trick can be a gamble. There can be wishful thinking, where you want to try this new trick, but you might not be ready for it. You try it, you get broken off, and it’s over.”
Training Sessions Reveal Tactics
Pre-competition training turns into competitive observation. Athletes drop in sequentially on the public halfpipe, exposing their skills. Riders either conceal new tricks or showcase them boldly. Guseli favors openness: “I don’t believe in it. I think just do your tricks and don’t really worry about that, the petty little stuff. Just shred. If something’s on, it’s on. Go for it.”
Yet he adapts: “I know some people do [it differently]. I guess I kind of did it last night: not really do the big stuff until it’s comp time. Take it easy, warm up, really feel out whatever you’re riding, whether it’s a jump or the pipe, and then just let it rip in your comp runs.”
In the recent men’s big air final, Guseli attempted a backside 1980 indy but failed. “You’ve got to be calculated. If I could have got onto the podium with anything less, I would have done it,” he explains. “Even if I landed that one, I wouldn’t have won; I would have got second or something. But that was sort of a gamble I had to take.”
This experience boosts his confidence: “I learned a pretty cool lesson: I was that close to getting on a big air Olympic podium, and big air has been my worst discipline in the last few years. If I’m at that level now with my riding, then it makes me think that I’m not so far off.”
Final Run Calculations
The men’s halfpipe final grants three runs for the best five-trick combo. Guseli must challenge favorites like teammate Scotty James, the gold contender, and Japanese stars led by defending champion Ayumu Hirano.
Riders weigh risks: Charge aggressively early or secure safe scores first? Australia’s Tess Coady faltered with an early big move in women’s big air. Guseli reflects: “It depends on the night – or the day, or whenever you compete.”
In a prior halfpipe event, his conservative first run secured third place amid others’ crashes. Still, he prefers boldness: “I think it’s always cooler to send it, and go all in, and really go for it.” Guseli prepares to bet big on his skills.
