Pulling off some of the best tricks on the day, Maggie Voisin easily advanced to the finals of the first Olympic qualifier.
The 18-year-old Whitefish skier shined in Wednesday’s qualification round of the ladies’ ski slopestyle competition at the U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain in California.
Voisin’s top score was 90.33, tied for second best out of 31 competitors. She advanced to Saturday’s finals, which will start at 1 p.m.
Missoula native Darian Stevens, 20, also advanced to the finals after landing a top score of 80 on Wednesday.
Stevens and Voisin are among the eight women in the finals competing for the podium. More importantly, the skiers are chasing qualifying points for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. The Grand Prix in California is part of the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup and is the first of five Olympic qualifying events. It’s the only Olympic qualifier this winter as competitors begin vying for positioning for Team USA selections a year from now.
Voisin, who was named to Team USA for the 2014 Winter Olympics, remains one of America’s best freestyle skiers and reminded everyone at last weekend’s X Games.