Frostad bags Olympic big air gold in epic nose butter finale
Frostad bags Olympic big air gold in epic nose butter finale
Norway’s Tormod Frostad edges Mac Forehand for gold with three perfect nose butter tricks in a dramatic Olympic big air final.
The Olympic big air final in Cortina delivered one of the most electric nights of the Games as Norway’s Tormod Frostad rose to gold, edging the United States’ Mac Forehand by 2.25 points. Frostad finished with 195.50 points to Forehand’s 193.25 after nailing the nose butter on all three jumps in a snowy nail-biter that will be remembered for years. The 24-year-old’s flawless execution on the nose butter helped him break through in a discipline known for its risk and precision.
The competition featured 12 finalists who traded big moments throughout the night, but it was Frostad who held the early lead through two strong jumps. Forehand, however, flipped the podium drama on the second-to-last run, moving ahead with a run that looked to seal the victory and turn the final into a silver-medal chase for Frostad. That momentum set up one of the most pressure-filled climaxes in a big air final, and Frostad delivered.
Forehand’s reaction after the narrow loss underscored the volatility and danger of the sport. “I’m happy to walk away alive from that event,” he said, adding that earning silver in a discipline this intense was “pretty cool as well.” Frostad, meanwhile, carried a calm confidence into the final stretch. “Yeah, I didn’t really didn’t care because I was already super happy and I could ski the last run with joy in my body and just deliver a fun trick,” he explained afterward.
What set Frostad apart was his willingness to take the trick in a new direction. Instead of launching off the jump in a way designed to send skiers backward, he found a way to harness the nose butter with a twist that paid off under the Olympic lights. The result was Norway’s first big air gold in his second Games, a moment that cemented Frostad’s status as a game-changer in the sport and sparked cheers from fans around the arena.
As the dust settled, Frostad’s victory signaled a turning point for freeskiing—one defined by technical risk, consistency, and willingness to push the boundaries of what a perfect nose butter can look like on a big-air course.
