STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Jay and Kim Hagenbuch spent Thursday scrambling to make airline and hotel reservations for Italy after their son John Steel Hagenbuch was named to the 2026 U.S. Olympic Cross Country Team.

“We’re thrilled for him—it’s been years and years of hard work that takes us back to a wonderful community in which to raise kids, a wonderful ski community and a huge  volume of coaches and mentors like Rick Kapala,” said Kim Hagenbuch.

John Steel Hagenbuch is one of four skiers and snowboarders who will represent Sun Valley at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be held Feb. 6-22 in Milano Cortina, Italy.The Winter Olympics marks the highest level of achievement in winter sport.

Cortina will provide the racing venue for Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Breezy Johnson and other members of the U.S. Women’s Alpine Ski Team.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has nominated 97 athletes to represent Team USA; they will be officially announced to Team USA on Monday, Jan. 26.

John Steel Hagenbuch, a member of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Gold Team, will represent Sun Valley on the Men’s Cross Country Team. He will join seven other men, including Gus Schmacher and Hunter Wonders.

“The path to becoming an Olympian has been a steady progression with years of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication,” said John Steel Hagenbuch. “There are always ups and downs, strikes and gutters, and I’m incredibly honored to represent Team USA at the highest level. I’m looking forward to representing the USA, Dartmouth, SVSEF, my family, and my friends at the highest level. Race starts aren’t decided yet, but I’m hopeful to have the opportunity to give it my all!”

Sammy Smith, also a member of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Nordic Gold Team, will compete on the Women’s Cross Country Ski Team. She will join seven other women on the team, including Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern and Novie McCabe.

Kim and Johnny Hagenbuch celebrated Johnny’s Boulder Mountain Tour win at age 18 in 2020.

“The Olympics have been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, there is nothing more special than getting to represent your country, and I couldn’t be more excited to represent Team USA at the Olympic level,” said Sammy Smith. “I can’t wait to immerse myself in the experience, cheer on my fellow teammates, and hopefully have an opportunity to do some great racing of my own.”

Ryder Sarchett, who grew up racing with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation before heading to the University of Colorado-Boulder, was named to a six-member U.S. Men’s Alpine Ski Team that includes Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Kyle Negomir and River Radamus. He was named to the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2026 Winter Games following a series of consistent results in international competition including a top 10 finish at the World Cup in Val d’Isere.

“The path I’ve taken to become an Olympian is built on hard work and belief in my own abilities, choosing to go after my dream even through the hard times when it felt almost impossible,” said Ryder Sarchett. “My love for skiing and sports in general played a huge role in my success as a skier. I truly loved skiing, and I held onto that. My parents were always very calm and never pushed me into ski racing; they made me feel like I was choosing to be there. I’d like to give thanks to everyone who helped me along the way. I'm really grateful to be here and there are so many people that helped me get here.”

Breezy Johnson, of Victor, Idaho, was named to an eight-member women’s alpine team that includes Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, AJ Hurt, Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien.

The bobsled track at Cortina was still being built in September 2025, and it’s still not complete according to reports on Thursday.

And Chase Josey, a Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation alum, was named to the Men’s Halfpipe Team. He’ll be competing in his third Olympics.

“Being named to the Olympic team this year is probably even more meaningful than the first two because the challenges getting here were greater,” said Chase Josey. “Through all the anticipation and a lot of what-ifs, I’m embracing the overall experience and am proud of the path I’ve taken as a strong ambassador for the sport and for my team. I hope I can be an inspiration and a role model for the next generations in snowboarding.”

Jake Adicoff will compete in his fourth Paralympics following the Olympics with Peter Wolter as his guide. Both are members of the SVSEF Gold Team.

“This is a really unique opportunity that happens once every four years, and these guys are really special because they grew up in the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation program from a young age,” said Rick Kapala, SVSEF’s director of Sport Development. “We are so stoked that this little town, this little community can generate athletes at this level. And we’re so thankful for our partnership with Sun Valley Company and the BCRD, which grooms the Nordic trails every morning.”

This sign, which said 177 days until the Olympics in September, should have wound down to 14 by now.

“I am incredibly proud of our athletes and what they’ve accomplished,” said Scott McGrew, Executive Director of SVSEF. “To see four Olympians emerge from our small mountain community is really extraordinary, and it speaks not only to their individual dedication and talent, but to the deep Olympic heritage that has shaped Sun Valley for generations. Our Wood River Valley home carries such a rich history of excellence, opportunity, and belief in what young athletes can become; that legacy continues with this amazing group of humans.”

At 20 Smith is the youngest of eight women on a cross country ski team that will compete Feb. 7 through Feb. 22. Smith captured two national titles at the U.S. Nationals Cross Country Championships in Lake Placid two weeks ago after missing the first part of the ski season to compete with her Stanford University soccer team for the national championship.

 She was the top American finisher at her first World Cup event of the season last weekend in Germany, coming in 12^th.

“Sammy is quite young to be accomplishing what she’s doing,” said Kapala. “It was just last year she was racing in the World Juniors.”

John Steel Hagenbuch has been skiing with a fair amount of pain this season after dislocating his shoulder in Davos, Switzerland.

But the 24-year-old has been pushing through it, said Kim Hagenbuch. He won the Boulder Mountain Tour and the American Birkebeiner and has a NCAA championship title, as a well as a bronze medal in skate sprint at the U23 FIS Ski World Championships.

“His ability to work hard and push himself is pretty unique,” said Kim Hagenbuch. “We super excited for him, and we’re super excited for all the other athletes.”

“To see this level of achievement across three different programs and disciplines is no accident,” said McGrew. “It reflects years of intentional work and collaborations by our coaches, staff, families, and partners to create the right opportunities, at the right moments, with the right people, and in the right measure as athletes grow and develop within our programs here at SVSEF. We are deeply committed to supporting athletes over the long arc of their journey, not rushing outcomes, while building strong foundations that allow extraordinary potential to be realized. It's so rewarding to see this come together for our athletes and our community.”

Sun Valley’s Chris Grover, the program director for Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, said he’s excited to see what the team can do in Val di Fiemme.

“Our season started slowly, but we’ve built some important momentum in the last few weeks. We have some athletes who are at the pinnacle of their craft, winning World Cups and showing everyone what is possible for USA cross country. We’ll be medal threats in some key Olympic events, and we’ve assembled the biggest and most experienced support staff in history to support these athletes,” he said.

Forty-eight of the 97 athletes, including John Steel Hagenbuch, Sammy Smith and Ryder Sarchett, are first-time Olympians.

Athletes will compete across 25 venues in what is the most geographically widespread Games in history. The men alpine team will compete in Bormio and the women’s team in Cortina. The cross country skiers will compete in Val di Fiemme and the snowboarders will be in Livigno.

“The athletes we are sending to the Games represent a large portion of Team USA and I am confident about the impact they will make in Italy,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, according to a report filed by L:eann Bentley. “More than the results, our athletes are also bringing some of the most captivating story lines to Milano Cortina, and we are so excited to see the impact they will have while representing their country in February.”

Anouk Patty, chief of Sport for Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team Program called Team USA’s alpine ski team a deep, experienced and incredibly motivated alpine team that includes Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated alpine skier of all time; Lindsey Vonn, the winningest speed skier in history, and Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

“From Olympic champions and World Championships medalists to athletes making their Olympic debut, every skier on this roster has proven they can perform under pressure,” he added.

The U.S. Nordic team has never been stronger, thanks to Jessie Diggins, a three-time Olympic medalist. On the snowboard side Chloe Kim is a two-time Olympic champion and the youngest Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding history returns alongside Olympic champions Red Gerard and Nick Baumgartner.

Others include Olympic silver medalist mogul skier Jaelin Kauf and Olympic gold medal aerial skier Chris Lillis.

Matt Gnoza, program director for the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team said the U.S. has the best freestyle team in the world with Olympic medalists freeskiers Alex Hall, Alex Fereira and Nick Goepper on board.

“Each athlete on this team has different strengths, and I know that they make each other better every day,” he said.

Rick Bower, program director of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team said that the depth of the team is incredible—the selection came down to the wire: “From seasoned veterans making their fifth Olympic team all the way to our youngest athlete at 16-years-old, the talent on this team is immense and we’re thrilled to head into the Games with this snowboard squad.”

OLYMPIC ROSTERS

2026 U.S. Olympic Alpine Team
(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

Women

• Mary Bocock (Salt Lake City, UT; Rowmark Ski Academy; Dartmouth College; 10/7/2003)
• Keely Cashman (Strawberry, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; Montana State University; 4/4/1999; 2022)
• Katie Hensien (Redmond, WA; Rowmark Ski Academy; University of Denver; 12/1/1999; 2022)
• AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; Dartmouth College; 12/5/2000; 2022)
• Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID; Rowmark Ski Academy; 1/19/1996; 2018, 2022)
• Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake, MN; Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; University of Vermont; 4/7/1994; 2022)
• Nina O’Brien (Denver, CO; Burke Mountain Academy/Team Palisades Tahoe; Dartmouth College; 11/29/1997; 2022)
• Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, CO; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/13/1995; 2014, 2018, 2022)
• Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Buck Hill Ski Team; 10/18/1984; 2002, 2006, 2010, 2018)
• Jacqueline Wiles (Aurora, OR; White Pass Ski Club; 7/13/1992; 2014, 2018, 2022)
• Isabella Wright (Salt Lake City, UT; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 2/10/1997; 2022)

Men

• Bryce Bennett (Tahoe City, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; 7/14/1992; 2018, 2022)
• Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club; 3/27/1992; 2018, 2022)
• Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, ME; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Dartmouth College; 5/27/1996)
• Kyle Negomir (Littleton, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Dartmouth College; 10/3/1998)
• River Radamus (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 2/12/1998; 2022)
• Ryder Sarchett (Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; University of Colorado Boulder; 7/28/2003)

2026 U.S. Olympic Cross Country Team
(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

Women

• Rosie Brennan (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; Dartmouth College; 12/2/1988; 2018, 2022)
• Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN; Stratton Mountain School; 8/26/1991; 2014, 2018, 2022)
• Lauren Jortberg (Boulder, CO; Mansfield Nordic Pro Team; Centre National d’entraînement Pierre-Harvey Team; Dartmouth College; 9/28/1997)
• Julia Kern (Waltham, MA; Stratton Mountain School; Dartmouth College; 9/12/1997; 2022)
• Kendall Kramer (Fairbanks, AK; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 6/26/2002)
• Novie McCabe (Winthrop, WA; Alaska Pacific University; University of Utah; 12/15/2001; 2022)
• Samantha “Sammy” Smith (Boise, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Stanford University; 9/22/2005)
• Hailey Swirbul (El Jebel, CO; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 7/10/1998; 2022)

Men

• John Steel Hagenbuch (Ketchum, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Dartmouth College; 10/1/2001)
• Zak Ketterson (Minneapolis, MN; Team Birkie; Northern Michigan University; 4/2/1997)
• Zanden McMullen (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; 5/31/2001)
• Ben Ogden (Burlington, VT; Stratton Mountain School; University of Vermont; 2/13/2000; 2022)
• James "JC" Schoonmaker (Lake Tahoe, CA; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 8/12/2000; 2022)
• Gus Schumacher (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 7/25/2000; 2022)
• Hunter Wonders (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; 8/7/1998)
• Jack Young (Jay, VT; Green Racing Project; Colby College; 12/17/2002)

2026 U.S. Olympic Freeski Team
(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

Halfpipe
Women

• Kate Gray (Crowley Lake, CA; Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team; 6/29/2006)
• Svea Irving (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Freeski Team; University of Colorado Boulder; 2/27/2002)
• Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Colorado Denver; 8/14/2003)
• Abby Winterberger (Truckee, CA; Olympic Valley Freestyle Freeride Team; 5/1/2010)

Men

• Alex Ferreira (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 8/14/1994; 2018, 2022)
• Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, IN; Cork Tech Freeski; 3/14/1994; 2014, 2018, 2022)
• Hunter Hess (Bend, OR; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; Salt Lake Community College; 10/1/1998)
• Birk Irving (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Freeski Team; 7/26/1999; 2022)

Slopestyle & Big Air
Women

• Marin Hamill (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 4/5/2001; 2022)
• Rell Harwood (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 6/1/2001)
• Grace Henderson (Madbury, NH; Waterville Valley BBTS; University of Utah; 4/28/2001)
• Avery Krumme (Squamish, British Columbia; BC Freestyle Team; 8/23/2008)

Men

• Mac Forehand (Winhall, VT; Stratton Mountain School; 8/4/2001; 2022)
• Alex Hall (Salt Lake City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 9/21/1998; 2018, 2022)
• Troy Podmilsak (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 8/23/2004)
• Konnor Ralph (Helena, MT; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Salt Lake Community College; 1/27/2003)

2026 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Ski Team, Moguls & Aerials
(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

Aerials
Women

• Kyra Dossa (Cleveland, OH; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 1/24/2004)
• Kaila Kuhn (Boyne City, MI; University of Utah; 4/8/2003; 2022)
• Tasia Tanner (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard/Fly Freestyle; University of Utah; 7/26/2002)
• Winter Vinecki (Gaylord, MI; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah/St. Mary’s University School of Law; 12/18/1998; 2022)

Men

• Connor Curran (Cincinnati, OH; Park City Ski & Snowboard/Elite Aerial Development Program; Utah Valley University; 9/23/2004)
• Quinn Dehlinger (Cincinnati, OH; Elite Aerial Development Program; Salt Lake Community College; 6/8/2002)
• Derek Krueger (Cleveland, OH; Elite Aerial Development Program; University of Utah; 6/2/2003)
• Chris Lillis (Rochester, NY; Bristol Mountain Freestyle Team; University of Utah; 10/4/1998; 2022)

Moguls
Women

• Olivia Giaccio (Redding, CT; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Columbia University; 8/15/2000; 2022)
• Tess Johnson (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Harvard Extension School; 6/19/2000; 2018)
• Jaelin Kauf (Alta, WY; Grand Targhee Ski & Snowboard Foundation/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 9/26/1996; Olympic Teams: 2018, 2022)
• Elizabeth “Liz” Lemley (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Oberlin College; 1/22/2006) 

Men

• Charlie Mickel (Durango, CO; Wasatch Freestyle/Durango Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 7/6/2004)
• Nick Page (Park City, UT; Wasatch Freestyle; 8/1/2002; 2022)
• Dylan Walczyk (Rochester, NY; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 6/25/1993; 2022)
• Landon Wendler (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Los Angeles Film School; 10/12/2000)

2026 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team
(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

Men

• Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI; Flying Eagles Ski Club; DeVry University; 6/9/1998; 2018, 2022)
• Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Colorado Mountain College; 12/7/2003)

2026 U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team
(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

Women

• Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 6/13/2002)
• Josie Johnson (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 10/3/2006)
• Paige Jones (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of North Dakota; 8/30/2002)

Men

• Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL; Norge Ski Club; 9/23/1996; 2018, 2022)
• Jason Colby (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 3/30/2006)
• Tate Frantz (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation; 3/28/2005)

2026 U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team 
(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

Halfpipe
Women

• Bea Kim (Palos Verdes, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 1/25/2007)
• Chloe Kim (Torrance, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 4/23/2000; 2018, 2022)
• Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 2/22/2000; 2018, 2022)
• Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/29/1994)

Men

• Alessandro Barbieri (Portland, OR; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; 10/5/2008)
• Chase Blackwell (Longmont, CO; Summer Action Sports Club; 2/27/1999)
• Chase Josey (Hailey, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 3/31/1995; 2018, 2022)
• Jake Pates (Eagle, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 7/30/1998; 2018)

Parallel Giant Slalom
Women

• Iris Pflum (Minneapolis, MN; G Team; 7/13/2003)

Men

• Cody Winters (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/20/2000; 2022)

Slopestyle
Women

• Lily Dhawornvej (Frisco, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 8/14/2009)
• Hahna Norman (Truckee, CA; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/26/2004)
• Jess Perlmutter (Millburn, NJ; Killington Mountain School; 12/2/2009)

Men

• Jake Canter (Evergreen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 7/19/2003)
• Sean FitzSimons (Hood River, OR; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; 9/22/2000; 2022)
• Red Gerard (Silverthorne, CO; 6/29/2000; 2018, 2022)
• Ollie Martin (Wolcott, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 6/15/2008)

Snowboard Cross
Women

• Stacy Gaskill (Golden, CO; International Snowboard Training Center; University of Colorado Boulder; 5/21/2000; 2022)
• Hanna Percy (Truckee, CA; Gould Academy Competition Program; 7/7/2007)
• Brianna Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, NJ; Gould Academy; University of Utah; 1/30/2006)
• Faye Thelen (Salt Lake City, UT; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Westminster College; 3/24/1992; 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)

Men

• Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI; 12/17/1981; 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
• Nathan Pare (Bethel, ME; Gould Academy; 2/1/2005)
• Jake Vedder (Pinckney, MI; International Snowboard Training Center; 4/16/1998; 2022)
• Cody Winters (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/20/2000; 2022)

*Denotes first-time Olympian