Dream team: SSCV mogul skiers team up to win Youth Olympic Games gold medal

With Ski and Snowboard Club Vail supplying Team USA with three of its four Youth Olympic Games mogul skiers, the ‘dream team’ moniker certainly works at a local scale. After Friday’s mixed team dual moguls competition, it’s fairly safe to say it applies on the international level, too.

“It seems like a pretty good team,” Porter Huff told Olympics.com after he and his fellow SSCV mogul skier, Liz Lemley, brought home the gold medal in Gangwon, South Korea.

“It’s good to come up here and deliver.”

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“Feels pretty good,” Lemley added. “This being a dual event in the Youth Olympics, it’s the first of its kind and a preparation for 2026 (Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games). So I think it’s pretty cool.”

SSCV’s Jiah Cohen also captured bronze alongside Steamboat Spring’s Abby McLarnon, but not before some drama ensued at Jeongseon High 1 Ski Resort, the sight of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

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After receiving a first-round bye, Lemley and Huff knocked off Canada 50-20 in the first quarterfinal. Things were a bit tighter in the semifinal, where the pair defeated Japan’s Hikaru Sakai and Takuto Nakamura 38-32. Meanwhile, McLarnon and Cohen tied with Korea’s Shin-Ee Yun and Yoon Seung Lee in semifinal No. 2.

At first, it was announced that the two American teams would face off for the title. The Coloradan duo was en route to the top of the course when the decision was overturned based on the tiebreak system in place.

“We found out at the top of the chair lift. Our teammates told us,” McLarnon told Olympics.com. “I was totally cool with it. I was super calm and confident, ready to go in and ski my run.”

SSCV mogul coach Freddy Mooney, who was onsite as the U.S. Team coach, explained the confusion to Olympics.com.

“They went through three different tie-breaks. So they go to ‘turns’ and it was still tied, then they go to ‘air’ and it was still tied, so then they go to the winner of the second heat, and the Korean guy won,” he said.

“I think it’s an obvious flaw in the judging system here, when you end up with an even number of points. Duals are going to be close. It’s a new event and we need to tweak it a little bit if this is going to become a more popular format to run.”

“It was a tiebreaker with a different ending — it happens,” McLarnon said.

Cohen remained composed going into the small final against the Japanese team.

“We both stayed pretty calm, it didn’t affect us too much coming into the game and getting it done.”

Cohen said he felt the speed increase in the second run of the small final.

“The competition was going really fast, everyone was moving down the hill way faster than in the first runs and it really inspired me to move too,” he said.

“It’s definitely in my mind at the top of the run — you just have to keep your eyes as far down the hill as you can, and just go with it and don’t second guess.”

Cohen came through the finish and hugged his dad and stepmom at the bottom.

“They were just really happy for me and they went all this way for me so I was more than thankful for them coming here,” he said. “I feel amazing. Super hyped and I’m sure my friends and family at home are too.”

In the final, Lemley handed Huff a 23-point lead after run No. 1.

“I just had such confidence in Liz that she would always put down a good run and be up in the points. I knew if I just put a good run down I could secure the win,” Huff said.

“She’s phenomenal. She’s one of a kind, a prodigy.”

In regard to his approach in following up his teammate, Huff said he wasn’t dwelling on “not screwing up,” but rather was thinking “have a good run, pressure my opponent a little bit, and just get down like always.”

The 15-year-old executed a cork seven on the top air and a back X on the bottom — what he described as a “pretty standard run for me in the duals.” Even though the American crossed the line just behind Lee, he was clean enough to secure the 43-27 victory.

“It feels amazing, a dream for us,” Huff said.

“I was pretty excited,” Lemley added. “I was confident he was going to lay down the run so. So I’m happy.”

It’s been a busy weekend for SSCV mogul skiers — past and present.

The NBS Mogul Classic, featuring some of the top Rocky Mountain Freestyle athletes, is Jan. 27-28 on The Dark Side at Vail Mountain. Meanwhile, Tess Johnson, Kai Owens, Dylan Walczyk and Nash Lucas are competing in New Hampshire at the Waterville Valley World Cups.

More than 1,900 athletes from 80 countries are competing at the Youth Olympic Games through Feb. 1. SSCV has nine athletes competing at the 2024 Games across snowboard and Alpine, freestyle and cross-country skiing. A livestream of Youth Olympic Games events is available on Olympics.com.