Hunter Hess

Hunter Hess
Personal information
Born (1998-10-01) October 1, 1998
Bend, Oregon, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportFreestyle skiing
Event
Halfpipe
Medal record
Men's freestyle skiing
Representing the  United States
Winter X Games
2024 Aspen SuperPipe
2025 Aspen SuperPipe

Hunter Hess (born October 1, 1998) is an American freestyle skier. He represented the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Early life

Hess attended Summit High School in Bend, Oregon where he played soccer.[1] He competed in the USASA Enter the Dragon competition at Mt. Bachelor and eventually joined the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF) at nine years old.[2]

Career

During the 2018–19 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Hess earned his first FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup podium finish on December 22, 2018, finishing in third place.[3][4]

A few months before the Olympic qualifiers, Hess crashed while training, tearing his medial collateral ligament (MCL), and failed to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics.[1] He finished the 2023–24 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup with three podium finishes, and in second place in the overall standings with 265 points, finishing behind teammate Alex Ferreira.[5]

In January 2024, Hess competed at the Winter X Games in Aspen and won a bronze medal in the SuperPipe event with a score of 92 on his third and final run to edge three-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper.[6] In January 2025, he again competed at the Winter X Games in Aspen and won a bronze medal in the SuperPipe event with a score of 85.66.[7]

Hess represented the United States at the 2025 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in the halfpipe event and finished in fifth place with a score of 89.75.[8] During the 2025–26 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup season opener on December 12, 2025, he finished in third place with a score of 86.25.[9] The next week, on December 20, 2025, he finished in second place with a score of 89.00.[10]

Hess qualified for his first Winter Olympics in 2026. At a press conference, he stated that he had "mixed feelings" about representing the United States due to domestic policies of the second Trump administration. He explained, "There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren't. I think for me it's more I'm representing my, like, friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S." The remarks triggered widespread public backlash on social media and from numerous public figures.[11] President Donald Trump called Hess a "real loser".[12] Gold medalist Mike Eruzione suggested that if Hess "doesn't represent his country but his family and friends, then don't put on the USA uniform".[13] Olympians including Eileen Gu and Chloe Kim defended Hess,[14] with cross-country skier Zak Ketterson saying, "it's pretty childish to come at somebody for exercising their free speech."[15] Hess went on to finish in 10th place in the halfpipe final.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b "Summit grad Hunter Hess battles through 2 medical setbacks, proves his toughness in freestyle skiing". ktvz.com. February 17, 2022. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  2. ^ Morical, Mark (January 24, 2019). "Bend's Hunter Hess is enjoying a breakout season as a halfpipe skier". The Bulletin. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  3. ^ Morical, Mark (December 9, 2023). "Bend's Hunter Hess third in halfpipe skiing World Cup in China". The Bulletin. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  4. ^ "First World Cup Podium for Hess". usskiandsnowboard.org. December 20, 2018. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  5. ^ "Historic Crystal Globe for Ferriera, Irving Third in Calgary". usskiandsnowboard.org. February 18, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  6. ^ Morical, Mark (January 29, 2024). "Bend's Hunter Hess wins bronze medal in ski superpipe at X Games". The Bulletin. Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  7. ^ "X Games Aspen 2025 Men's Ski SuperPipe Top 3 Runs". freeskier.com. January 26, 2025. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  8. ^ Colbert, Austin (March 31, 2025). "Aspen's Ferreira finishes third for the second time at world championships". The Aspen Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  9. ^ Smith, Shawn (December 13, 2025). "Fin Melville Ives, Eileen Gu open freeski halfpipe World Cup season with victories". NBColympics.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  10. ^ Smith, Shawn (December 20, 2025). "Alex Ferreira, Hunter Hess finish 1-2 in freeski halfpipe at U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain". NBColympics.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  11. ^ "US Olympians speaking up about politics at home face online backlash — including from Trump". AP News. February 8, 2026. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  12. ^ Ott, Haley (February 8, 2026). "Trump lashes out at Team USA athlete for sharing thoughts on political situation at home". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2026. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  13. ^ Gaydos, Ryan (February 8, 2026). "'Miracle on Ice' star rips American Olympian over remarks about representing Team USA". Fox News. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  14. ^ "Chloe Kim, Eileen Gu speak out after President Trump calls an Olympian 'a loser'". The Athletic. February 9, 2026. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  15. ^ "U.S. Olympians Rally After Trump Jab Fuels Free Speech Spat: 'Pretty Childish'". HuffPost. Reuters. February 11, 2026. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  16. ^ "Bend's Hunter Hess finishes 10th in Olympic halfpipe final; American Alex Ferreira wins gold". Central Oregon Daily. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
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