Monster Energy's Finley Melville Ives Takes 1st Place in Freeski Halfpipe at the 2026 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen Snowmass

• 19-Year-Old Melville Ives from New Zealand Claims Victory in Superpipe at Buttermilk Mountain
• Women's Freeski Halfpipe: 22-Year-Old Zoe Atkin from Park City, Utah, Takes 2^nd Place
• Women's Freeski Slopestyle: 24-Year-Old Megan Oldham from Parry Sound, Canada Earns 2^nd Place
• Men's Snowboard Slopestyle: 20-Year-Old Monster Army Rider Dane Menzies Claims 3^rd Place
• Women's Snowboard Slopestyle: 21-Year-Old Kokomo Murase from Gifu, Japan, Earns 3^rd Place
  

ASPEN, Colo., Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Way to start the new year! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Finley Melville Ives on claiming first place in Men's Freeski Halfpipe at the 2026 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen Snowmass this weekend. In the World Cup event sanctioned by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), the 19-year-old from Wānaka, New Zealand, sealed his victory with a dominant first run in Saturday's final.

Also on Saturday, the Women's Freeski Halfpipe contest saw 22-year-old Zoe Atkin from Park City, Utah, claim second place. On Friday, 24-year-old Megan Oldham from Parry Sound, Canada, took second place in Women's Freeski Slopestyle.

Monster Energy athletes also earned podiums in the weekend's snowboard competitions: The Men's Snowboard Slopestyle event concluded with 20-year-old Monster Army rider Dane Menzies from New Zealand in third place. In Women's Snowboard Slopestyle, 21-year-old Kokomo Murase from Gifu, Japan, took third place.

From January 7-10, the 2026 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen Snowmass attracted the world's best ski and snowboard athletes for competitions in halfpipe and slopestyle disciplines. Started in 1998, the event is the longest-running winter action sports competition. This year, the FIS World Cup also factored into the Olympic qualification series for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

Here's how the action unfolded for Team Monster Energy in Aspen Snowmass this weekend:

FREESKI
In the Men's Freeski Halfpipe final, Monster Energy's Melville Ives dropped in as the reigning FIS World Champion in the discipline and top-qualified rider from Friday's prelims. Bringing the heat to the 22-foot superpipe on Buttermilk Mountain, the New Zealand team rider clinched his win by posting a perfect first run score that no other rider could match.

Dropping into the massive halfpipe backwards, Melville Ives started his run with a switch right double cork 1080 safety, followed by left double cork 1620 mute, left alley-oop dub flatspin 1080 mute, switch left double cork 1080 Japan, and right double cork 1620 safety on the last hit for 95.00 points and first place.

"I'm just trying to have as much fun as possible when I'm skiing, and skiing is my happy place," said Monster Energy's Melville Ives upon claiming the win in Aspen. "To be able to do it in front of so many people, it's really like the halfpipe is a blank canvas and you're just like an artist with a brush."

This marks the second World Cup win of the 2025/26 season for Melville Ives. He recently took second place in the FIS World Cup in Calgary, Canada, and won the season opener at Secret Garden, China, in December.

The team also claimed a podium spot in the highly contested Women's Freeski Halfpipe final. Reigning FIS World Champion Atkin dropped in as a top contender and came within fractions of a point to claiming the win.

On her second attempt, Atkin put together left 540 mute, right 720 tailgrab, switch left 720 Japan, left alley-oop 540 mute, right alley-oop 360 Japan, and switch right 720 safety on the final hit for 92.75 points. Atkin claimed second place, merely 0.25 points behind China's Li Fanghui.

On Friday, the second Women's Freeski Slopestyle World Cup of the season concluded with Monster Energy's Oldham rising to the podium. After putting down a strong first attempt on the technical obstacle course at Snowmass, the Canadian raised the bar on her second run with increased difficulty and technicality.

Oldham started her run with a left 270 continuing 270 and switch left 270 continuing 270 in the rail section, followed by right 900 tailgrab and switch left 900 in the jumps, and right side front 6 on the final rail for 73.02 points and second place. This marks the ninth top-three finish in an FIS Slopestyle World Cup event for Oldham.

SNOWBOARD
On Saturday, the 2026 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen Snowmass also contested the Men's Snowboard Slopestyle. In the final featuring 16 international top riders, 20-year-old Monster Army rider Menzies from New Zealand rose all the way to the podium.

A perfect run featuring boardslide to switch front boardslide 270 and switch boardslide in the rail section, followed by switch backside 1620 Weddle and backside 1620 Indy in the jumps, and Cab 270 on 450 off on the final rail earned the kiwi ripper 83.68 points and third place.

In the Women's Snowboard Slopestyle final, Monster Energy's Murase dropped in as an Olympic medalist and podium favorite. When all was said and done, Murase claimed third place for putting together noseslide pretzel 270 and switch boardslide 270 the rails, Cab 900 Weddle and frontside double cork 1080 truck driver, and frontside lipslide 270 the final rail for 75.36 points and third place.  

Stay tuned as the season continues at the iconic LAAX OPEN in Switzerland from January 14-18!

For more on Finley Melville Ives, Zoe Atkin, Megan Oldham, Dane Menzies, Kokomo Murase, and the Monster Energy snow sports team, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok for exclusive updates from the 2026 snow sports season.

For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser.

About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.

CONTACT: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: [email protected]

SOURCE Monster Energy