Hiroto Ogiwara of Japan has topped qualifying for men's big air as snowboarding kicked off at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The men's snowboarding big air competition is one of the first events to get underway at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Team USA men's snowboarder Red Gerard is a slopestyle specialist who is not a fan of having to compete in the big air format.

A rash of injuries in the leadup to the Winter Olympics have brought into sharp focus the risk that snowboarders and freeskiers take by flipping and twisting above rock-hard slabs of snow for a living.

The United States has dominated the snowboarding events at the Winter Olympics since the sport was introduced at the Games in 1998.

Canadian Olympian Mark McMorris dropped out of the big air snowboarding competition after a hard crash during a qualifier for the Winter Games.