Standing at the top of the course before the final of The Snow League’s inaugural freeski event, Luke Harrold knew what he had to do.
“I’ve got this. Believe in myself. Let my skis run. Patience,” he said to himself before dropping into the halfpipe in China.
After hosting an event in Aspen in March 2025 with snowboarders only, the league – fronted by three-time Olympic gold medallist and 23-time X Games medallist Shaun White – brought skiers into the fold for its second event, with 17-year-old Harrold among those signed for the sophomore showing in December.
The young Kiwi entered the field as the fifth seed, but made a strong start to win his quarter-finals and semi-finals – posting the highest-scoring run of any athlete in the field both times. But drawn against Canadian veteran Brendan Mackay in the final, Harrold fell agonisingly short.
In the head-to-head format, the pair needed a third run to separate them, with the Canadian coming out on top. For his second-placed finish, Harrold netted the US$25,000 runner-up prize.
“It’s always cool to have something new. I think it’s a really good opportunity. It’s amazing how much they’re putting into the events. It’s definitely going to grow and become one of the biggest events in no time,” Harrold told the Herald.
“Their format is really cool and I think it’s really good to watch. It’s really easy to understand for the viewers. So I think that does increase everything, increases the amount of people watching, which is really amazing.”
It was just one of several major events Harrold will compete in within the 2025-26 snow season, in which he will make his first appearance at the Winter Olympic Games.
Harrold, just 13 at the time of the last Games, said he could not have predicted he would be competing at the next one when he settled in to watch the action, but was stoked to find himself in such a position.
“I remember watching the last Olympics and I was, I think, on my second camp ever overseas,” he recalled.
“It was so cool watching everyone back home and I knew I always wanted to, but I definitely didn’t think that I would be in the position to go to them now.”
Harrold was among the initial eight athletes named to the New Zealand team, having met the qualification criteria early. He will be one of four Kiwis competing in the freeski halfpipe, alongside world champion Fin Melville Ives, Gustav Legnavsky and Ben Harrington. Harrold and Melville Ives claimed gold and silver respectively at the Youth Olympics in 2024.
Harrold goes into the event with some solid form, following up his runner-up finish at the Snow League event with a runner-up finish at the FIS World Cup stop in China, where he was second to Melville Ives.
For Harrold, the halfpipe presents an opportunity to send it, with his strength being his willingness to attempt bigger tricks than other competitors.
“Growing up, I’ve always been like, oh, I’ve done a 360, I want to do a 540. It’s kind of just progressed from there and keep growing,” he said.
“I would say the goal at the moment wouldn’t actually be to add any more spins right now. It would be to increase my other areas in the halfpipe, like amplitude, grabbing, trying to get better grabs, octo grabs, everything. I think that’s my main focus at the moment.”
The youngest New Zealand freeskier to earn a World Cup podium with a second-placed finish at 15 years old in 2024, Harrold has continued to make his mark on the world stage.
Heading into the Games, however, the goal was a little bit simpler.
“Coming into Italy, my goals are to go in there, have fun and do my best run possible. That’s really all I’m thinking about. I’m just trying to do the best I can on the day and have a great time.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.