A year after his trailblazing trick, Miro Tabanelli targets another Italian medal in big air

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Miro Tabanelli sped down the steep incline before launching into a spin that expanded the limits of what is possible for daredevils on skis.

Six-and-a-half dizzying rotations later, all completed in a near blur to the naked eye, the 21-year-old Italian slammed his skis into the snow in Aspen, Colorado, and thrust his arms skyward. He had just become the first skier to land a 2340-degree jump in competition. That, not surprisingly, earned him a gold medal in big air at the 2025 Winter X Games.

As the ecstatic television commentator put it: “Miro Tabanelli has spun into the future!”

Tabanelli reflected on his feat almost a year later as he was set to compete in the Milan Cortina Olympics in his home country.

“It was a milestone I reached after a long time of preparation,” the 21-year-old Tabanelli told The Associated Press.

Beneath the nonchalant attitude that freestyle skiers and snowboarders are known for, Tabanelli said he put countless hours into nailing his unprecedented airborne twirl.

“Nothing happens by chance,” he said. “I’d been doing it in training for a while, but it was about getting a certain level of consistency before doing it in competition. At the X Games everything was perfect, and the 2340 gave me a wonderful victory.”

He said it was all about hard work, belief — and letting go.

“It’s a wonderful feeling when you manage to make such a leap, which requires no thought, just a lot of practice and a lot of confidence.”

Japan's Hiroto Ogiwara executed the first 2340 jump on a snowboard at the same X Games last year.

Tabanelli will compete in freestyle big air qualifying on Sunday. As of Saturday, the host country had exceeded expectations by winning 18 medals, including six golds.

Tabanelli's rise has been paralleled by that of his younger sister, Flora Tabanelli, herself a breakout freestyle skier.

The siblings practically grew up in the snow. Their parents managed a mountain refuge at 1800 meters in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.

And they were peaking together after both won a World Cup event in France last March.

The siblings also participated in a publicity stunt at the 2024 Giro d’Italia cycling race, when they soared over the road while cyclist Tadej Pogacar was pedaling underneath during a stage that finished in Livigno, the site of the Olympic freestyle and snowboarding events.

Their chances of competing together at the Milan Cortina Games appeared to be gone when Flora Tabanelli injured the ACL in her right knee in November, just before her 18th birthday.

She was expected to miss the Games, but she recovered in time to participate in Saturday's big air qualification.

Flora Tabanelli also has medal hopes. She won gold in big air at last season’s world championships and became the World Cup champion in the discipline.

For his part, Miro Tabanelli said he's fully prepared.

“The preparation went well. We worked hard on the physical training, but also on perfecting the tricks.”

Speaking of tricks, will he try to add another twist his 2340?

That, he said, “is a secret!”

This story has been corrected. A previous version reported incorrectly that Flora Tabanelli would not be competing at the Milan Cortina Games because of injury. She is competing.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Italy's Miro Tabanelli competes during men's freestyle skiing slopestyle qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Italy's Miro Tabanelli reacts during men's freestyle skiing slopestyle qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Italy's Flora Tabanelli practices during a slopestyle training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Italy's Flora Tabanelli practices during a freestyle skiing slopestyle training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Italy's Miro Tabanelli practices during a freestyle skiing slopestyle training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

The group of 15 backcountry skiers headed out on a three-day trek organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides into pristine wilderness near Frog Lake in California's Sierra Nevada as a powerful winter storm moved into the state.

The skiers on Sunday made their way to remote huts situated at 7,600 feet (3,415 meters) in Tahoe National Forest, carrying their own food and supplies. At 6:49 a.m. that same morning, the Sierra Avalanche Center had issued an avalanche watch for the area, indicating that large slides were likely in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Two days later, as the group was making its way back out to a trailhead and the center increased the watch to a warning, an avalanche hit near Castle Peak, trapping the skiers. Authorities said Wednesday that eight people were killed and one person remained missing. Six skiers were rescued after sheltering in place for hours as search crews battled blizzard conditions.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said investigators were looking into the decision to proceed with the trip on Sunday despite the forecast for a major storm.

“We’re still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made,” Moon said at a Wednesday news conference announcing the deaths.

Before the disaster, the tour company said its guides were highly skilled in dealing with extreme conditions and that it offered avalanche education. It’s not known if the guides would have known about the avalanche warning as they returned to the trailhead.

“If you’ve booked the Frog Lake Huts in Truckee, trust our guides to elevate your trip to the next level,” the business said on its website, advertising the trip. “We’ll navigate in and out of the huts, manage the risks, and find the best terrain and snow quality for you and your group!”

Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement Tuesday that it was coordinating with authorities. Three of the guides were among those killed, officials said.

The company, with offices in California and Washington state, offers mountaineering and backcountry ski trips across the U.S. West Coast as well as in Europe and Japan. The tour outfit also offers safety courses like wilderness skills and first aid.

The rugged terrain where the skiers died had been closed to the public for a century before the Truckee Donner Land Trust bought it and opened the huts, which are outfitted with basic accommodations such as sleeping pads, gas stoves and flush toilets.

The tour, which cost $1,165.00 per person, was rated for intermediate-to-expert skiers with at least 20 days of backcountry experience who should be prepared to climb up to 2,500 vertical feet (760 meters) throughout the course of a day, according to the company’s website. Guides carry first aid kits and “wag bags” for human waste disposal, but participants must bring their own ski equipment and avalanche gear, including a beacon, shovel and probe.

“Generally our guides are able to find excellent backcountry snow conditions, but often we need to travel through difficult conditions to access the goods,” the website description said. “This requires riders to be adept with their backcountry touring skills and have a solid foundation of touring before the trip.”

Rapidly accumulating snow piling on fragile snowpack layers, along with strong winds, contributed to the treacherous conditions this week. The town of Soda Springs, near where the avalanche took place, recorded at least 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow during a 24-hour period, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.

Anthony Pavlantos, owner of Utah-based Prival USA, makes avalanche safety equipment and runs mountain safety programs. He said often the safest option when severe weather or avalanches hit is to quickly move out of the area, rather than hunker down.

“It was quite likely very necessary for them to leave the backcountry so their hazard wasn’t increased further,” Pavlantos said of the skiers struck by the California avalanche.

Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.

Snow covers a road on an underpass along interstate 80 on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon updates media on rescue efforts following an avalanche at a news conference in Nevada City, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)

Snow piles up along a road on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Snow covers a street sign on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A road is cleared during a snow storm on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A street is covered in snow on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)