U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named five Michigan athletes to represent Team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
Olympic champion Nick Baumgartner, from Iron River, Michigan, proudly calls himself the “Blue Collar Olympian.”
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When not snowboarding, he works as a concrete pourer.
Baumgartner won his first Olympic medal in 2022, taking gold in the inaugural team event.
At that time, he became the oldest Olympic snowboarding medalist in history during his fourth Olympics.
Zak Ketterson is an alum of Northern Michigan University and represents Team Birkie.
He is part of the 2026 U.S. Olympic Cross Country Team.
Born April 2, 1997, Ketterson has previous Olympic experience.
Kaila Kuhn, originally from Boyne City, is an accomplished aerial skier.
Before joining the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, she trained with the Park City Ski & Snowboard Elite Aerial Development Program.
Jake Vedder, a snowboard cross racer from Pinckney, has competed since age eight.
His breakout year was 2016, when he earned multiple NorAm Cup podiums, made his World Cup debut, and won a gold medal for the U.S.
Winter Vinecki, a 2022 Olympian from Gaylord, continues to build her reputation in aerial skiing.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard nominated 92 other athletes to represent Team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, scheduled for Feb. 6-22, 2026.
The 97 athletes, including the five Michiganders, were selected based on predetermined criteria and will be officially announced on Jan. 26, 2026.
The Games will be the most geographically widespread in history, held across Italy in four main clusters: Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Valtellina, and Val di Fiemme.
Ski and snowboard events will take place in venues including Bormio, Cortina, Val di Fiemme, and Livigno.
The U.S. team includes 73 athletes from the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and 24 from the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team.
At the 2022 Beijing Games, U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes made up over 40% of Team USA’s delegation and won 15 of the 25 total medals.
Of the 97 athletes headed to Milano Cortina, 48 are first-time Olympians.
Several returning Olympians and multiple-time medalists will compete, including alpine stars Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, cross-country champion Jessie Diggins, freestyle moguls silver medalist Jaelin Kauf, aerials gold medalist Chris Lillis, freeski champions Alex Hall and Alex Ferreira, and snowboard champions Chloe Kim, Red Gerard, and Baumgartner.
--> Michigan snowboarder Nick Baumgartner trains for Olympics in his own backyard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt expressed confidence in the team’s impact at the Games, highlighting the athletes’ compelling stories and dedication.
Anouk Patty, Chief of Sport for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, called the team one of the strongest ever sent to the Olympics and expressed excitement to support them on the world’s biggest stage.