Ok to be honest I’m not sure really what I’m looking at in the Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe, and as the Olympic Broadcast commentator said, there’s probably not many halfpipes in Ireland but heck, Ben Lynch has made it to an Olympic Final, one of the 12 best in the world, so I for one, am all in.
So too are RTÉ who have cleared their evening schedule on RTÉ2 and will be showing the final live from 18:25. That means Home and Away has been sent packing, as has Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage and Rick Stein’s Food Stories. That’s tough on their fans but it’s an Olympic Final.
In fact it is the first time that an Irish athlete has ever made it to one on snow so let’s embrace history.
Ben Lynch Factfile:
Ben Lynch competes in halfpipe. Born in Rathmines, Dublin, he moved to Canada aged two and is now based in Calgary, where he trains under coach Rex Thomas. Lynch learned to ski in Vancouver and began competing at age 12, initially in slopestyle and big air before switching to halfpipe at 19.
He previously spent time on the Canadian development pathway and transferred to represent Ireland in 2024. He competes on the FIS World Cup circuit and recorded a 23rd-place finish at the Calgary World Cup in January 2025.
And What is the Half-Pipe?
The halfpipe (often called a superpipe at elite level) is a massive U-shaped snow structure carved into the mountain.
Length: Around 150–170 metres
Height of walls: About 6.7 metres (22 feet)
Shape: Two vertical walls with a flat bottom between them
Skiers drop in from one side, build speed, and launch into the air off each wall in succession, performing tricks before landing back into the pipe and crossing to the opposite side.
Athletes perform a sequence of 5–6 tricks per run, alternating from wall to wall.
Judges score each run based on overall impression rather than assigning points to individual tricks.
And here’s a guide to some of the tricks…
Switch – Taking off backwards
Cork – Off-axis spin
Double Cork – Two inverted flips within one spin
Grab – Holding the ski mid-air
Alley-oop – Spinning opposite direction to travel
Go Ben Go!
Image Credit: Team Ireland and Sportsfile
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