The U.S. Freestyle Aerial Team is training in Bristol this week and be on hand for a freestyle aerial exhibition that is free and open to the public beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bristol Mountain.
The team includes Pittsford native Chris Lillis and other elite athletes preparing for the upcoming U.S. domestic World Cup events in Lake Placid later this month.
These events serve as Olympic qualifying competitions for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games coming up in February in Cortina, Italy. They are at Bristol after events were relocated due to unseasonably warm temperatures in Utah.
Lillis and other ski team members' participation in the exhibition is likely to be limited being just more than a month out from the Olympics.
"But people that come out and watch watch these kids jumps, they're gonna see some cool stuff," Lillis said. "They're gonna be see some 50-foot, 45-foot double backflips, and, you know, maybe some formations and things like that. And it's definitely going to be worth watching."
Wednesday’s exhibition will take place on Mikey’s Jump located on the Challenger Trail and “will showcase high-flying aerial maneuvers and provide spectators with a rare, up-close look at some of the world’s top freestyle ski athletes in action.” Officials say there is no charge to observe the exhibition.
Lillis didn't rule out an appearance before the home crowd, however: "At this point in the game, one of the biggest things outside of any sort of training and competing is making sure that you're staying healthy. And so, we'll see exactly what we get up to tonight, but I definitely recommend everybody come out and watch. And those young kids, they're going to be doing some pretty cool tricks out there tonight, so it should be fun to watch."
Bristol Mountain is simultaneously hosting a family-oriented New Year’s Eve celebration that will culminate with fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
