Alex Ferreira said he’s the happiest and most grateful guy in the world. This past winter season, the 30-year-old half-pipe skier competed in seven different events and podiumed at every single one.
Last year, he also podiumed in seven competitions. The year before that, he podiumed once. He’s coming off a 15-podium streak, having won the FIS crystal globe twice in a row and taken first at the U.S. Grand Prix this year.
Of course, he’s also competing in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games with the U.S. Ski Team, which, he said, will be his last time competing as an Olympian. So he’s putting it all on the line, training harder and with greater discipline than ever before.
“This is definitely the strongest I’ve ever felt going into [the Games],” he told GearJunkie.
The two-time Olympic medalist and three-time X Games gold medalist comes from Aspen, Colo. Many know him by his alter ego, Hotdog Hans — a crusty East Coast, senior sender who shows up at ski resorts around the world, to throw down. Asked if Hans would make an appearance at the 2026 games, Ferreira threw his head back and laughed.
“I wish,” he said. “Maybe he’ll make an appearance at the following one, when ‘Alex’ isn’t competing.”
We caught up with Ferreira during the heat of his spring training to discuss his regimen, the upcoming winter games, and the gear he’ll be using when he drops into that Italian half pipe.
Alex Ferreira (aka Hotdog Hans): Putting It All on the Line
GearJunkie: You just came off a really strong season. How are you feeling heading toward the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games?
Alex Ferreira: Definitely feeling strong headed into the Olympic year. I know that my competition is fierce and steep. So, I will not be taking a breath or resting on my laurels, for that matter, because they’re so good. But I do feel strongly moving forward into this Olympic Games. And it’s my last one. I’m going to give it my all. I’m all in.
Are there any competitors you’re watching particularly closely?
Yeah. It’s always changing from season to season. But specifically going into this season, there are two Kiwi boys who are named Finley Melville Ives and Luke Harrold. And those two are definitely guys to watch out for. They’re kids. It’s weird. They’re like 16 and 19 years old. And I’m 30. And they’re so good. I wish I was that good when I was their age.
And then, obviously, some Americans, Nick Gepper, Birk Irving, and some Canadians, Brendan MacKay, and some others. Definitely steep competition.
Birk is a cool guy and a great skier. Also, another Colorado native, right?
Birk is one of my good friends. He’s a wonderful teammate. He’s just a good person, and we have a lot of fun together. So I’m excited to be competing with him. And I hope we’re on the team together. And I hope we podium together in no particular order, one or two. It’s all good with me.
What has your training regimen entailed for these games so far?
I guess the training regimen varies from season to season. Currently, we’re in spring going into summer, so everyone’s trying to enjoy the warm weather and be outside a bit more.
We have gym time Monday, Wednesday, Friday. We have biking or cycling on Thursdays and then yoga and sprints on Tuesdays. In between all that, there’s the trampoline. There’s rollerblading off a ramp into an airbag, and also into a foam pit. There’s water ramping, airbagging on skis.
And, yeah, lots of running, biking, hiking, sauna, steam room, hot tub, physiotherapy, and chiropractic therapy. Just anything that’s going to help me and that’s going to heal me, I’m all into that. So that’s kind of the training regimen going into this [competition] right now.
Honestly, that sounds like a lot of fun.
It is a lot of fun. It’s good. It’s really tough when you’re so sore you can barely walk. But, you know, those days are fewer and farther between, which is nice. You just have to take everything with positivity and go for it.
Are you still getting any skiing in this summer, or are you fully in warm-weather training mode?
We actually just got done with a camp in Mammoth, Calif., about three weeks ago. And then we’ll be heading to Mount Hood, Ore., middle of June for about two or three weeks. They’ll have snow, so we’re back on snow there. Then, in September, usually the U.S. ski team will go to New Zealand or somewhere in the southern hemisphere.
You know, I had a lot of friends who just lived out of their suitcases and traveled weekly around the globe to ski, and I’m definitely a part of that program. Not as much, but I still love it.
Generally speaking, what are you most excited about for your last games?
I’m excited for the opportunity. And what I mean by that is it’s my last one, my last hurrah, and I’ve got nothing to lose.
Just going in with wholehearted good vibes, a positive outlook, working extremely hard, and I’m excited for the opportunity to give it my all in front of the world stage. Just do it.
Alex Ferreira: One With His Gear
When we asked Ferreira about the gear he uses in competitions, we didn’t expect to get such a thorough and succinct response.
“I’m kind of a gear fanatic because, in skiing and golf, you need your gear to be performing at the very absolute highest level, and the littlest details make the biggest difference,” he said. “I take [my gear] super seriously … You have to be one with the gear to be your best.”
He rattled the following list off the top of his head, faster and with more detail than any athlete this author has ever interviewed. This dude knows his equipment.
The Alex Ferreira Gear List
- Volkl Revolt 84 (173 cm)
- Marker V-Works bindings: “They’re going to be a variation of the Jester … they sit a few millimeters lower to the base of the ski, aka lower to the snow than any other binding in the world, which is really cool. I’ve been prototyping and testing it for the last two months, and it’s awesome.”
- Veloce Dalbello 130 boots: “There’s some custom modifications, meaning we take down the heel of the boot 3 mm so that you can put a metal plate on there so none of the plastic gets chewed.”
- Custom-made silicone boot boards (video above): “So my boot liner sits on maybe like a 30% damping compared to the usual impact that you would assume.”
- Krypton 24.5 liners: “They actually don’t make this liner anymore, which is such a shame.”
- Columbia pants and jacket: “All Columbia, all the time, usually some OmniHeat.”
- Level Gloves Custom Pro Trigger Mitten: “This is a 3,000 Fermaloft heat strength, I believe. So it’s really warm.”
- Neck gaiter: “Something really thin.”
- POC Orb Clarity Goggles: “Fire lenses only through any type of light. I think it’s just better for me. I like to keep it consistent.”
- Obex Pure MIPS Helmet (video above): “With some custom sticker jobs on the helmet. It’s really lightweight, good-looking, sleek-looking.”
- Zipline Hex Carbon poles
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