Going into his final Olympic qualifier of the season, Asher Michel knew he’d need a career-defining performance. Due to dicey weather and political unrest, nearly half of the qualifying competitions had been cancelled. This was his third and final chance to make the four-man roster of mogul skiers on the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team.

At the Jan. 16 event at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, Michel finished 9th. Teammates Nick Page, Charlie Mickel and Dylan Walczyk finished 5th, 6th and 21st respectively. But the Olympic roster was set based on best overall performance of the season, and Walcyzk had a 4th place finish at Val St. Come in September, so he held the third spot.

Meanwhile, Landon Wendler, Michel’s roomate at the U.S. Ski Team training grounds in Park City, Utah, finished 7th, just edging out his friend and teammate for the fourth and final spot. In the end, it all came down to about .8 points, said Michel.

“It wasn’t a big surprise or anything,” he said. “I knew what the situation was like when I went to that last qualifier in Waterville. It was definitely tough at first and I was super disappointed. But I’m having the best season I’ve had on World Cup so far, and I’m ranked 11^th overall, so there are some silver linings. Just because I didn’t make it this time, I know there going to be more opportunities in my career and I’m prepared to go to these next World Cup events after the Olympics and show that I deserve to be there.”

Michel’s next World Cup moguls competition is scheduled for Feb. 28 in Nanto Toyama, Japan. After that comes the grande finale on March 14-15 at the Shahdag Mountain Resort in Azerbaijan.

It was a difficult qualifying season due the fact that several events were impacted by weather an global conflict.

“It’s been such a rare season,” Michel said. “Every curveball was thrown and that’s it shook out. You just gotta except it and move on. They went through their process and It’s fun to be on a team that so competitive and everyone has to do their best.”

At Waterville Valley, Michel knew he had to have his best results of the season, and he did — but in the end, it wasn’t quite enough.

“I definitely felt I did what I could,” he said. “Everyone was having a good day that day. I was really proud of my process and how I competed and ended up getting the best score I’ve had.”

After the news officially broke the Wendler claimed the last spot on the Olympic roster, Michel took off for Cancun, Mexico with his father. On the way home, he spent time in Arizona golfing with his mother and stepdad.

“Honestly, it was almost a relief once it was over and I could relax, even though it didn’t work out,” he said. “It’d been a stressful couple of months. I decompressed, got out of my head and didn’t think about skiing.”

By the time, Michel got back to Park City to resume training, Wendler was already on his way to compete at the 2026 Olympic Games in Livigno, Italy.

“I’m definitely happy for him,” he said. “It’s a competitive environment we live in. We try to keep it out of personal relationships.”

Looking ahead, Michel, age 20, is keeping his head up and focused on building positively upon his best season yet.

“It didn’t work out for Olympics, but I’ve had a super strong season and I don’t want that take away from my season overall,” he said. “It might be a good thing after all. I’ve now experienced the stress going through Olympic qualifying. It’s been a really good learning experience and I’ve come out of it mentally stronger from the rejection of not making something you put so much effort into. It’s been a character building opportunity for me.”

Back at training in Park City, Michel is working on perfectly 1080s —three full rotational spins — for his jumps, which could earn him a higher degree of difficulty in the future. Fortunately, through the ups and downs of competitive athletics, Michel has had his family and friends from Grand County to rely on.

“Growing up in Winter Park has been great, because of all the support and people I’ve met along the way.” he said. “I’ve gotten lots of texts from people who are aware of the situation and supportive of me. It’s really nice to have a fan base back home that is in my corner. I wouldn’t even be this position if it weren’t for the great people in this county that have helped me in so many different ways.”