Welcome back to my blog! The past month has been quite a whirlwind, and I’m excited to share it all with you…

But FIRST.

Instead of saving it for the end, I think it’s very important that I acknowledge how grateful I am before diving into the nitty gritty of my Olympic experience. There’s simply no way I could have gotten to where I am in my ski career without the people in my life. It seriously takes a village.

Between my parents, coaches, and mentors, I have been fortunate enough to have an insanely supportive circle of people who want the best for me. My mom and my dad (especially!) have been there for me through everything: all of the obstacles and unforgettable moments.

Thanks to my mom!! this was a way that I felt the love from home. šŸ™‚ Some of my friends and family wrote me little notes to read when I was at the Games. As soon as I got to the village, I hung them all up on my bedroom wall. Every time I looked up, it felt like I had loved ones with me in person!

If you’re reading this blog, you’ve been a part of this journey, too, so thank you. I hope I’ve done a good job sharing it all! Read away…

Team Processing & Travels

My trip to the Olympics kicked off with team processing in Los Angeles, where we got outfitted in all of our off-hill gear, thanks to Ralph Lauren and Nike! The processing experience was pretty incredible. We also finalized many of the logistical measures required to enter China (COVID tests, customs forms, etc.). The excitement was very, very palpable as our departure date inched closer.

Kai and I getting fitted in the Ralph Lauren Closing Ceremonies outfits!

After a day and a half in LA, we boarded the first-ever charter flight to the Olympic Winter Games. (Thank you, Delta!!) The whole event was complete with a police escort, a special sendoff courtesy of Delta staff, and a really comfy in-flight experience that made transcontinental travel feel WAY shorter. Due to precautionary COVID measures, Team USA athletes of various sports were interspersed throughout the plane, which was pretty neat! I got to sit next to Alexa Knierim, a pairs figure skater who had already been to the Games. Over the course of the plane ride, I learned a lot more about the ins and outs of figure skating. I followed her and her partnerā€™s journey throughout the Games (spoiler: they crushed) and even snagged a selfie with her a couple days later at Opening Ceremonies!

The hangar where we boarded the Delta/Team USA charter to Beijing!!
The moguls team (blinded by the sun) before we boarded the flight!

When we finally landed on the tarmac in China, the first airport staff I saw was wearing a hazmat suit, complete with goggles and a KN95 mask (even though they were outside). In the village itself, nearly every volunteer wore a hazmat suit, too. As we completed the many customs stops in the airport, I quickly realized how abandoned the whole thing felt. The international terminal in the airport was completely closed off for the Olympic Games. The reality of how unique this Olympic experience would be sunk in during that first hour in China.

A cluster of volunteers helping us with our bags in Beijing.
The international terminal in the Beijing airport on our way out of China.

Village Life & Qualifications Competition Day

On our first day in the village, we explored the lay of the land, sorted out our new gear, and prepared for the four days of training ahead. The village was really neat! Each country had their own apartment that housed athletes and staff; Team USA had three apartments at the back corner of the village. Because the walk to the dining hall was often FREEZING, we used bikes that made the transport fun and easy! There were three Olympic villages at this Games: Beijing (home to ice sports and the big air venue); Yanqing (alpine and sliding venues); and Zhangjiakou (freestyle/freeski, cross-country, ski jumping sites). We were in Zhangjiakou, which was roughly a 3 hour drive from Beijing!

Biking around the village with Nick and Cole.
The Olympic rings! From left to right: Kai, Nick, Cole, myself, and Hannah! This was on our first day exploring the village.
The gorgeous moguls venue. šŸ˜
Myself, Hannah, and Jaelin (left to right) covered in snow before our first day of training. The excitement was real!!!

After four days of competition training on the venue, it was finally time for the first qualifications day! (The course was so fun: it skied quite a lot like Ruka, Finland, just a bit firmer.) My absolute favorite part about the Games ā€” hands down! ā€” was competing. Standing in the gate immediately prior to each competition run was pretty incredible. Apart from focusing on my key words, I was very, very overwhelmed by gratitude. Making it to that moment where I had the chance to show off my hard work for the world to seeā€¦that was indescribable.

Seconds before I dropped into my first Olympic debut run. This was a cool moment. Photo: Kate Blamey
Focused in on the bumps ahead. šŸ™‚ Photo: Getty Images

Especially prior to my first Olympic Qualification run, I was in awe of it all. I remember pushing out of the gate and internally jumping up and down at the fact that I was officially an Olympian (!!!) ā€” and then had to focus in as the top air came up quickly.

Iā€™d say the biggest difference between a World Cup and the Olympic Games was my perspective. In other words, I was very aware that this event in particular was the Olympics ā€” and I wanted to perform my absolute best on the world stage. Though many of my mentors and peers had told me that the Olympics was a whole different monster because of the pressure, atmosphere, and media, I felt as though many of those external distractions were scaled back due to COVID.

Aaaand the aftermath! Pretty cool finish area feeling.

ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA – FEBRUARY 06: Olivia Giaccio of Team United States reacts while waiting for their score during the Women’s Freestyle Skiing Moguls Final on Day 2 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Genting Snow Park on February 06, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Opening Ceremonies

The day after qualifications, we traveled to Beijing for Opening Ceremonies via the bullet train. The train traveled at 350 km/hr, which meant the travel was waaaay faster and more efficient than the initial drive up to Zhangjiakou! Once in Beijing, we were shuttled from bus, to waiting area, to hockey stadium, and finally, over to the Birdā€™s Nest, where the ceremony took place. I donā€™t have many words for what it was like to walk out of that tunnel, but that was one of the best moments of the entire Olympic experienceā€¦

This was unreal.
On the Opening Ceremonies floor with the Moguls Team (left to right: Cole, me, Hannah, Brad, Jaelin, Nick).
Made it on TV during Opening Ceremonies!
Me and Hannah (right) at Opening Ceremonies.

Menā€™s Moguls Day

Menā€™s moguls finals took place the day after Opening Ceremonies, and the day prior to womenā€™s moguls finals. That night definitely got me excited for my turn to compete. I was very inspired by many of the performances and simply in awe of the magic of competition in general.

Some of my favorites included Nick Page’s insanely impressive Olympic debut, with a top 5 (!!!); Cooper Woods confidently storming his way into a very stacked medal round; Walter Wallbergā€™s gold medal run (soooo exciting to watch!); Brad Wilsonā€™s emotional last Olympic run of his career; and Ikuma Horishima earning his first Olympic medal after finishing every single World Cup event on the podium thus far this season!

Women’s Moguls Day!

Womenā€™s finals day was my favorite day of the Olympics! I was simply having the time of my life. It was so, so fun to train, let the whole experience sink in, and then give it my all in competition round after round. Qualifying into the medal round (the final round of competition where the top 6 competitors compete for medals) was also pretty damn awesome. It was an honor to be among the top 6 girls in the world.

Stoked! ā¤ļø Photo: Getty Images

I truly would not have had even a remote chance of accomplishing this goal without my parents ā€” and thatā€™s an understatement. My mom and dad seriously have been my rock through it all. I deeply wish they could have witnessed my Olympic debut in person and experienced all of that emotion and gratitude right alongside meā€¦I settled for FaceTime (see below). That was still pretty good. šŸ™‚ And much needed in certain moments!

Absolutely EXHAUSTED while FaceTiming my mom after finals day at the Games.

Though I didnā€™t medal in the end (that obviously wouldā€™ve been pretty neat!), I was exceptionally proud of how I skied and how I handled myself through the whole process ā€” all the way from this prep season, through Olympic Qualifying, to the Games themselves. After I finished my last run of the night and after my long-time teammate, Jaelin, won her silver medal, I swept her into the tightest possible hug. Watching Jaelin prevail against so many odds was pretty incredible, to say the least. I was absolutely overcome by emotion: thankfulness, pride, and a whole lot of love.

ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA – FEBRUARY 06: Silver medalist Jaelin Kauf (R)of Team United States is congratulated by teammate Olivia Giaccio of Team United States after the Women’s Freestyle Skiing Moguls Final on Day 2 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Genting Snow Park on February 06, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Although a lot of aspects about the Games aligned with my expectations, one that didnā€™t was the way outside circumstances, gossip, and politics of the sport beyond my control affected my (and the entire teamā€™s) experience at the Olympics. When it came down to competition, however, I believe all the US athletes truly showcased exactly what we had worked so hard on: our skiing. In the end, thatā€™s what itā€™s always been about and thatā€™s what it will always be about. The love of the sport is what has drawn each of us to the realm of competition, and, as cheesy as it sounds, itā€™s what keeps me going during tough training days, setbacks, injuries, or mental blocks. In those few hours under the lights, all of the other bullshit fell away and our sport shined. It was a night I wonā€™t be forgetting anytime soon.

Where it all started, chasing my brother (Frankie) around the Killington slopes. I remembered moments like this while making final preparations for the Games…
Frankie and some of his friends flew out to Park City to watch the Games at the Team USA house! It would’ve been pretty incredible to have him there in person, but his support was felt from afar!
The team! …after it was all over. We’ve been through a lot this season as a squad, and it was such an honor to be a part of it all, and better yet: to come out stronger on the other side.

Wrapping Up the Games Experience

After our event, we explored the village a bit more thoroughly. Besides the apartments, there was a nail/hair salon (I got a nice haircut for free!šŸ¤Ŗ), the classic Olympic rings statue, a gift shop, a convenience store, a museum showcasing Chinese heritage, and a rec center with a gym, some games, and virtual reality sets!

After my fresh haircut!

Hours before our bus departed Zhangjiakou, I was able to watch Jessie Diggins claim her second Olympic medal ever (first USA womenā€™s cross-country individual medal!!). That was pretty cool. Though I donā€™t know her personally, Jessie is one of my favorite athletes to follow due to her grit on the hill and her personality off the hill. Watching such a strong performance from Team USA was also a pretty incredible way to cap off my Games experience!

Watching this moment in person was pretty incredible!!

Our team was out of the village and headed home just a couple days after the end of our event due to COVID restrictions. Ordinarily, weā€™d have the opportunity to watch other Olympic events and stay for the remainder of the Games. In 2026, fingers crossed the Olympics will include Dual Moguls, so weā€™ll have more opportunities to compete!!

Using my comfy ski bag as a bed while waiting for check in to open on our way home. šŸ˜…

Some of the other commonly asked questions that Iā€™ve gotten since returning from the US:

  • Could you see other athletes/teams?
    • We were isolated from other teams (for the most part), but that was a decision that the Moguls Team agreed upon in order to make sure we were the safest we could possibly be prior to our event! (For instance, most of us opted not to eat in the dining hall in the days leading up to our competition.) Since our first day of competition was the day before Opening Ceremonies, a good portion of the athletes and staff in the village were still arriving when we began competing. Being in contact with people who had just traveled to China would result in the most COVID risk, so we decided to wait until after our events to see others in close quarters.
  • Did you COVID test?
    • We had to COVID test once a day (this felt a lot like a strep test) in order to stay negative to compete!
  • How was the food?
    • The food we ate was pretty decent. Iā€™ve had better in China, but Iā€™ve also gotten food poisoning (so Iā€™ve had worse, too!). The dining hall included a selection of Chinese foods, pasta, a salad bar, a Pizza Hut, and a KFC.
    • The setup was buffet-style, but the seating area separated each individual by plexiglass ā€” definitely an odd experience!
  • Any other favorite moments?
    • One Olympic tradition I had a lot of fun with was pin trading! Upon our arrival to the village, we were given a bunch of little pins with our country and sport name on them. I quickly got to trading with staff, athletes, and volunteers from other countries! Some of my favorite pins included Andorra (thanks to pure luck, I met one of the only three athletes who were competing in the Games!), Italy, Argentina, and a few specially made Team USA pins! By the end of our stint at the Games, my accreditation lanyard was absolutely covered in pins. šŸ™‚
My accreditation lanyard.
This was what eating in the dining hall was like – separated by plexiglass!
Post-event selfie with Britt (an Aussie mogul skiing legend who has been to 4 Olympic Games!!) and Hannah!

Returning Home

Once I returned home, it felt like my life slowed down a ton. It was odd to watch the Olympics on TV after I had been there mere hours agoā€¦it seemed like a world away already. Seeing my family and getting to spend time with them and celebrate was long, long overdue.

It also felt weird to stop training completely for a week or so. Ever since the finishing touches of our prep period at the end of November, it felt like I had been living life at 100 miles an hour ā€” all geared towards the Olympic Games. Now, it was over. I wasnā€™t necessarily upset that it was all over, it just felt different.

Thankfully, I had my parents to spend time with at home in Park City and a great community in Steamboat, which (once again) welcomed me with open arms and celebrated both my successes and the ongoing successes of Steamboat Olympians who were still competing in Beijing. I got to meet tons of youngins at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, play around on the resort during some epic powder days, and catch up with mentors and friends.

The next generation of little rippers at Steamboat!
Pow days in Steamboat are UNPARALLELED. This was soooo much fun.

Also upon returning home, some of my teammates and I got the Olympic rings tattooed. We went together as a group ā€” a mix of moguls Olympians from 2018 and 2022 ā€” to celebrate all of our successes over the years! What I love most about my tattoo is what it means to me: rather than immediately making me think of the Olympic experience itself, that art on my body reminds me of the journey, everything Iā€™ve put into this sport, and the person Iā€™ve become as a result.

Morgan (2018 Olympian), myself, and Hannah (2022 Olympian) after getting tatted in SLC šŸ™‚

Hereā€™s to continuing that journey! The season isnā€™t over just yet: 3 World Cups remain (Valmalenco, ITA ā€” 3/12, Megeve, FRA ā€” 3/18-19), as well as US Nationals (Palisades, CA ā€” 3/25-27).

Below are all of my favorite remaining photos from the Games!

Taylah and I with Bing Dwen Dwen (the Olympic mascot)!
ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA – FEBRUARY 06: Olivia Giaccio of Team United States performs a trick during the Women’s Freestyle Skiing Moguls Final on Day 2 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Genting Snow Park on February 06, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Bryon and I after the conclusion of the event! All year, he’s been a fantastic addition to the crew and I couldn’t be more thankful for his presence on World Cups!
Kate (on the right) and I after the event. Funny how things come full circle! She coached me through the Olympic Qualifiers in 2018…and we both made it to the Games this time around!
Cole, myself, Nick, Kai, Kisara, Ikuma (two Japanese skiers!) and Hannah at the rings.