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One of the few things missing from the already impressive resume of 17-year-old American snowboarder Chloe Kim is an Olympic gold medal. Soon, she’ll get her chance to cross that off the list, as she and other US favorites Kelly Clark, Maddie Mastro and Arielle Gold take on the women’s halfpipe event in Pyeongchang.
In the United States, the qualifying runs start Sunday, February 11, at 11:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC. The final runs then start on Monday at 8 p.m. ET and will also be broadcast on NBC (complete schedule here). If you don’t have cable or a cable log-in, you can watch a simulcast of the NBC broadcasts live online by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
FuboTV: NBC (live in the most markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
DirecTV Now: NBC (live in select markets) is included in each of the four channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, plus you can get a free Amazon Fire TV if you prepay two months. Once signed up, you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app.
Sling TV: NBC (live in select markets) is included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
In addition to being able to watch an NBC simulcast via the above streaming services, you can also watch any and all snowboarding competition (these event-specific streams will show every single run from every single competitor live, while the NBC telecasts may jump around or show certain runs on a slight delay) live on your computer via NBCOlympics.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NBC Sports app. This is the best way to watch a specific event rather than general coverage. To watch any of these streams, you’ll have a 30-minute free preview before needing to sign in to your TV provider, but you can use your FuboTV, DirecTV Now or Sling TV credentials to do that.
Preview
If this competition ends with anything other than Kim atop the podium, it’ll come as a surprise.
Since the 2014 Games in Sochi, when Kim was too young to compete (she absolutely had the talent to compete even as a 13-year-old. She took silver at the Winter X-Games that year), she has absolutely owned the sport. She has captured gold at three of the past four X-Games, winning the most recent edition in January with a run of 93.33. She has five career World Cup wins and she’s ranked first on the World Snowboarding Tour points list.
“She rides with a tremendous amount of amplitude and carries a lot more speed than any other female in the halfpipe,” Ricky Bower, head halfpipe coach for the U.S. Snowboarding Team, said last year. “She’s in a whole different league. There’s really no one that can ride like that.”
The podium for the women’s halfpipe has generally been dominated by the United States–at least two Americans have medaled in the event at each of the last three Winter Games–so it wouldn’t be surprised if Kim was joined by a compatriot. Kelly Clark, who has one Olympic gold (2002) and two Olympic bronze medals (2010, 2014) in her career, beat Kim at the US Snowboarding Grand Prix Mammoth in January and is certainly a favorite for the podium once again. Arielle Gold and Maddie Mastro, who beat out Clark for second and third at the 2018 Winter X-Games, will also be right in the mix.
As for non-Americans, Spain’s Queralt Castellat, China’s Liu Jiayu and Cai Xuetong, and Japan’s Sena Tomita and Hikaru Oe, and Canada’s Mirabelle Thovex all stand as the biggest challengers.
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Olympics Snowboarding Live Stream: How to Watch Chloe Kim & Women’s Halfpipe