Athlete Profile

Alex Ferreira Transformed, His Legend Continues

By Nicole Dreon

Imagine three-time and defending X Games gold medalist...

...Alex Ferreira at a career low.Aspen’s perennial local hero and a high-flying SuperPipe star, Ferreira found himself at a crossroads.

X Games Aspen 2023 had been rough; two brutal crashes rattled his confidence. That came after a disappointing 7th at XG Aspen 2021, and he missed Aspen 2022 with injury. The 2023 performance even caused someone to suggest that retirement might be his best option. For Ferreira, nearing 30 and no longer able to rely solely on his immense natural ability, it was time to reassess.

“I was kind of just going with the flow a little bit,” says Ferreira. “Going with the flow is great, but you need to accelerate and facilitate it with hard work.”

For years, Ferreira ruled X Games Aspen with progressive rotations and a big personality. The finish corral would be packed with friends, family and fans, all of them cheering wildly for their hometown boy. His signature pole twirls and exuberant interviews, like the “We’re burnin’ down the town tonight!” after his 2019 gold, cemented his status as one of the sport’s most charismatic figures.

Those days seemed over. But Ferreira is back on top, hungrier and more motivated than ever.

The Turning Point

Image ©Joshua Duplechian/X Games

A non-skiing incident sidelined Ferreira with a shoulder injury during the 2023 summer. Combined with his recent contest setbacks, Ferreira realized that he wasn’t giving himself the structure necessary to succeed. He decided to overhaul everything, from practice to daily habits. “I started treating my body like a temple,” Alex says, “and training really hard.”

What followed was a remarkable transformation. Healthy in both mind and body, Ferreira was on fire in 2024. He became the first skier to win every halfpipe competition in a season, sweeping five World Cups, X Games Aspen and the Dew Tour. The perfect season wasn’t just a result of raw talent; it was the product of a meticulous, almost obsessive routine.

“It was just this sheer belief,” he says. “I think I just wanted to do it so badly. I wanted to see if it was possible for anyone to be that consistent.”

A Day In The Life, Ferreira Style

Images ©Joshua Duplechian/X Games

Alex’s day begins while most are asleep. The alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. and he’s awake. There’s no snooze button in his world, just a day packed with purpose. By 5:35, he’s meditating.

The meditation session is brief but focused, lasting 10 minutes. After clearing his mind, Ferreira watches videos for 20 minutes. Sometimes it’s random ski runs for inspiration, sometimes it’s his own personal clips.

Ferreira eats the same breakfast virtually every day: oatmeal with goji berries, cacao, cashew butter and honey, washed down with hibiscus tea. He’s in the car at 6:40, heading to Aspen Valley Ski Club. There, he spends the first 30 minutes...trading stocks. Ferreira finds day-trading similar to skiing -- both require focus and decision-making under pressure.

At 7:45 a.m., his physical training begins. An hour of intense effort often involving weights, balance drills and explosive movements to mimic the dynamics of a halfpipe run.

Then comes the fun part. From 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., Ferreira practices on a rollerblade ramp, launching into an airbag. It’s here that he perfects tricks, tries new combinations and hones rotations with minimal risk of injury. The trampoline follows, where he spends 20 minutes working through his halfpipe run and fine-tuning air awareness.

Recovery begins by 10 a.m., and Ferreira combines hot tub time with a series of affirmations and visualizations. The usual? “I am the X Games Aspen 2025 champion” or “I am the 2026 Olympic gold medalist.” It’s not just positive thinking, it’s a psychological technique to reinforce his goals.

Next up? The sauna, where he stretches for 20 minutes to stay limber. The session ends with Ferreira closing his eyes and running through his tricks, picturing perfect execution and smooth landings.

He visits a chiropractor twice-weekly for adjustments, followed by massages to relieve tension and keep his body in peak condition.

Afternoons of Growth and Creativity

Ferreira spends afternoons creating content. He’ll edit his clips for hours, uploading them to YouTube to share with fans and other skiers. His biggest fan is his grandpa Bob, who watches all of Alex’s videos online. The two talk at least once a week, and Bob was in the finish corral when Alex won X Games gold at Aspen 2019.

Ferreira dedicates 40-to-60 minutes daily to books that challenge his mind. His current choice? The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. “I'm super grateful that I'm not in Russia,” he says with a laugh.

Ferreira also takes online courses to broaden his skills, recently completing an Adobe Illustrator course and currently diving into Photoshop. These aren’t just hobbies -- they’re part of a long-term vision to expand his career beyond skiing.

His afternoons include careful gear preparation. Every piece of equipment is checked, cleaned and waxed. “I’m a little German about it,” Ferreira jokes. But the details matter. A properly tuned ski base can be the difference between winning and losing.

Ferreira attributes his rebound to newfound discipline. “There was a time when I partied and chased girls,” he says. “But I do well with structure. It’s more boring in some ways but, honestly, I have more fun winning and progressing.”

Alex drew inspiration from athletes known for relentless work ethic, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Jordan. “I took their playbook and applied it to my own life,” Ferreira explains.

Balancing Work and Play

Despite the intense schedule, Ferreira hasn’t lost his sense of humor. His spoof video series Hotdog Hans is a cult favorite, showcasing Ferreira as a grumpy old man tearing up terrain parks. “The last time we shot Hans was in Switzerland,” Alex begins. “I swear to God, everybody and their grandmother knew who he was, and they asked for photos. It was insane, a full-blown celebrity moment. Hans is bigger than me.”

Ferreira isn’t joking -- his alter ego’s combined followers on Instagram and TikTok are nearly 8 times that of his own social accounts, and the Hotdog Hans series has collected more than 50 million YouTube views.

The filming in Switzerland led to Hotdog Hans 5. Released last week, the newest iteration already has nearly 400,000 views.

Looking Ahead

Ferreira’s X Games Aspen 2024 run was considered one of the most technical and difficult ever thrown in the halfpipe and was highlighted by doubles in all four directions, including right- and leftside double 1620s. He’s hoping to add the switch double cork 1440 to his run in 2025.

The perfect season may be just the beginning.

Alex Ferreira Bio Blast

DOB: Aug. 14, 1994. Age 30
Three-time X Games Ski SuperPipe gold medalist: Aspen 2019, 2020 and 2024.
7 SuperPipe medals total, beginning with bronze at XG Aspen 2015.
Two Olympic medals: silver, 2018 PyeongChang; bronze, 2022 Beijing.
Won all 7 major superpipe contests held in 2023-24 (5 World Cups, X Games, Dew Tour). He’s the first skier to sweep every halfpipe comp on the World Cup calendar during a season.
Athletic prowess is in the Ferreira genes. Alex’s father, Marcelo, played professional soccer for Argentina’s most successful soccer team, River Plate.
Instagram: @alexferreiraski. Instagram, TikTok & YouTube: @hotdoghans.