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Best Photos From Week 1 Of The 2026 Winter Olympics | Weather.com
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Photos That Defined Week 1 Of The Winter Olympics

Winter is the most photogenic backdrop in sports and Week 1 in Milan and Cortina proved it. From gold medal moments to stunning crashes, here are the shots that captured it all.

LIVIGNO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Maja-li Iafrate Danielsson of Team France in action on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on February 13, 2026 in Livigno, Italy.(Photo by Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
Maja-li Iafrate Danielsson of Team France in action on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on February 13, 2026, in Livigno, Italy.
(Photo by Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

The first week of the Winter Olympics lived up to expectations, if not surpassed them. These Olympics have seen it all: the glory of a win, tears streaming down medalists' faces, the crushing shock of a fall and athletes collapsing in disbelief after coming up short.

But here's what ties it all together: Winter is hands down the most photogenic backdrop in sports.

Snow catches light like nothing else, creating backdrops that could be in movie scenes. Cold air makes every breath visible, every celebration dramatic, every crash unforgettable. The mountains, the frost, the way weather frames these moments change the whole aesthetic. We pulled the best shots from the first week in Milan, and the visuals are unmatched.

LIVIGNO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 10: Birk Ruud of Team Norway takes 1st place on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Air Park on February 10, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Photo by Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
Two-time world champion Birk Ruud came through when it mattered. His opening run in men's freestyle skiing slopestyle in Milan on Tuesday was nearly flawless: clean execution, zero hesitation, all unmatched skill. And he was rewarded with his second Olympic gold after winning Big Air at Beijing in 2022. The pressure didn’t faze him and it made for some excellent snapshots.
(Photo by Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
BORMIO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 14: River Radamus of Team United States competes during the Men's Giant Slalom on day eight of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Stelvio Alpine Skiing Centre on February 14, 2026 in Bormio, Italy. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
River Radamus showed up for his second Olympic Winter Games and got hit with conditions he wasn't used to. The snow was soft and fluffy, not the typical hard-packed ice skiers train on, which made the race much harder. The racing was tough, but the shots? Some of the best we've seen so far.
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
John Steel Hagenbuch led the American men in the Olympic 10-kilometer skate and finished 14th, which is not bad for someone who literally took a wrong turn out of the gate. First Olympic start, rookie mistake. He went left when he should have gone right, lost a few seconds, realized what happened, spun around and got back on course. He didn't medal, but honestly? His finishing picture made up for everything. Absolutely clean.
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Britain's Matt Weston competes in the skeleton men's heat 2 at Cortina Sliding Centre during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 12, 2026. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)
Nobody dominated Week 1 like Matt Weston. In his four runs, he improved his time each run. Now that is how you win Olympic skeleton gold! He gave Great Britain its first medal of the games on Friday at Cortina Sliding Centre, and somehow in the middle of setting multiple personal bests, he got a fire shot with the Milan backdrop behind him. Performance and the picture? Both undefeated.
(Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)
LIVIGNO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 14: Elizabeth Lemley of Team United States reacts after she falls before the finish line in the Women's Dual Moguls Semifinals on day eight of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Air Park on February 14, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Elizabeth Lemley is only 20 years old, but she's already left her mark at these Winter Games. A few days before, she won gold in women's moguls. Then came the duals yesterday, and things got rough. In her semifinal against eventual gold medalist Jakara Anthony of Australia, Lemley lost her ski on the second jump and slid down the hill on her stomach. The photo captured the exact moment. That crash knocked her out of contention for gold or silver. But here's the thing about Lemley: She refused to stay down. She came back and locked up bronze, her second medal of the games. You see what happens when you don't give up?
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

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