Jessica Perlmutter can’t come to the phone right now.
The 16-year-old Team USA snowboarder shocked commentators at the 2026 Winter Olympics with more than just her epic tricks when a surprise popped out of her pocket: her phone!
During her run in the women’s snowboarding slopestyle finals on day 12 of competition at Livigno Air Park in Italy, Perlmutter hit a backside 720 (also known as a back seven) off a jump when her phone plummeted to the snow on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
Jessica Perlmutter of the United states waits for her score during the women’s snowboarding slopestyle finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Abbie Parr/AP
“I don’t know if her phone just fell out of her pocket?” the live announcers questioned while rewatching a slo-motion replay of the moment, where the device was clearly seen bopping and bouncing down the icy ramp.
Perlmutter, meanwhile, continued with her slopestyle run — headphone wires dangling out of her pocket and all — but as she launched herself into the air off a ramp for another round of flips and twists, she crashed upon her landing.
“That crash was pretty brutal. Yeah, that probably was her phone,” the commentator said of Perlmutter, who was the youngest competitor in the field.
Athletes like Perlmutter often listen to music while competing. The New York Times noted during the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics that “music has a unique role for snowboarders, many of whom not only listen to music to pump themselves up before the event, but also blast it during the actual competition to drown out the din around them.”
A worker picks up Jessica Perlmutter’s phone after it flew out of her pocket during the women’s snowboarding slopestyle finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Perlmutter expressed her gratitude on Instagram for her first-ever Olympic experience and the support she’s received throughout her time competing.
“Olympics was a dream thank you all 🖤,” she began her caption alongside a slideshow of photos from the Winter Games. “So hyped I could put my runs down in big air and to make finals with 6th overall in slope.”
Jessica Perlmutter of Team USA competes during the 2026 Winter Olympics.Ian MacNicol/Getty
“Shoutout to all the girls competing you guys are so sick 💞and was an honor to ride out here in Italy with everyone,” the athlete continued. “Especially thank you to @ussnowboardteam @teamusa for this insane opportunity and @devon_gulick for coming out to support.”
She concluded by thanking a string of her close friends, as well as her mom and dad.
Perlmutter is originally from Millburn, New Jersey, but relocated to Vermont where she’s become deeply connected to the state’s tight-knit community, particularly in Killington.
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She’s known for her versatility across all competition formats including rails, slopestyle and big air.
She finished 6th in women’s slopestyle and 23rd in women’s big air at her 2026 Winter Olympics, where she made her debut as one of Team USA’s youngest competitors.
