Killi and Ragettli prevail in Aspen Snowmass slopestyle World Cup
Aug 31, 2018·Freeski Park & Pipe
Snowmass (USA) - The second event of the FIS Freeski World Cup/Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Colorado’s world-renowned Aspen Snowmass resort wrapped up an intense week of top-level freeskiing action, with Johanne Killi (NOR) and Andri Ragettli (SUI) taking big victories in the slopestyle competition.
With the top 16 men and eight ladies from the qualification round on hand and ready to rock on Saturday where blue sky, fast snow and a perfectly shaped course greeted them, another world-class show went down with the top riders throwing down some hammers in the best of two runs competition format.
In the ladies’ event it was top qualifier Johanne Killi who secured her first place finish on the strength of her first run, showing her usual flawless style while locking down a textbook combo of switch right 900 to switch right 540 and left 900 on the jumps and some solid work on rails.
Last season’s slopestyle World Cup runner up has been impressing with her consistency, and while clinching her first World Cup victory this season to add to a couple of top 5 finishes, it looks like the Norwegian freeskier will be looking to once again contend for the slopestyle crystal globe as well as a podium spot at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
“I was not expecting to win here today, so I’m supper happy with the results” said Killi. “It’s nice to win with only a couple more weeks before the Games, and now also that I’m back in the game for a crystal globe it just feels awesome.”
The second place on the day went to Maggie Voisin (USA), who grabbed her season’s first World Cup podium, but most importantly secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for Korea, where she’ll have a chance to get some redemption after she had to sit out the competition in Sochi due to an ankle injury she sustained in trainings.
“With my last Olympic experience making it to Sochi and not being able to compete, my goal of course was to make the U.S. Olympic team this year. To finally know I’m in, it’s just so hard to describe how happy and grateful I am,” stated Voisin after receiving the nomination.
The bronze medalist from the 2017 Sierra Nevada World Championships Isabel Atkin (GBR) rounded out the podium in Snowmass in third, also making it her first podium finish this season.
Raggetli with strong showing in men’s competition
It was also an exciting competition over on the men’s side with as much as six riders scoring in the 90s, making it a hard nut to crack for the judges to decide who deserves to place on top of the podium in Snowmass.
At the end of the day it was the swiss rider Andri Ragettli, who managed to show his trademark precisely executed combos with his super difficult jump line, including a left triple cork 1440, right double cork 1260 and switch left double misty 1260 as well as a technical game on jibb features.
Ragettli, who won the slopestyle World Cup crystal globe back in 2016, gained some serious boost of confidence with Saturday’s win, just coming back from a knee injury he sustained at the big air event in Milan that kept him sidelined for a couple of weeks.
“I feel so happy to land both of my runs today”, said Ragettli following his first World Cup victory of the season. “It means just so much to me because it this is my first contest after coming back from an injury and I won it, so this just feels amazing”.
Now back on top of the podium, looking 100% focused and motived, and with his broad trick repertoire, Ragettli is without a doubt a one to watch out for in the upcoming weeks leading up to the Games in February.
The Norwegian duo of Ferdinand Dahl and Oystein Braaten finished the competition on second and third respectively, with Dahl going for his second consecutive World Cup silver and Braaten managing to extends his World Cup podium streak to four straight, dating back to his first victory of the season in Stubai back in November.
The FIS Freeski World Cup tour now moves to Mammoth Mountain (USA) for another double event slated to take place on January 18-20.
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