Slopestyle World Cup gets back to business in Stubai
Aug 31, 2018·Freeski Park & Pipe
Stubai, AUT - The FIS Freeski World Cup is set to get back to business this weekend with a hotly anticipated slopestyle competition slated for this weekend at the world-famous Stubai resort in Austria, with ladies’ qualifications set to go on Friday 24 November, men’s qualies on Saturday, and finals on Sunday.
Dubbed the “Stubai Zoo,” the terrain park in Stubai is one of the biggest, most progressive, and most highly-regarded in the world, and, as it’s situated on a glacier, it boasts a dependably long season that sees dozens of the world’s best freeskiers descending on the park for early- and late-season training every year.
This year, however, FIS Freeski is taking advantage of that dependable snowpack, dropping in on the Stubai Zoo for the first-ever World Cup slopestyle contest to hit the storied resort, which will also be one of the earliest-ever World Cup slopestyle competitions we’ve ever held in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Stubai competition is the second of the 2017/18 slopestyle World Cup season after things got off to an extra early start down under at Cardrona (NZL) in August. There, 15-year-old phenom Kelly Sildaru (EST) had the best beginning imaginable to her World Cup career, claiming victory in her first World Cup effort and reinforcing the belief of many that she could be the favourite for PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games gold in February.
However, Sildaru suffered a serious knee injury just a few weeks after Cardrona that will keep her out of competition for six to nine months, swinging the door back open for the rest of the ladies’ slopestyle field. On Sunday in Stubai several of the world’s best will be looking to take advantage.
Though Sildaru is out, the youth movement will still be well-represented in Stubai, with 15-year-olds Tess Ledeux (FRA) and Jennie-Lee Burmansson (SWE) proving themselves well-capable of hitting the podium against top competition. Ledeux is the reigning world champion after triumphing last spring in at Sierra Nevada 2017, while Burmansson claimed a third place podium in Cardrona at what was also her first-ever World Cup, and both have been training hard in Stubai for the past several weeks.
However, some of the more veteran freeskiers of the slopestyle tour will have something to say about that. Switzerland’s Guilia Tanno and Sarah Hoefflin (last year’s slopestyle crystal globe winner) are expected to be in the mix, along with the Canadian duo of Dara Howell and Kim Lamare, who are looking to round back into the form that saw the pair take gold and bronze, respectively at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. And don’t forget about last season’s slopestyle second-overall Johanne Killi (NOR), as well as Emma Dahlstrom (SWE) who won the big air World Cup tour last term.
Over on the men’s side, Cardrona winner James Woods (GBR) will not be dropping in at Stubai, but nevertheless the stacked field of more than 80 riders will make sure to heat up the atmosphere during Friday's qualifications.
This includes a strong Swiss contingent lead by last weekend's winner from Milan Elias Ambuehl with strong support from Jonas Hunziker and Kai Mahler, and the smooth Swedish squad lead by 2016/17 big air crystal globe winner Henrik Harlaut and 2013/14 slopestyle crystal globe winner Jesper Tjader. Throw in an eight-strong Canadian contingent boasting the likes of Alex Bellemare, Teal Harle, and Alex Beaulieu-Marchand, and others such as Oystein Braaten (NOR), Alex Hall (US)A and Colby Stevensen (USA), and you’ve got yourself plenty to look forward to come competition time in Stubai.
COMPETITION PROGRAM:
FRIDAY
10:00 - 11:30 - men's qualifications Heat 1 & 2
12:45 - 14:15 - men's qualifications Heat 3 & 4
SATURDAY
10:15 - 11:45 - ladies' qualifications
12:30 - 13:00 - ladies' FINALS (Top 8)
SUNDAY
11:15 - 13:00 - men's FINALS (Top 16)
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