Big air World Cup season to close out in Destne, with adjusted programme
Feb 27, 2020·Freeski Park & Pipe
The final FIS Freeski Big Air World Cup of the 2019/20 season is set to go down over two days of action in Destne (CZE) this weekend, as FIS Freeski has joined forces with the long-running Freeski Soldiers competition to bring one of freeskiing’s best big air competitions into the World Cup fold at the small village in the Orlicke Mountains.
However, difficult weather conditions have challenged organisers in the lead-up to the event, with course builders forced to make do with less-than-optimal snow conditions that have resulted in one day of training lost, on Wednesday, and a jump that has needed some refinement throughout the week.
While the women's competition was unfortunately cancelled due to difficult weather conditions throughout the week (more info HERE) the men's competition will continue as planned.
As for the men’s competition, the programme remains in place for two heats of qualification on Friday (heat 1 at 12:10 and heat 2 at 14:45, with four riders from each heat advancing straight to finals), followed by a semifinal on Saturday afternoon from which the top four riders will make it to finals, for 12 total men in finals. The finals programme for the men remains the same, with the first athlete dropping in at 20:00 local time on Saturday night.
In the time slot originally slated for women’s finals from 20:00-21:00 on Friday evening there will instead be the Night Attack team event. A non-World Cup competition that has traditionally been a part of the Soldiers weekend, the Night Attack competition will feature teams of three in a jam format, with three judges and the reaction of the crowd deciding which team will earn the winner-take-all 2000 CHF prize purse.
It’s a bit of a fluid situation in Destne at the moment, and every effort is being made to take into account the safety of the athletes, particularly in regard to the women's competition. While organisers, officials, and athletes are hopeful that improvements in snow conditions and changes to the jump can make the women’s final big air World Cup competition of the season a successful reality, all on hand are aware that Mother Nature has dealt the Destne competition a difficult hand.
Tanno holds upper hand, but Gremaud and Killi also have shot at globe
In the competition called the Freeski Soldiers, it’s fitting that the battle for the crystal globe on the women’s side of things is a hard-fought one, with Swiss teammates Giulia Tanno and Mathilde Gremaud, as well as Norway’s Johanne Killi, all on hand in Destne with the possibility of coming out on top as the season’s best performer to take the crystal globe.
Tanno is currently in top spot with 240 points, putting her 40 points clear of Gremaud and somewhat in control of her destiny here in Destne because, if Tanno is able to win or finish runner-up on Friday, the 21-year-old will take home the first crystal globe of her career.
However, should Tanno finish in third and Gremaud win the competition, the two Swiss skiers would finish tied in final points, and Gremaud would the win the globe in a tiebreak based on her victory in Atlanta. Tanno’s best result this season is second place - of which she has three - but the first tiebreaker is which rider has the most results of the highest rank, and Gremaud’s Atlanta win is the trump card.
Of course, the above is just one scenario that could play out in a race to the globe that also includes Killi, who has 195 points and could, theoretically, end up in top spot overall Saturday if both Tanno and Gremaud falter.
However, should the women’s final not take place, Tanno would earn the globe for her performances through the season’s first three competitions.
Ruud and Hall in a two-horse race for men’s title
In the men’s competition it’s a two-horse race for this season’s crystal globe, with only World Cup leader Birk Ruud of Norway and the USA’s Alex Hall in a position to walk away with the biggest award of the 2019/20 season.
While Hall is two-for-two in big air World Cup events he’s entered this season, with victories in both the Modena (ITA) and Atlanta (USA) competitions, Ruud has been on hand for all three of the events leading up to the finale here in Destne. And, with a second-place finish in Modena, a fourth in Atlanta, and his victory at the Beijing Air + Style competition that Hall did not attend, Ruud leads the standings with 230 points to Hall’s 200.
While only one of Ruud or Hall with be holding the globe at the end of competition on Saturday, there’s a whole slew of riders on hand who can make that final result complicated.
From the likes of Jesper Tjader, Oscar Wester and Oliwer Magnussen from the Swedish team, to Andri Ragettli, Fabian Boesch, and Elias Syrja of Finland, to Nick Goepper of the United States, Antoine Adelisse of France, Christian Nummedal of Norway, or probably a dozen others, the Destne Soldiers 2K20 line-up is looking like an exciting one from any angle.
The Soldiers competition has been taking place in Destne nearly every season since 2010, and from the outset the event has featured the world’s best freeskiers throwing down on what is inarguably one of the world’s biggest big air kickers. With all the action going down on the massive jump combined with the atmosphere of a mini-music festival provided by the likes of artists Yzomandias, Nik Tendo and Viktor Sheen, this weekend’s event promises to be a thrilling end to the 2019/20 big air World Cup campaign.
WATCH LIVE:
Team event - Eurosport Player Asia, Eurosport Player Europe, ORF Sport+, CBC Sports Streaming, CCTV5+, L’Equipe Web, RAI Web, Sport 1, NRK 3, SVT Play, SRF Info, NBC Sports Gold
Men’s finals - Eurosport Player Asia, Eurosport Player Europe, ORF Sport+, CBC Sports Streaming, CCTV5+, YLE Areena, L’Equipe Web, RAI Web, NRK 3, SRF Zwei, SVT Play, NBC Sports Gold
QUICK LINKS:
Destne data page (start lists, live scoring, results)
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