Gu makes history and Ragettli takes World Cup lead in Calgary slopestyle
Feb 16, 2020·Freeski Park & Pipe
FIS Freeski World Cup competition at the Calgary Snow Rodeo wrapped up on Saturday in memorable fashion at the first-ever freeski slopestyle World Cup competition at the Canada Olympic Park venue, with Eileen Gu (CHN) making history with her second victory in two days and Andri Ragettli earning his second-straight win to overtake the men’s World Cup lead with just one event left to go in the season.
Gu takes first ever freeski back-to-back in different events at same venue
Gu came into Saturday fresh off of claiming the first halfpipe World Cup victory of her career on Friday night in an impressive display of technical pipe riding, and without missing a beat she showed up for the Snow Rodeo slopestyle competition and proceeded to do what no other freeskier had ever done - take back-to-back World Cup wins at the same competition in two different events.
Gu’s second run of the day was the winner, in which she started things off with rightside 270 on continuing 270 off, into a switch left lipside 270 to forward, and finally a leftside slide to frontside 450 double japan out to close out the rail section. Then, through the jumps, the 16-year-old threw a big alley-oop left rodeo 5 mute on the “shark fin” jump, into a switch left bio 9 safety on jump number two, and finally finishing things off with a perfect right 900 tail to earn a score of 89.18 and a piece of freeski history.
“I try not to take anything for granted,” the extremely well-composed Gu said before the awards ceremony, “Last night was incredible and I really didn’t expect that win, and today I think I expected it even less. I really just came in trying to do my best and ski the way I knew I could. Skiing my best is really the best part of this, and being rewarded for it just makes it even better.”
After Gu put down her incredible run, top qualifier Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland was the last to drop in, and the 20-year-old gave everything she had in her final run, attacking the Calgary course with a run that included a a switch right tails 270 disaster to forward on the up-flat-down rail, and a left alley-oop cork 720 stale, to right rodeo 900 safety, and finally a switch left 720 mute to finish things off on the jumps. While it wouldn’t be enough to catch Gu, her score of 87.13 would be enough for second-place and her first slopestyle World Cup podium of the season, to go along with two big air wins.
Third place would be Megan Oldham, making the host Canadian squad proud with a first run that included a switch left 900 mute to left 900 tail combo on the final two jumps, and which scored her an 80.70 for the first podium of the season for last year’s slopestyle crystal globe winner.
Speaking of crystal globes, Sarah Hoefflin (SUI) held on to spot on the slopestyle rankings, despite not being on hand to compete in Calgary due to injury. However, fully 12 athletes are within striking distance of Hoefflin’s 192 points, with just the final competition in Silvaplana (SUI) to go in a few weeks’ time. If Hoefflin isn’t good to go in Silvaplana, her chances of holding on to win her second career crystal globe are slim.
Ragettli steps in in second run for second-straight win
In the men’s competition, Ragettli stepped up his second run, fixing some the mistakes of his first attempt and willing himself into first with his second-straight standout performance.
Ragettli’s second run started out with right 270 on frontside swap to a continuing 270 off, and then a frontside swap to pretzel 450 off on the second rail, and finally a leftside 450 disaster to 270 out. Then through the jumps he went with a rightside double 1260 safety to start out on the shark fin, into a switch left double 1260 guitar, and finally a left double 1620 tail to finish things off and earn himself a score of 88.73.
“I had a couple mistakes in my first run and knew I had to be better,” Ragettli said about his performance, “It was actually windier in my second run and more difficult, but I knew when I landed my last jump that I was going to improve my score. I was hoping to jump into first and that’s exactly what happened. I’m stoked to win here. This puts in a good place to win my fourth crystal globe and I hope I can do it.”
Second place on the day went to the USA’s Colby Stevenson, who put down what was likely the day’s most creative and stylish run, with a left nosebutter 450 pretzel 270 out on his first rail, into a switch on right back swap continuing 270, then a switch left tails 450 disaster to backslide, before dropping a right double flat 7 japan, into left double 16 Cuban, switch left double 14 safety though his jump line. With a score of 88.60 Stevenson would fall just short of Ragettli, taking his second straight runner-up result and third podium of the 2019/20 season.
Finally, third place went to another US skier, as Nick Goepper made his return to the World Cup podium for the first time in nearly two years by putting down one of his trademark super-clean runs that included a left 270 continuing misty 450 japan on the up-rail feature and a massive switch left double 12 mute on the second jump, for a score of 86.36.
Ragettli now leads the slopestyle World Cup standings with 265 points, while Stevenson moves into second with 220, and Fabian Boesch falls back to third with 199.
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