Ledeux and Hendrickson win slopestyle season-opener in Font Romeu
Jan 11, 2020·Freeski Park & Pipe
The first FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup competition of the 2019/20 season took to the slopes of France’s Font Romeu resort on Saturday under perfect Pyrenees sunshine, where Tess Ledeux (FRA) thrilled the home French crowd with her third win at Font Romeu and Mark Hendrickson (CAN) claimed the first World Cup win of his career with a stellar first run.
After two days of extended training sessions followed by back-to-back qualification days - Thursday for the men, and Friday for the women - the top riders were more than familiar with the perfectly sculpted three-jump, three-jib section Font Romeu course. As a result, we saw some extremely entertaining skiing and impressive runs from start to finish of finals, though some of the top riders had difficulty putting their runs down cleanly as the pressure ramped up through the day.
Ledeux takes career’s third at Font Romeu
Ledeux, however, was one the standout example of an athlete rising to the occasion, as she put a disappointing first run in which she lost a ski in the past and stomped an incredible second run that included a switch left bio 900 mute on the first jump, a switch right 900 safety on the third jump, and a super smooth, locked-in rail section.
The win was Ledeux’s third at Font Romeu, after she took back-to-back victories at the venue in 2016/17 and 2017/18.
“I’m very happy,” a relieved Ledeux said before awards, “I crashed hard yesterday in training, but I was ok today, and I’m just super happy to take first place for the first time here. It’s incredible. I was super nervous dropping in but I’m happy to land my second run. I love this place.”
With a score of 78.70, second-place for the fourth time this World Cup season went to Switzerland’s Giulia Tanno, who has runner-up results in all three big air competitions so far in 2019/20 and now adds a slopestyle podium to her growing collection. Tanno held the lead for much of the competition after a strong first run, but was once again denied her first victory of this winter when Ledeux stepped it up with her second run.
Third went to Tanno’s Swiss teammate and top qualifier Sarah Hoefflin, as the reigning Olympic gold medallist put some disappointing 2019/20 big air World Cup results and a minor injury before the holidays behind her to earn her first podium of the 2019/20 season with a score of 74.95.
Hendrickson has long wait for his career first victory
Over on the men’s side it was an agonizing wait for the eventual winner Hendrickson, as the 15th-place qualifier earned a standout score with his first run - which was just the second run of the competition - with the perfect mix of amplitude, style, and tech. Hendrickson especially separated himself on his 86.30-scoring winning run, with his rail sections, with a switch left on, frontside 360 over the flat gap, to 270 off on the A-frame rail perhaps his standout trick.
Hendrickson’s second run was looking perhaps better than the first, but a mistake on the final rail feature meant that he would not improve his score, and instead had to watch 14 more riders come down looking to topple him from his perch, including heavyweights like the Norwegian trio of Birk Ruud, Christian Nummedal, and Oeystein Braaten, Henrik Harlaut (SWE), and top-qualifier Andri Ragettli (SUI).
However, no one would be able to best the 21-year-old Canadian’s effort, and Hendrickson would claim his first World Cup victory under the Pyrenees sun.
“Honestly, training went pretty poorly for me today,” Hendrickson said with a smile, “I took a pretty hard bail on my switch 14 and then just had to regroup. But nothing really matters except for the contest run, and that’s what I kept telling myself. I just dropped in looking to have fun and it worked out, fortunately. Sometimes it’s easier to come in as the underdog and not have too many expectations.”
Swedish technician Jesper Tjader earned his first slopestyle World Cup podium in almost exactly three years at the site of his last top-3 result, earning a score of 85.70 for a first run that featured a right double 1260 double mute on the first hit, and a showstopping switch left side slide with a backflip out on the A-frame rail.
Third place went to Cody Leplante of the USA, who, as the 16th and final qualifier into finals, had to wait even longer than Hendrickson to discover his fate. Just 17-years-old and returning to competition after missing all of last season due to injury, Laplante earned his first career podium with a score of 83.45.
With Font Romeu in the books, it’s straight on to Italy for the always-exceptional Seiser Alm Legends slopestyle, where we’ll keep the momentum going in the Dolomites at what has proven to be a rider-favourite competition over the past three season of World Cup action.
TRICK LIST - WOMEN:
Ledeux - Switch left bio 900 mute, left 900 tail, switch right 900 safety, right side on continuing 450 off, switch right on frontside change-up, right on frontside 270 off
Tanno - switch left 900 safety, left 720 tail, right 900 opposite tail, switch left 270 on to switch, switch left on to regular, left side 270 on
Hoefflin - switch right 720 mute, switch left 540 safety, right 540 double mute, switch left 270 continuing 270 off, right on across A-frame, right on backside 270 out
MEN:
Hendrickson - left double 1260 japan, switch left double 1440 nose, switch right double bio 1080 japan, switch left on frontside 360 up 270 off, switch right 270 on 270 off, left 270 on continuing 270 switch-up
Tjader - right double 1260 double mute, switch right double 1440 mute, switch left double 900 japan, switch left slide backflip out, switch left on frontside 450 out, right 450 on 270 out
Laplante - right double 1080 safety, left double bio 1260 safety, switch right double 900 japan, left 270 switch-up 270 off, switch right 270 on pretzel 270 off, switch left 270 on switch-up through the kink to switch
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