Slopestyle World Cup right back to business in Seiser Alm
Jan 16, 2020·Freeski Park & Pipe
After a massively entertaining season-opener to the 2019/20 slopestyle season in Font Romeu (FRA), we’re right back to action this weekend in the Dolomites, as the FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup Seiser Alm Legends competition is slated to go down this weekend from Jan 17-18, with qualifications on Friday and finals on Saturday.
This year will be the fourth straight FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup action in Dolomites, and from the very beginning the Seiser Alm Legends competition was able to establish itself as a true riders’ favourite event, with the F-Tech designed and built course a true example of care and attention to detail.
Featuring three multifaceted jib features in a row to start out with, the Seiser Alm course then leads into three jumps, each with different take-off options and sizes, and with each feature perfectly shaped and sculpted. It’s a classic design, and one that will allow loads of creativity for the riders on hand.
Speaking of riders, the line-up for this weekend’s competition is looking stacked once again in both the men’s and ladies’ fields, with the majority of the competitors from Font Romeu making there way from the Pyrenees to the Dolomites for the Seiser Alm comp. On top of this, a handful of additional top-tier names will be added to the startlist - especially on the men’s side of things.
Swiss women leading the charge
Second and third at last week’s Font Romeu comp were Switzerland’s Giulia Tanno and Sarah Hoefflin, and along with their teammate Mathilde Gremaud represent the strongest front-to-back nation in the women’s field.
Silvia Bertagna will be repping the host Italian squad after sitting out last week’s event with a sore knee, and after missing out on finals in all three of the past Legends competition will be looking to finally make some noise on Saturday this season.
Current big air World Cup third overall-ranked Johanne Killi of Norway, Elena Gaskell of Canada, and Margaux Hackett of New Zealand are a few more of the riders to watch in the women’s field.
Hall set to shine in his first slopestyle of the season
The big announcement on the men’s side of things is the entry of Alex Hall of the USA, who’s set to drop in for his first slopestyle competition of the season. Winner of both the Modena (ITA) and Atlanta (USA) big airs, Hall has risen to upper echelon of freeskiing in the past two seasons, and his presence will loom large this weekend.
Hall will be joined by skilled US teammates like 2016 Seiser Alm winner Colby Stevenson, and Nicholas Goepper, who won in Seiser Alm two seasons ago. The Sochi 2014 slopestyle silver medallist, Goepper remains amongst the world’s best when he’s on his game.
Though 2019 Seiser Alm winner Max Moffat (CAN) isn’t expected to compete, last season’s runner-up Oliwer Magnussen will be on hand and looking for a little redemption after an eighth-place showing last week in Font Romeu.
Then there’s the Norwegian contingent, with the likes of Birk Ruud, Christian Nummedal, Ferdinan Dahl, and Oeystein Braaten the top four of a heavy seven-strong team from western Scandinavia. Ruud, Nummedal, and Braaten will all be hungry for podiums in Italy after making finals but falling short of the top three in Font Romeu.
As always, the likes of Andri Ragettli and Fabian Boesch of the ever-strong Swiss team are almost guaranteed to be in the mix come finals time. Ragettli's technical precision and Boesch's no-holds-barred full-scale assault on the slopestyle course always prove to be entertaining counterpoints from the two countrymen.
And then there’s last week’s winner Mark Hendrickson of Canada, whose Font Romeu-winning run established himself as one of this season’s top contenders in one fell swoop. Technical, smooth, and stylish, Hendrickson may reveal himself to be yet another in a long line of Canadian freeski heavyweights if he puts in another showing or two like the one we saw in Font Romeu.
Currently, the programme for Seiser Alm has women’s qualifications beginning at 9:05 CET on Friday morning, with men’s heat one beginning at 11:35, and men’s heat two dropping in at 14:05. Finals for Saturday ate slated to begin at 11:30.
WATCH LIVE:
Eurosport 1 Asia, Eurosport Player (streaming), ORF (streaming), YLE Areena, L'Equipe Web (streaming), RAI Web (streaming), NRK1, Polsat Sport News, Teledeporte, SVT Play (streaming), NBC Sports Gold (streaming)
QUICK LINKS:
Seiser Alm data page (start lists, live scoring, results)
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