Aspen 2021: Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air Preview

With halfpipe qualifications successfully in the books on Wednesday morning, we switch our focus at the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships to slopestyle competition, where qualifications are set to go down on Thursday, with the women slated to get things rolling at 9:40 local time (MST) followed by the men at 13:00. Freeski slopestyle finals are then scheduled for Saturday beginning at 9:30 - weather permitting and subject to change.

A larger-than-expected snowfall overnight on Tuesday slowed things down and made conditions tricky for snowboard slopestyle qualifications on Wednesday. However, clearer skies are expected for Thursday’s freeski action, and if the wind stays low it should be an excellent day of qualification, with the very best from around the world going toe-to-toe for the eight women’s and 10 men’s spots in the finals.

WHO TO WATCH - WOMEN

• Utah 2019 big podium: G - Tess Ledeux (FRA), S - Julia Krass (USA), B - Isabel Atkin (GBR)

• Utah 2019 slopestyle podium: N/A (cancelled due to weather)

• Sierra Nevada 2017 slopestyle podium: G - Tess Ledeux (FRA), S - Emma Dahlstrom (SWE), B - Isabel Atkin (GBR)

Coming into the women’s big air and slopestyle competitions here in Aspen this week we see a bit of an interesting situation as far as the reigning gold medallist goes, as France’s Tess Ledeux is currently the owner of the most recent gold medals for both events - although both those titles from different World Championships.

Ledeux became the youngest-ever Freeski World Champion when she took the slopestyle win four years ago in Sierra Nevada, and then followed that up with the big air victory two years later at the Utah 2019 world champs. When the women’s slopestyle competition at Utah 2019 was cancelled due to unsafe weather conditions, Ledeux was left to own the crown for another couple of years.

While we haven’t seen a ton of Ledeux in contest action in the past two seasons, whenever we have seen her she’s been excellent, going one-for-one by winning her lone World Cup start last season on home soil at the Font Romeu slopestyle, and then opening this season by winning the Stubai slopestyle World Cup before finishing in second at the Kreischberg big air World Cup in January. Factor in her history here Aspen at X Games competition - 2020 big air winner and 2x slopestyle podiums - and you’ve got a young skier with a strong shot at the podium this weekend.

Winner of this winter’s X Games big air was Mathilde Gremaud (SUI) and she, along with her Swiss teammate Sarah Hoefflin, represent one of the strongest national one-two punches in the world on the women’s side. While the pair famously took gold (Hoefflin) and silver (Gremaud) at the PyeonChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, neither has ever podiumed in World Championships competition - in fact, no Swiss woman has ever earned a World Championships podium in these events. With reigning big air crystal globe winner Giulia Tanno out for the rest of the season with a broken arm, it will be up to Gremaud and Hoefflin to put a Swiss flag in the women’s world champs slopestyle and/or big air history books.

While Gremaud won the X Games big air back in January, it was an X Games rookie taking the slopestyle title, as the increasingly impressive Eileen Gu walked away the winner in her first go-around at Aspen, while also taking the bronze in big air. Still just 17 years-old, Gu’s rise to the top of the freeski world has been meteoric, and with World Cup wins last season in slopetyle and halfpipe along with her big air third from this year’s X Games,  she’s very much capable of becoming the first freekier ever to take home three medals from the same World Championships.

While both the silver medallists listed at the start of this section - Julia Krass (USA) and Emma Dahlstrom (SWE) have retired from competition, the woman who’s name is in bronze medal position on both those podiums is Isabel Atkin, and she is on hand and looking for more world champs hardware this week. Besides the back-to-back World Championships medals, Atkin is similar to Ledeux in that, while she doesn’t compete as consistently as often might be expected, when she does compete she’s almost always in the mix come time for finals. Atkin took bronze at the PyeongChang 2018 slopestyle, and since the 2014/15 season has only missed out on the World Cup top-10 once, with five podiums in that span. Remarkably consistent and always stepping it up for the big events, Atkin will be a contender for three straight world champs medals this week.

There are a couple more names who should very much be watched out for this week, including Megan Oldham of Canada, who took big air silver and slopestyle bronze at X Games in January, and should be riding high into what will be her first world champs action. The host US squad, meanwhile will be lead by Maggie Voisin, the five-time World Cup podium winner who earned slopestyle gold and big air silver at X Games 2020 but did not compete this season due to personal reasons.

WHO TO WATCH - MEN

Utah 2019 big air podium: G - Fabien Boesch (SUI), S - Henrik Harlaut (SWE), B - Alex Beaulieu-Marchand (CAN)

Utah 2019 slopestyle podium - G - James Woods (GBR), S - Birk Ruud (NOR), B - Nicholas Goepper (USA)

First things first - reigning big air World Champion (and Kreischberg 2015 slopestyle World Champion) Fabein Boesch will not be on hand to defend his title this time around in Aspen, as the 23 year-old broke his collarbone just over a week ago back home in Switzerland. One of the most talented and entertaining athletes in freeskiing, his loss is a big blow for the Swiss team.

However, the Swiss have the luxury of a deep talent pool, and though Boesch is out, Andri Ragettli is most certainly in. The 4x crystal globe winner and all-time leader for most FIS Freeski World Cup wins and podiums comes into Aspen 2021 looking to be in exceptional form so far this season, with wins in slopestyle (at the Stubai World Cup in Austria) and in big air (here in Aspen at X Games).

While almost nobody has hit the top-3 with the regularity that Ragettli has over the course of his career (20 podiums in 39 World Cup competitions) he has yet to earn any World Championships medals, and it’s no secret that the extremely competitive 22 year-old is coming into Aspen hungry for some hardware.

However, so are a whole army of riders from around the world, and looking down the 52-man start list one could conceivably come up with an argument for 15 skiers as potential gold medallists on the right day.

Nicholas Goepper of the host US squad is considered a veteran in the sport at the ripe old age of 26, but he turned back the clock just a few weeks ago at X Games by claiming slopestyle gold fully six years since he last stood on top of a podium in Aspen. A two-time Olympic medallist and two time World Championships medallist - including a bronze two years ago in Park City - Goepper has proven himself time and time again on the sport’s biggest stage.

And the rest of the US men’s squad aren’t slouches, either. Mac Forehand has had a long road back from injury, but the 2018/19 slopestyle crystal globe winner is looking fit and ready to battle this week. Alex Hall proved himself one of the very best big air skiers in the world in the past couple of season with two World Cup wins last year and third in January’s X Games. Colby Stevensen, meanwhile, lit it up in slopestyle action last winter, with three straight World Cup podiums and no result lower than fifth.

Staying in North America for a minute, the Canadian team too is looking tough ahead of competition this week, with X Games slopestyle bronze medallist Evan McEachran leading the way, along with Teal Harle, Max Moffat and and Edouard Therriault.

If we’re talking continents though - or, continental subregions - the Scandinavians might be coming in even heavier than the North Americans, with Norway leading the way.

Birk Ruud proved himself the most versatile freeskier in the game last season, scoring World Cup podiums in slopestyle and big air (while claiming the big air crystal globe), and earning top-10 spots in slopestyle. After winning the season-opening big air World Cup in Kreischberg (AUT), Ruud was forced to sit out X Games due to a positive covid result, so count on the 20 year-old to come out firing now that he’s got shot for redemption at world champs. Along with 2017/18 big air crystal globe winner Christian Nummedal and recent X Games slopestyle silver medallist Ferdinand Dahl, the Norge contingent is strong.

Then there’s the Swedes, with living legend Henrik Harlaut and non-stop innovator Jesper Tjader leading the way. While both the above skier are grizzled veterans of the sport - relatively speaking, of course - both are capable of putting down tricks and runs the likes of which most others can’t even imagine. Along with Oliwer Magnusson and Oscar Wester, the Swedes have an extremely well-rounded group of skiers.

All the way to this point and we haven’t yet mentioned reigning slopestyle World Champion James Woods. While the 29 year-old is coming off a serious knee injury suffered last season and looking to rediscover his best form, the man known as Woodsy has a habit of stepping it up when the stakes are high, and will be looking to add to his three previous world champs medal count this time around in Aspen.

Antoine Adelisse of France, Finn Bilous of New Zealand, Thibault Magnin of Spain…the potential podium skiers in slopestyle and big air are globe-spanning in origin and ready to get after it at one of the most renowned venues in all of freeskiing. It should be a fun few days here at the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships.

WHERE TO WATCH (UPDATED):

FIS YouTube livestream (with geo restrictions)

Eurosport 1 Asia, Eurosport 2, Eurosport Player, BNT, CBC Sports Streaming, CCTV, Viaplay, YLE Areena, SILKNET, Arena4+, RAI Sport Web 1, Ziggo Docu, NENT TV3, Viasat 4, Matche Arena, JOJ TV, SBS, TV 10, Viaplay, SRF Zwei, TRT Spor2, BBC Red Button/BBC iPlayer/BBC Sport

09:30 MST (17:30 CET) FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Streaming Peacock

QUICK LINKS:

• Aspen 2021 virtual media centre (photos, interviews, news, results, TV info, schedule)

• Opening press conference recording ft. Nicholas Goepper and Sarah Hoefflin

• FIS Aspen 2021 data page (programme, start lists, live scoring, results and more)

• Photos (rights free)

• FIS Freestyle YouTube page (video highlights, podium interviews)

• TV Broadcast Info (coming soon)

• Livestream (link coming soon)