Ledeux and Ragettli on top in season-opener Stubai slopestyle
Nov 21, 2020·Freeski Park & Pipe
After an extended and challenging, the FIS Freeski World Cup got back to business on Saturday with slopestyle action taking to the famed Stubai Zoo in Austria, where France’s Tess Ledeux and Andri Ragettli of Switzerland got the season off to dream starts with wins in a thrilling and encouraging day of competition.
While the government-mandated lockdown in Austria meant that much of the country has been put on pause, outstanding work by the local organizers to ensure the slopestyle World Cup’s status as an elite sporting event and to create a safety bubble for the athletes and staff on hand resulted in a week of good vibes and great skiing in Stubai. And though distancing protocols meant that the kind of camaraderie and celebration we’re used to seeing in the finals of a World Cup competitions was somewhat toned down, the obvious excitement of being back at competition (and with a perfect Schneestern-constructed park for that competition to go down on) lead to an unreal day of action on Saturday.
Ledeux wins season-opener for second straight season
The reigning big air and slopestyle world champion, Ledeux has been somewhat quiet on the World Cup tour in the past couple of seasons as she’s dealt with some injuries, and her only start last season came on home soil at the 2019/20 season-opener in Font Romeu.
However, just like in Font Romeu, the 18 year-old was able to rise to the occasion on Saturday in Stubai, taking advantage of a late withdrawal by top qualifier Kelly Sildaru (EST) and putting down the toughest rail line of the day to to earn what is now her third-straight World Cup podium, dating back to the 2018/19 season.
Second place went to the ever-consistent Johanne Killi of Norway, whose jump line of left 900 blunt to switch right double 1080 on was a thing of beauty. Killi now has podiums in three of her last six competitions, dating back to early last season.
Speaking of consistency, third place went to Eileen Gu of China, giving her six-straight World Cup podiums in her young and ever-more impressive career. Returning to the site of her first World Cup start, Gu came into finals as the second place qualifier behind Sildaru. While Gu’s unnatural left double 1080 japan on the first jump was one of the day’s most impressive tricks, some minor struggles in the rails kept her from finishing higher up on the podium.
Ragettli steps up in second run for eighth career World Cup win
For the men, it was last season’s slopestyle crystal globe winner Andri Ragettli right back where he loves to be, claiming top spot on the podium with a standout second run that saw him up his difficulty over his first attempt to take the eighth win and 20th podium of his World Cup career.
Already the all-time leader in World Cup podiums for a freeski athlete, Ragettli’s win ties him with Canadian halfpipe rider Cassie Sharpe for the most victories, and he did it in classic Ragettli style with his mix of clean technical wizardry throughout the course.
Second place belonged to Christian Nummedal of Norway, who broke a drought of nearly seven years to earn his second career World Cup slopestyle podium. The last time Nummedal climbed onto the slopestyle steps was back in March of 2014, though he does have three big air podiums and a big air crystal globe to his credit in that time.
Capping off a huge day for the Norwegians was Ferdinand Dahl, who earned his seventh career World Cup podium. With five men making it into Saturday’s finals - along with Killi representing for the women - the Norwegians were able to land fully half their finals skiers on the podium in an impressive display to start the season.
QUOTES WOMEN:
Tess Ledeux (FRA) - “I’m very happy. It’s just crazy. The park was perfect today with good weather and I’m just super happy to take first place.”
Johanna Killi (NOR) - “It was a nice day, beautiful conditions, fresh snow, beautiful weather, so we couldn’t really ask for more. I was so stoked to put down my run because I’ve had some trouble with some small injuries lately, so I’m really happy to land my run today.”
Gu Ailing Eileen (CHN) - “Today was awesome. I came into today really wanting to do the unnatural double because I just learned it two weeks ago here in Stubai, so I was really excited to do that today. There were a little bit of speed issues in practice so I wasn’t able to get it down consistently before the competition, but I was able to put it down in my run and I’m really happy about that.”
QUOTES MEN:
Andri Ragettli (SUI) - “It was a pretty tough day, practice was a bit windy, which made things hard. I changed my run for my first final run, went a bit easier, landed that one perfect and I was sitting in second place, so I knew if I could do my more difficult run I could end up in first place. I believed in myself and did the run perfect from top to bottom, and yeah I’m super stoked. It was an amazing day and all the riders killed it. It’s my eighth World Cup win and 20th World Cup podium, so I’m proud.”
Christian Nummedal (NOR) - “It’s an amazing start to the season for me, getting second place. Practice didn’t go very good for me, I wasn’t feeling that good, but I managed to pull it together and stick my first run, so I was pleased with that one.”
Ferdinand Dahl (NOR) - “I didn’t have a very good night of sleep so I was a pretty nervous this morning. But it was such nice weather and such nice conditions, and seeing Christian lacing up his first run right before I dropped in really got me hyped. All in all it was a super day.”
TRICKS WOMEN:
Tess Ledeux (FRA) - JUMPS: left 1260 mute, switch right bio 900 safety
RAILS: right side slide to frontside 630 out, switch right slide on the up rail to frontside switch-up on the double kink, right side on backside 450 out
Johanna Killi (NOR) - JUMPS: left 900 blunt, switch right double 1080 japan
RAILS: switch right slide, frontside switch-up over the gap, left 270 on continuing 270 off
Gu Ailing Eileen (CHN) - JUMPS: left double 1080 japan, right 900 seatbelt
RAILS: switch left on frontside 450 off, k-fed, right 270 on continuing 270 off
TRICKS MEN:
Andri Ragettli (SUI) - JUMPS: left double 1620 tail grab, switch right double 1260 misty
RAILS: k-fed, right 270 on frontside switch-up continuing 270 off, left 450 on pretzel out
Christian Nummedal (NOR) - JUMPS: right double 1440 japan, left double 1440 tail
RAILS: right 270 on pretzel 270 off, 360 switch up transfer gap to pretzel 270, switch left 450 on to continue 270 out
Ferdinand Dahl (NOR) - switch left double 1260 mute, right double bio 1080 japan
RAILS: slide up the canon rail to bio 810 safety out, left 450 lipslide to switch, switch 450 on to switch
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