Sildaru and Hall close out Mammoth weekend with slopestyle wins
Jan 10, 2022·Freeski Park & Pipe
A heavy weekend of FIS Freeski World Cup action at Mammoth Mountain wrapped up on Sunday with slopestyle competition taking to the pristine Mammoth Unbound course under perfect conditions, where Kelly Sildaru (EST) and Alex Hall were able to walk away with the victories at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix.
Sunday’s competition was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, but heavy winds earlier in the week forced a full reshuffle of the programme, with men’s qualifications and the women’s and men’s finals pushed back to the reserve day.
While this made for something of a hectic weekend for organisers. officials and athletes alike, it turned out to be the right call, with sunny skies, warm temps, no wind, and some incredible skiing all coming together to make for a memorable competition.
SILDARU MAKES IT TWO-FOR-TWO IN SLOPESTYLE COMPETITION
Sildaru came into slopestyle competition just one day after finishing second to Eileen Gu (CHN) in the halfpipe on Saturday. On Sunday however she was able to flip the script, putting down an exceptional first run score of 93.75 that no one would be able to better through the rest of the day.
Through the top rail sections Sildaru started off with a left foot front swap to pretzel 270 out on the first down rail, into a switch right foot front swap on the flat-down, and then a right slide to front 630 out of the Mammoth canon rail, before stomping perfectly her switch left 1080 mute and her switch right 900 tail grab on the jumps.
“I’m really so stoked,” Sildaru said just after the final results were in, “My baggage got lost on my way here and I haven’t done any training, only the warmups before the qualies and the finals. So I’m happy that I was able to put a good run down.”
The win was Sildaru’s second of the season after she took top spot at the slopestyle World Cup season-opener in Stubai (AUT) back in November, and she remains atop the slopestyle standings with a perfect 200 points.
Behind Sildaru in second was Gu, making Sunday’s competition her first World Cup of 2021/22 that she hasn’t won (Gu did not compete in Stubai).
Gu’s first run saw her go 270 on to 270 out on he first rail, switch left 270 disaster on the flat-down, to left foot front swap to switch on the rainbow rain, and then a switch left bio 900 tail to right 900 Buick on the jumps for a score of 91.00.
While Gu would try to up the difficulty in her second run, she went down on her final hit dub 1260 and would not improve her score. Still, with her sixth podium of the season Gu is well out ahead in the FIS Freeski overall standings, with 580 points to Sildaru’s 369.
Maggie Voisin of the host U.S. team matched her result from Mammoth two years ago, earning a score of 90.00 and third place with a run that saw her start with a left 270 on to 270 out on the down rail, into a switch left 270 disaster on the flat-down, and then a right foot slide to backside 270 out on the rainbow rail, and then right 900 tail, and finally a switch left 720 high safety to finish it off on the jumps.
HALL PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER IN THE FINAL RUN OF THE WEEKEND
For the men it was Alex Hall coming through with some final run heroics, as the top qualifier from earlier in the day waited until the very last drop of the Mammoth weekend to put on a rail clinic and two exceptional jumps, bumping his teammate Nick Goepper from top spot and claiming the win.
Hall began his run with a switch right 270 nose tap on to pretzel 450 out over the chain and onto the down rail, and then left 270 front swap to pretzel 270 out on the dip rail, into a switch left 270 front swap to 630 out on the rainbow - far and away the most technical rail line attempted at any point over the last week in Mammoth.
Finishing things off with a switch right dub 1080 double Japan and then a switch left dub 1440 mute to shifty on the jumps, Hall would earn a score of 95.50 and his fifth career World Cup win.
“I’m so stoked,” the man known as A-Hall said from the finish area, “I think I’m speaking for everyone when I say I’m a little tired right now. We got on the lift at like 7:45 this morning, but we all just pushed through and made it happen. I’m just hyped to lay it down though. My body was feeling tired, so I kinda surprised myself.
“And congrats everyone else for killing it. Nick (Goepper) laid down two insane runs, Evan (McEachran) too…I’m hyped for everybody.”
After sitting in top spot for much of the second run, Goepper would have to settle for second for his run that included a switch right 270 on to pretzel 450 off, then a left 450 gap on to continuing 270 off on the dip rail, to a right 450 on pretzel 270 off on the rainbow, and then a switch right dub bio 1260 mute on the first jump and a massive left dub 16 tail on the final jump for a score of 94.75.
Third place for the men went to the above-mentioned Evan McEachran of Canada, who earned a score of 93.00 and his first World Cup podium in nearly three and a half years with a run of a right nosebutter 450 on to pretzel 270 out on the down rail, to switch left k-fed, and then a right bio 810 safety out of the Mammoth cannon rail, and then a switch right dub 1440 safety, and finally an incredible switch left dub 1800 mute on the final jump to finish things off.
With his win, Hall now leads the slopestyle World Cup standings with 111 points, with Goepper close behind with 108.
With Mammoth in the bag, it’s now over to France for the final FIS Freeski competition before the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, with slopestyle action in Font Romeu going down from January 14-16.
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