Killi and Ruud sweep top of podium for Norway at slopestyle season-opener in Stubai
Nov 19, 2022·Freeski Park & Pipe
It was a ideal start to the 2022/23 FIS Freeski slopestyle World Cup season on Saturday at Austria’s Stubai glacier - especially if you’re a fan Norwegian freeskiers - as perfect weather, exceptional skiing on a pristine Stubai Zoo slopestyle course, and a sweep of the top of the podium for Johanne Killi and Birk Ruud of the Norges Freeski Landslaget made for a memorable campaign opener once again in Austria.
KILLI LOCKS DOWN FIRST SLOPESTYLE WIN SINCE 2017/18 SEASON
It’s been a long road back to the top of the podium for 25-year-old Killi, whose last World Cup victory before Saturday came almost three years ago at the Beijing (CHN) big air, and whose last slopestyle victory was nearly five years ago in Aspen Snowmass (USA).
Still, throughout that time Killi has remained one of the top skiers in the game, consistently racking up podiums and pushing her skiing forward, and on Saturday it all finally came together to put her back on the winner’s step of the podium.
Killi kicked off her winning win with a left corked 900 reverse tail grab, followed by a big switch right 540 Japan through the jump line, before going right foot to backside 540 off, switch right lipslide k-fed, then left 270 on to switch through the three rail features, earning herself a score of 81.24 for her fourth World Cup win, her 15th World Cup podium, and the first of two Norwegian victories on the day.
“It means a lot to win here in Stubai,” said Killi after her third career Stubai podium, “It’s always been a good comp for me, but I haven’t been able to end up on the top where I’ve wanted to be. But this year I made it, so I’m really happy. I didn’t really have a good training today, but I just focused on having fun and landing clean. I got my rails clean, so I’m super stoked about that. It’s just an unbelievable feeling right now.”
The win was especially meaningful for Killi coming after last month’s Big Air Chur World Cup, where she elected to sit out the event for personal reasons.
“I really want to do the rest of the slopestyle comps if I’m feeling good and feeling motivated,” she said, “I’ve always been fighting for the overall (in my career), and to win a crystal globe would be super sick. So yeah, this is a good start.”
Second place for the women went to two-time Stubai winner Kelly Sildaru of Estonia, who put down another typically solid run - including a switch left 720 mute to switch right 900 reverse tail through the jumps, and a left foot front swap to 270 pretzel out on the final rail feature - but had to settle for a score of 78.22 and the runner-up result this time around.
The podium was Sildaru’s 12th in 14 career World Cup starts, making for a run of consistency that’s one of the most impressive in FIS Freeski World Cup history, and which seems destined to continue well into the future for the 20-year-old.
Landing in third place for her first career World Cup podium was the USA’s Grace Henderson, as the 21-year-old stepped things up in a big way on her second run, with tricks like a switch right 900 tail grab on her first hit, and a right slide to 630 off on her first rail for a score 76.58.
RUUD MAKES IT TWO-FOR-TWO TO OPEN 2022/23
After claiming last season’s Freeski overall crystal globe with three wins and four podiums in five World Cup competitions, Birk Ruud has come out firing even harder so far in 2022/23, following up his victory at the Big Air Chur season-opener with another outstanding performance for the win in Stubai.
There are few who would disagree that Ruud is the most complete freeskier in the game right now, and his performance on Saturday in a stacked finals did nothing if not prove that point further while the 22-year-old locked down his 10th career World Cup win.
Ruud opened up his winning first run with a switch right double cork 1620 safety, followed by a left double bio 1440 mute through the two jumps, before going right foot backside 810 off on the first rail, and then a switch left 270 back swap 360 to forward, and finally a right side 450 on to 270 pretzel out on the final rail feature, riding out to a score of 88.96 and his second straight victory in Stubai.
“To me there’s two things - to stay present, and to have good preparations,” Ruud said when asked how he manages to rise to the occasion at seemingly every competition, “Those are the only things that matter. So if you ask me what’s going through my mind when I ski, I would just say there’s nothing. I’m completely present. I don’t think about anything, I’m just right in the moment. That’s something I’ve been practicing and it’s a beautiful thing when it works out.
“My mental training is good and my preparations (leading up to the competitions) are good and I think that’s what allows me to be one of the best.”
Joining Ruud on the podium were the past two slopestyle crystal globe winners, with Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli finishing in second and the USA’s Colby Stevenson winding up in third.
Ragettli was firing as always on Saturday, leading off his second run with a huge switch left double bio 1620 sindy, followed by a right double cork 1440 Japan, and then into a mind-bending rail line that began with a pretzel bio 810 mute out of the canon rail, into a front switch up - back switch up - continuing 270 off, and finally a switch left 270 on backside 450 off on the final rail.
A little cleaner and it might have been the 11th victory of his career, but instead Ragettli would have to settle for 87.38 and second place.
Stevenson returned to the World Cup podium for the first time since his crystal globe-winning 2020/21 season with a little magic of his own, opening his run with a left nosebutter double 1620 revert Japan and throwing in a left corked 900 tail tap on the balloon feature on his way to score of 85.68 and a third-place finish.
With Stubai in the books we step back from slopestyle competition until the new year, and instead look forward to a double whammy of big air and halfpipe competition coming up next for the FIS Freeski World Cup at Copper Mountain from 14-17 December.
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