Freeski slopestyle showdown between world’s best in Laax
Jan 13, 2025·Freeski Park & Pipe)
The second slopestyle event of the 2024/25 FIS Freeski World Cup season in Laax (SUI) this week is shaping up to be a showdown between the world’s best skiers.
A total of 92 skiers featuring Olympic gold medallists, World Champions and Crystal Globe winners have gathered for the Laax Open FIS Slopestyle World Cup beginning on Tuesday with the women’s qualifications at 10:00 Central European Time (CET).
Last season’s Laax Open winner - as well as the reigning slopestyle Olympic gold medallist and World Champion - Mathilde Gremaud (SUI) leads the women’s field of 29 athletes as the top-ranked slopestyle skier.
Gremaud won slopestyle gold at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and was runner-up to Tess Ledeux (FRA) at the slopestyle season opener in Stubai in November, but to date the Swiss skier’s performances this World Cup season have only yielded two podium finishes out of five starts.
The 24-year-old has not managed to break into the top three at the most recent big air World Cup events since her second place and first place finishes at Stubai and Chur respectively.
While Ledeux will not be on hand here in Laax, Gremaud is sure to have her hands full with Eileen Gu (CHN) back on the scene for a rare slopestyle World Cup start.
With the most wins in FIS Freeski World Cup history, Gu is a perfect three-for-three with victories in all halfpipe World Cup starts so far this season. While the 21-year-old has logged limited slopestyle starts since claiming the silver medal behind Gremaud at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, her second place finish here in Laax last season showed she remains amongst the world’s elite regardless of how many slopestyle reps she has put in.
The host nation will also have high hopes for Swiss skier Sarah Hoefflin, who finished third behind Gremaud in Stubai back in November and was more recently runner-up in big air in Beijing in December. Thirty-four-year-old Hoefflin is currently fourth behind Gremaud in the overall women’s FIS Park & Pipe rankings and will be looking for a podium finish in Laax.
Also in Laax is Italy’s Flora Tabanelli, who leads the women’s FIS Park & Pipe overall rankings with four podium finishes this season, including her first World Cup win in Kreischberg over the weekend.
At the slopestyle World Cup in Stubai, however, the 17-year-old did not qualify for the final and will be hoping to keep her top spot with a strong performance in Laax.
Tabanelli leads the overall World Cup standings with 330 points, putting her just ahead of Gu and her mark of 300.
Canada’s Megan Oldham was runner-up to Gremaud at the Bakuriani 2023 World Championships, and finished ninth in Stubai in November. The 23-year-old will be keen to move into the top five at Laax.
On the men’s side, overall men’s FIS Park & Pipe leader Luca Harrington (NZL) could prove to be a double threat if he can apply his big air success to slopestyle at Laax.
The 20-year-old comes into this season’s Laax Open fresh off of back-to-back big air wins in Klagenfurt and Kreischberg, and with a fifth place slopestyle finish in Stubai in November, Harrington has shown he is very much in the mix with the elite of the slopestyle World as well.
The USA’s Colby Stevenson leads the men’s slopestyle standings after claiming victory in Stubai ahead of Swiss runner-up Andri Ragettli, but Stevenson has not contested a World Cup event since November.
Big things are expected from 26-year-old Ragettli, who has finished within the top five in four out of five World Cup starts this season but counts only one podium finish from Stubai. Last season, Ragettli amassed four podium finishes, including a slopestyle victory in Silvaplana.
Meanwhile, Tormod Frostad (NOR) finished third in Stubai and is currently third on the overall World Cup standings with three podium finishes out of five starts thus far this season. The 22-year-old opened his World Cup season with second place in big air in Chur (AUT), which he followed up with victory in Beijing.
Other skiers to watch in Laax include last year’s winner and reigning men’s slopestyle World Champion Birk Ruud (NOR). Ruud is also the Beijing 2022 men’s big air champion but in the current World Cup season Ruud finished 18th and 36th in big air at Kreischberg and Beijing respectively. In Stubai the 24-year-old finished just outside the top five in sixth place.
Last season’s slopestyle Crystal Globe winner Mac Forehand (USA) has no podiums to date thus far this World Cup season. In Stubai the 23-year-old finished fourth, and Forehand was eighth in big air in Beijing in December. Forehand will be hoping to turn his season around in Laax when men’s qualifications begin on Wednesday.
Forehand is joined by compatriot and Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games slopestyle champion Alex Hall. The Olympic champion did not qualify for the final in Stubai, but his many accolades include 11 X Games podium finishes, five of which are gold medals. Hall finished just behind Forehand on last season’s World Cup slopestyle rankings while nabbing his first career Crystal Globe by topping the overall big air rankings.
Austrian skier Matej Svancer comes to Laax buoyed by his recent second and third-place big air finishes in Klagenfurt and Kreischberg respectively. The 20-year-old is currently ranked second in the men’s Park & Pipe standings with three podiums from five starts, including his World Cup season-opening big air victory in Chur in October. In slopestyle, however, Svancer finished eighth in the Stubai final.
The women’s qualifications on Tuesday morning will be followed by the men’s qualifications on Wednesday. The men’s and women’s finals will begin at 13:15 CET on Friday.
SLOPESTYLE FACTS & FIGURES
Tess Ledeux (FRA) leads the all-time slopestyle World Cup wins record with 12. Her closest rival, Andri Ragettli (SUI), has 11 victories.
Ragettli leads the all-time slopestyle World Cup podium rankings with 23 in total: 11 victories, seven in second place, five in third place.
Ledeux has amassed 16 top-three World Cup finishes in slopestyle: 12 wins, three in second place, one in third place.
Mathilde Gremaud (SUI) has won five World Cup slopestyle events for a total of 13 podiums.
Colby Stevenson (USA) has 11 top-three World Cup finishes, including four wins.
Birk Ruud (NOR) has 10 World Cup slopestyle podiums: eight wins, two in third place.
QUICK LINKS
Laax data page (start lists, live scoring, results)
Photos (coming soon)
