Gremaud thrills home crowd alongside Ruud to retain slopestyle World Champion titles
Mar 21, 2025·Freeski Park & Pipe
Swiss ski star Mathilde Gremaud defended her slopestyle World Championships title in front of a home crowd in Engadin on Friday as Norway’s Birk Rudd also retained his world title in the men’s field.
Gremaud topped the women’s final at the Engadin 2025 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships with a first run score of 85.65 that none of her rivals were able to match.
The 25-year-old finished more than 12 points clear of silver medallist Lara Wolf (AUT) on 73.33, while Canadian Megan Oldham secured bronze with 70.63.
Gremaud looked at ease when she dropped into the Corvatsch course and began her first run with a left 270 on to frontside 270 out, then a switch on left frontside 630 out on the second rail, before heading through the jumps with switch right cork 720 Japan, a switch left double cork 900 safety, a left double cork 1080 safety, and then a right alley-oop 540 safety, before finishing it all off with an incredibly risky switch right tails over 270 on to switch on the down-flat-down-flat-down rail.
Friday’s win comes after Gremaud missed half of the 2024/25 FIS Freeski World Cup season due to injury after previously winning three Crystal Globes for slopestyle, big air and overall women's Park & Pipe at the end of the 2023/24 season.
“Obviously it’s World Champs at home and I'm pretty sure it’s going to be the first and last time it happens,” said Gremaud.
“It was kind of a hard road leading to the World Championships and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to compete.”
In fourth place behind Oldham was 2024/25 overall women’s Park & Pipe winner Flora Tabanelli (ITA).
In men’s slopestyle, Birk Ruud (NOR) retained his World Champion title from 2023 with a second run score of 89.10.
The Norwegian began his winning run with a hyper-technical left 270 on front swap transfer front 270 out on the first rail section, then a switch left 270 on back misty 810 safety out on the launch rail, before checking off a switch left double cork 1800 blunt, a switch right double cork 1620 safety, a left double bio 1800 mute, and then a right double 1080 safety, before ending off his gold medal-winning running with a right 180 onto the butter pad into a switch right tails over 270 on the frontside 270 out.
The defending 2023 World Champion’s high score relegated U.S. skier Mac Forehand’s second run score of 85.53 to a silver medal, while fellow American and 2024/25 slopestyle Globe winner Alex Hall took bronze with 84.72.
Ruud said being able to defend his 2023 title after the World Cup season ended just a week ago was especially meaningful.
The 24-year-old broke his ankle in the summer of 2024 and on Friday said he had been visualising some of the tricks he landed in his winning run during rehabilitation.
“I’ve really just been focused on my skiing and don’t get too emotional on my results, and I think that’s been a good key for me, and a key that I want to continue to do, to just focus on my skiing so I can keep going for a long career and enjoy every day of it. I’m proud of myself today,” said Ruud.
“I was visualising this run … and to be able to put that down today is just really amazing. I’m super happy.”
Local skier Andri Ragettli (SUI) finished in fourth place, while Norway’s Tormod Frostad rounded up the top five. The overall men’s Park & Pipe winner, Luca Harrington (NZL), finished in sixth place.
QUICK LINKS
2025 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships data page (schedule, start lists, live scoring, results)
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