Maiden slopestyle World Cup wins for Tabanelli and Svancer in Stoneham

Italian teenager Flora Tabanelli and Austria’s Matej Svancer have proven they are freeski double threats after each winning their first slopestyle World Cup in Stoneham on Saturday.

A regular on the big air podium throughout the 2024/25 FIS Freeski World Cup calendar, 17-year-old Tabanelli on Saturday finished atop of the women’s slopestyle podium for the first time during the fourth slopestyle World Cup of the season.

Tabanelli took an early lead in the women’s final in Stoneham (CAN) with a run one score of 80.41 points for a performance featuring a switch right bio 900 mute, then a left double 1080 safety, followed by a left slide back swap frontside 270, a switch left 270 on with a shifty out to forward, and finally with a right slide frontside 450 out.

It feels really amazing. I’m stoked to do that run. I’m really happy also because slopestyle is not my first discipline. – Flora Tabanelli

No other skier in the women’s final was able to match Tabanelli’s score, though China’s Yang Ruyi took second place with a first run score of 75.28.

The USA’s Rell Harwood finished third behind Yang with a second run score of 74.11 points. The result marks Harwood’s second World Cup career podium after also finishing third in Aspen earlier in February.

For 19-year-old Yang, her second place finish in Stoneham is her first World Cup podium and follows her recent silver medal in slopestyle at the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games in front of a home crowd.

Tabanelli’s victory in Stoneham now gives her a total of 500 points in the overall women’s Park & Pipe standings. With her closest rival Eileen Gu (CHN) trailing the Italian by 100 points and 14 out of 16 World Cup events already completed, Tabanelli is just two podium finishes away from taking the overall Crystal Globe this season.

Tabanelli has already ensured one Crystal Globe in big air after taking second place at the most recent big air World Cup stop in Aspen in February.

It’s a dream come true and already I’m really happy to have won overall in big air. I will just concentrate on the last two competitions.– Flora Tabanelli

Despite not qualifying for Saturday’s final, Canadian skier Megan Oldham leads the women’s slopestyle World Cup standings on 213 points, ahead of France’s Tess Ledeux on 200 points. Ledeux did not compete in Stoneham.

In the men’s competition, 20-year-old Matej Svancer (AUT) claimed his first slopestyle victory of his World Cup career with a second run score of 89.43.

Svancer began his winning run with a switch left triple 1260 safety on the first kicker, followed by his signature right baron flip, then a switch left 270 back 810 on the first rail, followed by a switch right Tokyo drift 270 pretzel 460, then a left disaster 450 on to forward on the last rail.

It feels amazing because I have never got a really good result in slopestyle. This course just fit me well for some reason, so I’m just stoked that I got here and did all my elements that I love. It was enjoyable.– Matej Svancer

“There were definitely some creative tricks on the transfers. I was too scared to hit them, so I didn’t, but shout-out to the guys who did.”

Saturday’s win is Svancer’s third victory of the season after big air victories in Aspen (USA) and Chur (SUI). It also marks his fifth overall victory in his World Cup career.

Luca Harrington (NZL) was runner-up to Svancer on 87.54, while fellow New Zealander Ben Barclay rounded out the podium with a third place score of 87.00.

Barclay’s performance on Saturday is his second podium of his World Cup career after he was runner-up in 2022 at Font Romeu (FRA).

For Harrington, Saturday marked his fourth podium of the season after claiming second place in big air in Aspen on 6 February and back-to-back big air wins in Kreischberg and Klagenfurt (AUT) in January.

With four out of five slopestyle World Cup events now completed, the USA’s Colby Stevenson leads the men’s slopestyle standings despite not qualifying for Saturday’s final. Stevenson leads the slopestyle field with 218 points, followed by Swiss skier Andri Ragettli on 206 points. Ragettli finished seventh in Saturday’s 16-men final.

Svancer’s slopestyle victory now puts him atop the overall men’s Park & Pipe standings on 472 points, with Harrington in second place on 455 points.

The final slopestyle and big air World Cup contests of the 2024/25 season will take place in Tignes (FRA) between 11 and 14 March.