Oldham and Svancer win freeski big air in Aspen as Tabanelli locks in Crystal Globe
Feb 06, 2025·Freeski Park & Pipe)
Canada’s Megan Oldham and Austrian Matej Svancer wrapped up a week of freeski competition in Aspen with victories at the VISA Big Air World Cup, while Italian teenager Flora Tabanelli ensured her first career Crystal Globe with second place.
Oldham was the first to claim victory on the Aspen big air jump on Thursday after taking an early lead in the women’s final with a first run score of 92.00 for her left double 1260 mute.
The 23-year-old then posted a second run score of 91.75 for her switch left double 1080 Japan to top the field with a total of 183.75 points.
Seventeen-year-old and overall women's Park & Pipe standings leader Flora Tabanelli finished second behind Oldham on 175.25 points, while Anni Karava (FIN) finished third on 157.50.
Oldham’s victory is her third podium finish of 2025 after second place in slopestyle last week and second place at the Laax Open in January.
Prior to Thursday, Oldham last topped a big air World Cup podium in 2022 at Copper Mountain (USA).
“I’m super stoked with my riding today, I was able to do the dub (double) 12 and get the mute, and then again the switch dub 10 which I haven't done in a long time. I’m really happy with my riding overall.”
For 17-year-old Tabanelli, Thursday’s podium finish gives her a total of 340 points in the big air World Cup standings with five out of six big air World Cup stops now completed. The Italian teenager has finished on the podium in all five of her big air World Cup starts in 2024/25.
Trailing Tabanelli in the discipline rankings is China’s Liu Mengting, who sits on 216 points.
In the men’s freeski big air, Austria’s Matej Svancer took the win ahead of runner-up Luca Harrington (NZL) and third-placed Konnor Ralph (USA), who claimed his first World Cup big air podium finish.
Twenty-year-old Svancer topped the high-scoring men’s final with a total of 190.25 points to his first run score of 95.25 for his switch left tail butter 1800 safety, followed by his second run score of 95.00 for his nose butter left triple 1980 safety.
Harrington finished with a total of 187.75, followed by Ralph’s 183.75.
Svancer’s win follows his second and third place finishes at Big Air Kreischberg and Big Air Klagenfurt in January, as well as his big air season-opening win in Chur (AUT) in October – all in front of a home crowd.
The Austrian skier said his performances on Thursday were a redemption following his recent bronze medal at the 2025 X Games on the same Aspen jump.
“The ‘redemption’ was for the switch front flip,” explained Svancer.
“It didn’t have a deeper meaning, it was just the switch front from the X Games, I didn’t lace it. But on the switch front flip right now, I didn’t have to open up (gestures with arms)."
Svancer has finished on the podium, including two outright victories, at four of his five big air World Cup starts so far this season.
With Thursday’s win, Svancer now leads the men’s big air World Cup standings on 340 points, while Harrington sits on 330 points after his second-place finish on Thursday and back-to-back wins at Big Air Kreischberg and Big Air Klagenfurt.
The sixth and final big air contest of the 2024/25 FIS Freeski World Cup season will take place in Tignes (FRA) between 11 and 13 March.
QUICK LINKS
Aspen Freeski Big Air World Cup data page (start lists, live scoring, results)
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