Bormolini and Miki look to end season with one more win

Mar 14, 2025·Snowboard Alpine

The 2024-25 VISA FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup season has already been thrilling. Tsubaki Miki (JPN) and Maurizio Bormolini (ITA) already clinched the overall crystal globes with their demonstrations of consistency. The final chapter of the season will be written in Winterberg this weekend.

The German venue will host a parallel slalom race on Saturday, the final individual race of the World Cup season. Then the greatest Alpine snowboarders will pair up in the mixed team event for the final race of the World Cup season on Sunday.

Winterberg is a classic venue on the World Cup circuit. It has hosted the opening weekend of the World Cup circuit and the last as it will once again this season. Lee Sangho (KOR) and Ester Ledecka (CZE) topped the podium in Winterberg last season. German star Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) will look for her first win at the venue.

Miki also clinched the discipline PGS and PSL globes. Bormolini has the PGS globe as well. There is still some hardware to be decided. The race for the men’s parallel slalom discipline globe is wide open heading into the final event.

Men's PSL globe up for grabs

Eight men have a mathematical chance at the globe. Arvid Auner (AUT) leads the bunch with 219 points in the PSL standings. Dario Caviezel (SUI) is the longest shot in eighth and needs a win and some help to end on top.

Gabriel Messner (ITA) is in second, just three points behind Auner. Daniele Bagozza (ITA) sits eleven points behind with a solid chance followed by Andreas Prommegger (AUT - 204 points), Benjamin Karl (AUT - 161 points), Maurizio Bormolini (ITA - 158 points) and Aaron March (ITA - 143 points). The winner of the race in Winterberg will receive 100 points and will likely end up with the globe if it is one of these eight racers.

One notable absence will be Benjamin Karl (AUT). The veteran will skip Winterberg as he prepares for the World Championships later this month.

No male rider has more than one PSL win this season. Bormolini took the first in Mylin, Bagozza in Yanqing, Auner in Davos and March in Bad Gastein.

Aside from the PSL globe chase on the men’s side. All eyes will be on Miki and Bormolini as they look to cinch up their championship seasons with a win.

Both snowboarders are going home this season with their first career crystal globes. Bormolini is still dreaming of raising the PGS globe on the podium earlier this month and cannot wait to do it again in Winterberg.

“It was super exciting to raise the crystal globe to the sky. In that moment, all the efforts, difficulties and hard work I have done in the past years, flashed through my mind. And I’m still hungry for success,”– Bormolini said.

Bormolini will look to add to his career year with one more win and a potential crystal globe season sweep. Speaking of season sweeps, Miki did just that on the women’s side. Despite winning them all, Miki finds room for improvement.

“I am very happy, but out of 17 races, I won only four times, so I need to work harder and increase the number of times I win,”– Miki said.

It was not easy for Miki to ascend to the top. The Japanese star was a constant on the podium as took control of the standings early in the season. However, 2024 overall champion and Snowboard Alpine living legend Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) put plenty of pressure on Miki down the stretch. Miki was inspired by the pressure.

"I would like to learn from her running technique and mentality since she came back. I didn't race against her in the last race. But I finally won the globe, but that doesn't make me stronger than her at all. I will try my best to be like her,”– Miki said.

Miki will be a favorite as she goes against Hofmeister one more time this season. Miki won two of the PSL races this season. Hofmeister and Sabine Payer (AUT) took the others.

RACE SCHEDULE (all times CET)

The weekend will begin with a public bib draw on Friday March 14 at 15:00. Then the real action begins on Saturday March 15 with qualifying at 10:00 and the final individual finals of the World Cup season at 14:15. The mixed team event begins on Sunday March 16 with qualifying at 9:30 and the finals at 10:30.