The queen is officially back as Hofmeister makes it three in a row
Jan 19, 2025·Snowboard Alpine
The 2024-25 VISA FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup returned to Bansko for a second day of PGS racing. It was deja vu all over again at the top of the women’s side as the defending overall champion announced to the world that she is all the way back.
Ramona Theresia Hofmeister made it three individual wins in a row with her victory over overall leader Tsubaki Miki (JPN). It was the third race in a row where the two met in the big final. It was a sweep of the weekend for the German and a cherry on top of a near-perfect week.
Hofmeister struggled in the first part of the season with disappointing results and no podium finishes. It was a strange sight for the defending champion who won five races last season on the way to the crystal globe.
The two wins in Bansko give Hofmeister 22 individual World Cup career wins. She also has 51 career overall podiums. Hofmeister jumps into third in the overall standings, just 20 points behind second-place Sabine Payer (AUT).
Miki maintains a tight grip on the overall standings as she settled for second-place for the third straight race. She reached the podium in nine of ten races this season and continues her wildly successful season despite the resurgence of her on-course rival Hofmeister. Miki also moved into the PGS lead with the finish.
It was all chalk on the women’s side with the top four qualifiers moving on to the semifinals. Rounding out the podium was Michelle Dekker (NED) who cruised to a win in the small final. It is the second podium of the season for Dekker.
Jasmin Coratti (ITA) ended the day in fourth. Julie Zogg (SUI) rounded out the top five. Payer got another tough draw in the first round and was edged out by Zogg. Aleksandra Krol-Walas (POL) was the PGS leader coming into the day after a podium finish on Saturday. Things did not go as well on Sunday as she was upset in the first round by Ladina Caviezel (SUI).
Women’s PGS Standings
Tsubaki Miki (JPN) - 470 points
Aleksandra Krol-Walas (POL) - 450 points
Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) - 373 points
Sabine Payer (AUT) - 348 points
Jasmin Coratti (ITA) - 310 points
Cavieziel tops podium for first win of the season
The men’s side had plenty of huge matchups. In the end, Dario Cavieziel (SUI) came out on top for his first win of the season. It is the third career win for Cavieziel. His first since winning in Bansko in 2023.
In the big final Caviezel edged his good friend Gabriel Messner (ITA). It was a tough battle between the two.
The win gives Cavieziel 17 career World Cup podiums and two on the season. Messner settled for second after a third-place finish on Saturday in Bansko. He now has four podiums this season and is searching for his first career win.
The action started early on the men’s side with multiple headline-worthy matchups in the first round. In a rematch of the all-Bulgarian quarterfinal from Saturday, Radoslav Yankov (BUL) got his revenge against the younger Tervel Zamfirov (BUL) to advance.
There was also a rematch of the big final from Saturday with Andreas Prommegger (AUT) proving too fast for Benjamin Karl (AUT) once again. PGS leader Maurizio Bormolini (ITA) started his run by taking out his teammate Edwin Coratti (ITA) in round one. Bormolini and Prommegger were then stunned in the quarterfinals. Bormolini maintains the yellow bib as the PGS leader and Prommegger maintains the orange as the overall leader.
The small final brought plenty of drama as local favorite Yankov was gunning for the podium in front of the home fans. He was edged out by Alexander Payer (AUT). However, after the results FIS officials disqualified Payer and moved Yankov to third.
The situation was reviewed and confirmed before the awards ceremony with Payer in third place. However, the competition jury was informed immediately that the wrong video was reviewed. The footage was from the semifinal, not small final. The correct video was reviewed during a second jury meeting while the men's awards ceremony was underway. In the second review Payer was determined to miss a gate and disqualified thus moving Yankov into third. FIS Chief race director Snowboard Alpine Uwe Beier released a statement explaining the decision.
“Despite the ongoing awards ceremony, we immediately called all four jury members together, reviewed the correct footage from the small final, and found clear evidence of a gate mistake. The rider had indeed gone inside the stubby, even cutting it into pieces, as could be clearly seen in the updated video. The remaining part of the stubby was visibly sticking out. Video was shared with all the coaches and teams in the spirit of transparency,” Beier said.
Yankov now has 11 career World Cup podiums, four of which have come in Bulgaria. He also moved into second in the standings for the PGS crystal globe.
Elsewhere, Tim Mastnak (SLO) and Daniele Bagozza (ITA) failed to qualify for the knockout rounds.
Men’s PGS Standings
Maurizio Bormolini (ITA) - 347 points
Radoslav Yankov (BUL) - 316 points
Andreas Prommegger (AUT) - 314 points
Edwin Coratti (ITA) - 263 points
Tim Mastnak (SLO) - 260 points
The VISA FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup will return next weekend with another PGS race in Rogla, Slovenia on January 25. There will be qualifying in the morning and the finals are scheduled for 13:00 local time.
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