Gasser and Roisland win slopestyle World Cup opener

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Anna Gasser (AUT) and Mons Roisland (NOR) have claimed victory at this season's first slopestyle World Cup competition staged on the 2015 world championships slope at Kreischberg (AUT) today.

Anna Gasser extends her incredible podium streak to five

25-year-old local favourite Gasser lived up to the expectations in dominant fashion by keeping the momentum from a second rank finish at last weekend's Moscow big air World Cup and topping the women's competition with the highest score of 81.25 earned in her third run which actually was a victory lap after none of the girls had been able to bump off the leading rider from the top spot.

“It helped starting last in each run as I then knew what the other girls did,” Gasser said who also mentioned that she then played it cool and didn't risk too much.

However, the best qualifier who had secured silver at the worlds two years ago still landed a boardslide to frontside 360, backside 720 mute, frontside 360 indy, 50-50 frontside 180 indy out and a huge cab 540 underflip mute to bring home her career's fourth, the first in a slopestyle event.

“It's great to win a home soil event. I'm super happy that I was able to tie on to my good training impressions in today's finals. I was pretty nervous in the qualifiers because I wanted to win. Today I felt better although the vision wasn't the best.”

Sina Candrian (SUI, 69.25) and two-time X Games champion Silje Norendal (NOR, 62.90) finished in the respective second and third rank.

Roisland has it all

Two weeks before turning 20 years, Mons Roisland secured his career's first in his fourth World Cup start with 84.25 by nailing his third and final run which consisted of a cab lip to fakie, cab 720 tail bonk, switch backside 1260 melon, frontside 1440 indy, frontside 270 out and a backside double cork 1080 nose to finish things off.

Mons Roisland brought some steeze to the show

“It was a really good. I was very impressed of what they put together here at Kreischberg. I was very happy to qualify through the semi finals. I couldn't be more stoked on my riding today, and I'm so pumped to end up in first position ahead of all of these good riders. I'm unbelievably stoked,” Roisland stated.

The Norwegian Viking who had to take the semi finals detour to qualify for the finals of the best ten men edged off so far leading 2015 world champion Ryan Stassel (USA, 83.30), who had landed a switch 270 to 270 out, frontside 360 hand plant, backside double cork 1080 mute, frontside 1440 indy, boardslide to underflip 450 out and a final switch backside 1260 mute, to the second rank.

Up-and-coming 16-year-old talent Redmond Gerard (USA; 81.35) rounded out the podium as third impressing the judges with a 50-50 back to 270, boardslide to underflip 450 indy out, switch backside triple cork 1440 mute, frontboard to 270 melon out and a frontside 1080 melon over the last kicker.

The snowboard freestyle World Cup tour continues next week with this season's second slopestyle and halfpipe event staged at the LAAX OPEN from January 16 to 21.