Corning and Norendal tops in Laax Open slopestyle World Cup
Jan 18, 2019·Snowboard Park & Pipe
Laax (SUI) - After a week of starts, stops, and delays as organizers and athletes alike dealt with some wild weather in the Alps, the Laax Open slopestyle World Cup went down on Friday in Switzerland, where Silje Norendal (NOR) and Chris Corning (USA) claimed victories in an incredible day of riding at one of snowboarding’s most legendary venues.
Friday’s programme was an adjusted one after men’s semifinals were cancelled on Thursday due to winds that grew stronger as the day progressed. Instead, semis were moved to Friday morning, with everyone on hand in Laax hoping that the snow forecast into the morning would hold off.
And that it did, and by the time Friday’s training opened the sun was shining overhead while a dramatic backdrop of clouds in the valley would frame the shots of some of the world’s best riders going to work on the big Laax course.
Out of the semifinals it would be Sven Thorgren (SWE) set to lead the top 12 men into the noontime finals after the 24-year-old put down a score of 85.30. Unfortunately, Thorgren wouldn’t be able carry his status as the favourite into the next round after falling in training just before the start of the finals and suffering a minor concussion.
With Thorgren on the sidelines, Corning stepped his game up, stomping a first run with a couple of small bobbles that had him in podium position even before his final run, then executing that final run with the sort of explosive precision that has become the 19-year-old’s trademark.
Putting down a cab 1260 followed up by his patented frontside 1440 into backside triple cork 1440 combo through the big jump section, and capping things off with a perfect backside 270 on, backside 270 off on the final rail feature, Corning would earn himself a score of 89.10 and the victory. It was his fourth podium in five World Cup events so far this season, and it would move him ahead of Japan’s Takeru Otsuka for the pipe & pipe World Cup overall World Cup lead.
“It was an amazing day,” said Corning just before the awards ceremony, “I put down my first run in finals, but it wasn’t exactly a clean run. But then I was able to pull it all back together and and put it down like I wanted in my second run. That last rail has been giving me trouble all week in my competition runs and on that last one I was just like, ‘I don’t care, I’m stomping this.’ And I did, so to be able to stand on top of that podium with so many good riders here is awesome.”
Just back of Corning was top qualifier Staale Sandbech (NOR), who claimed his first World Cup podium in over five years with a run that included a frontside boardslide switchup to fakie on the first rail and picture-perfect cab 1440 on the third jump, earning him a score of 87.35.
Third place was Switzerland’s own Moritz Thoenen, who’s score of 80.55 would give him his first World Cup podium and one of three podiums the Swiss would claim on home soil at this year’s Laax Open.
Norendal earns first World Cup win
Thoenen’s Swiss teammates Celia Petrig and Sina Candrian came out swinging in the ladies’ finals, dropping in first and second respectively and both stomping their runs in impressive fashion on the big Laax course that had posed some difficulties for the ladies’ through the week. With Petrig’s run featuring a huge frontflip nose grab on the first jump, and Candrian putting down the biggest spin of the day in the ladies’ competition with a frontside 1080 on the final hit, the tone for the contest was set.
However, just after the two Swiss riders came Silje Norendal, who upped the ante immediately with her held grabs and spotless landings. Beginning with a stylish switch nosepress, Norendal would spin a switch backside 540, a frontisde 540, a cab 900, and backside 720 through the jumps before finishing things off with a bluntslide for a score of 78.35 and the win.
Somewhat surprisingly, the win was Norendal’s first World Cup triumph, as the four-time X Game gold medalist finally hit the top of World Cup podium in her 21st event and her tenth season of World Cup competition.
Before the awards ceremony, the 25-year-old was clearly pleased with the outcome.
“Yeah, it’s crazy. I won here in Laax in the junior competition, back when I was 14, but it’s been a long time since then. There was a lot of pressure today with the two-run finals. When it’s a three-run final you kind of know that you’ll land at least one, but when it’s just two runs - and you know with only six girls in the final that you’re already so close to the podium - it’s easy to get freaked out. But I was able to land my first run and that gave me the confidence to do even better in my second run.”
Petrig would finish in second place with a score of 67.60, matching her teammate Thoenen by taking the first World Cup podium of her career, while Laax local Candrian rounded out the podium in third with a score of 65.42, giving the Swiss half of the total podium spots on the day.
Up next in Laax will be the halfpipe World Cup competition, with semifinals beginning on Saturday morning with the ladies at 9:40 CET, followed by the men at 11:45. The six ladies and 12 men finals will be going down under the lights for the first-ever Laax Open night finals, beginning at 17:30.
QUICK LINKS:
TRICK LIST:
Men
Corning - Frontside 180, half-cab to 50-50 to frontside 360 out, backside rodeo, cab 1260 nose grab, frontside 1440 melon, backside triple 1440 melon, backside 270 boardslide 270 out
Sandbech - nose bonk, frontside boardslide switchup to fakie, switch backside rodeo, frontside 1080 indy, backside 1260 mute, cab 1440 stalefish, 50-50 transfer boardslide pretzel
Thoenen - half-cab to 50-50 transfer to boardslide pretzel out, switch backside 540 tail, backside 1260 mute, cab 900 stalefish, frontside 1440 mute, backside 180 50-50 cab 360 out
Ladies
Norendal - Switch nosepress, switch backside 540 mute, frontside 540 indy, cab 900 mute, backside 720 mute, bluntslide to fakie
Petrig - 50-50 transfer 50-50 frontside 180 out, switch backside 180 stalefish, frontflip nose grab, frontside 720 indy, indy, lipslide
50-50 frontside 180, cab 540, backside 540, switch backside 540, frontside 1080, lipslide
