Halfpipe competition to lead off big week at Mammoth Mountain
Jan 29, 2020·Snowboard Park & Pipe
The FIS Snowboard World Cup heads into the back half of the 2019/20 season with four jam-packed days of action this week in California, where the Mammoth Mountain Land Rover US Grand Prix will see slopestyle and halfpipe competitions take to the resort’s famed Unbound park and pipe from January 29-Feb 1, 2020.
Halfpipe qualifications will open the action on Jan 29, followed by slopestyle qualies on Jan 30, pipe finals on the 31st, and slopestyle finals to close things off on February 1. Over 100 of the world’s best snowboarders are on hand for this week’s events, with 70 names currently on the slopestyle entry list and 51 set to drop in on the halfpipe.
While wind is in the forecast for Wednesday, organisers are hopeful that the atypical wind direction set to hit Mammoth will spare the zone where the pipe and slopestyle course are located. However, it could be a game of wait and see throughout the first day of qualifications, and we will keep you posted throughout on our social media channels.
HALFPIPE PREVIEW:
Castellet hot off of back-to-back wins
Riding highest into Mammoth in the women’s field is Queralt Castellet of Spain, as the 30-year-old is fresh off back-to-back wins at two of the season’s biggest competitions - the Laax Open World Cup and the X Games in Aspen. With a constantly-changing run and exceptional combination of technical tricks and consistent amplitude, Castellet may be the rider best-suited for some variable conditions in Mammoth this week.
Just ahead of Castellet on the halfpipe World Cup standings is Liu Jaiyu of China, and she, along with her teammate and last season’s Mammoth winner Cai Xuetong, are almost certain to factor in on Friday’s finals.
Japanese riders Kurumi Imai and Haruna Matsumoto took silver and bronze at X Games, respectively, giving them both a huge boost to head into the final few competitions of the season. Matsumoto has a runner-up finish in Mammoth from the 2016/17 season to use as stepping stone this week, as well.
Meanwhile, the USA’s own Maddie Mastro should be extra-motivated for a strong performance on home soil this week, coming off a 12-place finish in Laax - her lowest World Cup finish in nearly three years. While it may be difficult to put down her signature double crippler in the variable weather conditions this week, Mastro still has more than enough in her bag of tricks to potentially grab her second career Mammoth podium.
Totsuka looking for Mammoth repeat
With Scotty James taking a break after earning his tenth-straight international competition win at X Games last week, the door is open for one of the other contenders to finally claim top spot on the podium this week in Mammoth, and no one is more ready for that than Japan’s Yuto Totsuka.
The halfpipe crystal globe winner in each of the past two seasons and last season’s Mammoth winner, Totsuka has been pushing James relentlessly in every competition so far this season but has found himself coming up just short with second-place results in each instance. While the fiercely competitive Totsuka would prefer to take spot with James also in the competition, he should also relish being in the role of top dog this week.
That’s not to say anything is assured for Totsuka here in Mammoth, as a number of riders in the strong field on hand will also be looking at James’ absence as an opportunity, with Totsuka’s teammate Ruka Hirano at the top of that list. Hirano has two third-place finishes so far this season.
Taylor Gold claimed his first World Cup podium in nearly five years in Laax, and the 26-year-old will lead a strong team of US riders into their home event, with Chase Josey and Ryan Wachendorfer both having previous Mammoth podiums, and Toby Miller, Chase Blackwell, and Jason Wolle all also riding well this season.
And, finally, keep an eye on Andre Hoefflich of Germany, who’s been turning heads all season with his huge amplitude and ever-growing trick arsenal.
We’ll be back with our Mammoth Mountain World Cup slopestyle preview before slopestyle qualifications on Thursday. For now, stay tuned to our social media channels for updates about Wednesday’s action and keep your fingers crossed for a little love from mother nature.
WATCH FINALS LIVE:
Eurosport Player, ORF Sport+, CBC Sport Streaming, L'Equipe Web, RAI Web, Polsat Sports News, Teledeporte
QUICK LINKS:
Mammoth Mountain data page (start lists, live scoring, results)
Mammoth Mountain programme (subject to change)
Livestream (with geo restrictions)
