FIS Freeski World Cup: 2017/2018 slopestyle season preview
Aug 31, 2018·Freeski Park & Pipe
After a hugely successful season-opening World Cup contest in August at New Zealand’s Cardrona resort, the 2017/18 FIS Freeski slopestyle World Cup season is set to get back on track for winter in the Northern Hemisphere, with the first of five remaining competitions taking to the storied slopes of Austria’s Stubai resort from 24-26 November.
2016/17 SLOPESTYLE WORLD CUP TOP ATHLETES
MEN:
McRae Williams (USA) - 180
Andri Ragettli (SUI) - 172
Colin Wili (SUI) - 144
(Full list HERE)
LADIES:
Sarah Hoefflin (SUI) - 281
Johanne Killi (NOR) - 280
Coline Ballet Baz (FRA) - 196
(Full list HERE)
With the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games just around the corner, every competition from now until the closing of the Olympic qualification period at the end of January is of the utmost importance as the world’s best slopestyle skiers look to lock down their places for the biggest show in winter sports.
Including the Stubai competition, there are four World Cup events left for the best men and ladies of the slopestyle world to prove their mettle ahead of PyeongChang 2018, with Font Romeu (FRA) coming up on 20-22 December, Snowmass (USA) on 11-13 January, and Mammoth Mountain (USA) from 19-20 January.
Following the Games, we’ll be back with competitions in Silvaplana (SUI), where action will be taking place in the Corvatsch terrain park from 2-3 March, 2018, and in Seiseralm (ITA), where the 2017/18 slopestyle World Cup will conclude from 14-16 March.
2017/18 FIS Freeski slopestyle World Cup calendar
While Stubai and Snowmass will be first-time hosts of FIS Freeski World Cup competitions this season, both resorts have a rich freeski pedigree, with the Stubai Zoo terrain park emerging over the past several seasons as one of THE premier training grounds for the world’s top athletes, and Snowmass sitting just a stone’s throw away from Aspen’s Buttermilk resort, the long-time host of the Winter X Games. As you might imagine, FIS Freeski is extremely excited to be bringing World Cup action to two world-class venues.
With PyeongChang 2018 rapidly approaching, the excitement and expectations for the 2017/18 World Cup season has been growing steadily for months, and you need look no further than the star-studded results list for August’s Cardrona World Cup to see that the top freeskiers in the world are ready to get down to business.
While ladies’ Cardrona winner Kelly Sildaru (EST) has since suffered an unfortunate injury that will count her out of competition in PyeongChang, strong performances by the likes of Guila Tanno (SUI), Maggie Voisin (USA), and defending Olympic gold medallist Dara Howell (CAN) have given a hint of what to expect over the next few months.
Over on the men’s side, James Woods (GBR) began his campaign for PyeongChang 2018 gold in impressive fashion, topping the likes of Kreischberg 2015 world champion Fabian Boesch (SUI), Sierra Nevada 2017 world champion and 2016/17 crystal globe winner Mcrae Williams (USA), and Sochi 2014 bronze medallist Nicholas Goepper (USA) on his way to his first World Cup win in two years.
However, some big names were noticeably absent from the Cardrona competition, with skiers like Kreischberg 2015 world champion Lisa Zimmermann (GER) and Sierra Nevada 2017 world champion Tess Ledeux (FRA) sitting out the ladies’ competition, and Sochi 2014 gold and silver medalists Joss Christensen (USA) and Gus Kenworthy (USA), respectively, two of the big names who were not in attendance on the men’s side.
While those four athletes are likely to figure prominently in the conversation as we kick things into high gear on the World Cup season, slopestyle skiing is ever-evolving, ever-progressing beast, and you can count on there being some big surprises and a whole lot of excitement in the coming months as we work towards PyeongChang 2018. Our advice is to strap in and enjoy the ride.
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