Gasser and McMorris lead the way through Aspen 2021 big air qualifications

Sunday at the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships saw big air qualification action take to the showtime booter at Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain, where Anna Gasser (AUT) took top spot in the ladies’ heat, and Rene Rinnekangas (FIN) and Mark McMorris (CAN) put down the best scores in their men’s espective heats.

While a heavy snowfall overnight gave the course crew and organisers plenty of extra work early on Sunday morning, come time for the first training session the jump was in good shape, and for the most part the weather played nice throughout the day.

Gasser has proven herself time and again as one of the very best big air competitors in the world over the past several seasons, and the reigning Olympic gold medallist was on point was again on Sunday, stomping a backside double cork 1080 weddle on her second run for a score of 92.75, just edging the 92.235 score of Laurie Blouin (CAN). The top eight women from qualifications make it through to women’s finals.

For the men, Rinnekangas fired things up early in heat one, tossing a Miller flip over the knuckle of jump two from the Aspen 2021 slopestyle course on his in-run, and then stomping a perfect backside 1600 melon for a score of 90.00.

McMorris, meanwhile, stepped it up even further in his first hit of heat two, landing a first-run switch backside 1600, to match Gasser with the highest trick score of the day with a 92.75 to lead the top 12 men of the day into Tuesday’s finals.

Big air finals at the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard & Freestyle World Championships get underway at Buttermilk beginning at 10:00 MST on Tuesday.

WATCH ASPEN 2021 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BIG AIR LIVE:

FIS Snowboard YouTube livestream (with geo restrictions)

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QUICK LINKS:

• Aspen 2021 data page (start lists, livescoring, results)

• Photos

• Highlight videos and interviews

• Aspen 2021 Virtual Media Hub (extended podium quotes and much more)