After opening the 2019/20 slopestyle season in epic fashion this past weekend at the Laax Open, we’re right back at it this week in the Dolomites, as the FIS Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup Seiser Alm Legends competition is slated to go down Jan 22-23, with qualifications on Wednesday and finals on Thursday.
This year will be the fourth-straight season of FIS Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup action in Dolomites, and from the very beginning the Seiser Alm Legends competition has established itself as a true riders’ favourite event, with the F-Tech designed and built course a true example of care and attention to detail, the unreal setting of the Alpe di Suisi plateau making every run feel epic, and the good vibes all around the venue keeping things loose.
The course in Seiser Alm features three multifaceted jib features in a row to start out with, which lead into three jumps of varying sizes, and with each of the six features perfectly shaped and sculpted. It’s a classic design, and one that will allow loads of creativity for the riders on hand.
Speaking of riders, the line-up for this weekend’s competition is looking exciting, with a good mix of established World Cup veterans and up-and-comers hungry to make a name for themselves on snowboarding’s top tour
Ormerod looks to continue impressive comeback campaign
Last weekend’s Laax Open third-place finisher Katie Ormerod leads the charge on the ladies side, as the 22-year-old continues to impress in a storming comeback season after missing all of 2019/20 due to injury.
While Ormerod got things started right in her return to the competition circuit with a second-place finish at the slopestyle World Cup Cardrona (NZL), her performance on one of the biggest stages in snowboarding last weekend in Laax truly cemented the fact that not only is she is back, she’s on the rise as well.
While Canada’s Brooke Voigt comes into Seiser Alm following a ninth-place finish in Laax, last season the 26-year-old finished second here in Italy, and with two big air podiums so far in 2019/20 she’s well on her way to having one of the best seasons of her career.
Veterans Sina Candrian (SUI) and Sarka Pancochova (CZE) both have third-place finishes in Seiser Alm – in 2017 and 2018, respectively – and are likely to factor into the finals this week, while Cheryl Maas (NED), Loranne Smans (BEL), Lucile Lefevre (FRA) and Sommer Gendron (CAN) should all be ones to watch as well.
Talent across the board in wide-open men’s field
Over on the men’s side of things there’s a globe-spanning selection of heavy-hitters throughout the entry list, making it tough to pinpoint any one rider in the talented men’s field as a pre-qualied favourite.
While the Japanese duo of Ruki Tobita and Hiroaki Kunitake both failed to make finals in Laax last week, both earned their first slopestyle World Cup podiums last season while also finishing in the top-10 on the final rankings, and each rider has a technical riding style that should be well-suited to the Seiser Alm course.
The Norwegians put two riders on the podium at last season’s Seiser Alm Legends competition, with Markus Olimstad claiming his first World Cup victory and his teammate Stian Kleivdal finishing in third
There’s a couple slopestyle world champions to keep your eyes on this week in Ryan Stassel (USA) and Seppe Smits (BEL). Kreischberg 2015 world champ Stassel is fresh off a super-solid eighth-place finish in Laax and riding as good as he has in his career.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Smits – the 2011 and 2017 slopestyle world champion – returns to the site of his last World Cup win, which was back in 2017. While Smits is the oldest rider in the men’s field, a win at last season’s Quebec City big air competition proved there’s still gas left in the tank yet.
Australia’s Matty Cox, Clemens Millauer of Austria, the Netherlands’ Niek van der Velden, Canadian up-and-comers Frank Jobin and Jack McDougall, Moritz Thoenen of Switzerland, Russia’s Vlad Khadarin, Sean Fitzsimons of the USA, and a trio of talented Italians in Nicola Liviero, Emil Zulien, and Alberto Maffei could all be in the mix come Thursday’s finals, as well.
Any way you slice it, it’s going to be an interesting and entertaining competition this week, and judging by the level of riding going on in training the past couple of days it should be the best Seiser Alm Legends competition yet.
LINKS:
- Seiser Alm data page (start lists, live scoring, results)
- Seiser Alm programme
- Seiser Alm Legends offical webpage
Source: FIS Snowboard
Photos: Buchholz / FIS Snowboard
