Mens Slopestyle Finals Video
Womens Slopestyle Finals Video
The slopestyle course in Laax, Switzerland has officially been slayed. Today’s bountiful pageant at the Orage European Freeski Open by Swatch included both men’s and women’s slopestyle semi-finals and finals. Eleven women and 48 men battled wind, icy conditions, variable light and the rest of the field, as they vied for the top spots. But in the end, it was Sweden’s Henrik Harlaut and Canada’s Kaya Turski who ended up on top, taking home cash and prizes worthy of such a great open event.
Ladies first. The girls stepped it up in their finals, notably on the guitar box, spinning on and off the feature, as they rocketed towards the halfpipe features. Multiple women threw down 720s, including Aspen’s Whitney Wickes. Eva Patscheider lip-slid the guitar box to get things started on her way to third place, while Keri Herman switch 540 and cork 360ed her way to a silver finish. But in the end, it could only be Kaya Turski. Switch on to 270, switch 720 to switch 540 to 540 easily catapulted Kaya straight to the bank, and almost 10 points higher than the next competitor. Other notables include Claudia Bouvier boosting out of the QP and pipe-loc-dog Roz Groenewoud getting gnarly on the slope course and taking 4th.
The men’s day started a bit earlier, with 48 men throwing down in two semi-final heats. Run after run, the men dropped tricks that spectators and media alike could gawk at. While 12 men advanced, there were some notable names missing from the list, including PK Hunder, Andreas HÃ¥tveit, Mike Riddle, Teen Heartthrob Bobby Brown, and a slew of others. When the dust had settled midday, Matt Margetts and Tom Wallisch stood atop their respective heats, with names like Henrik Harlaut, Simon Dumont and Phil Casabon hot on their heels.
While finals may have been a bit chilly, the sun decided to show it’s face and the wind decided to stop being a jerk and chill out for a bit. Simon Dumont went richter and dropped floaty misty 720s and cork 1260s while Phil Casabon oozed style despite skiing with busted ribs. Matt Margetts did two real tricks in the quarterpipes, the only competitor in finals to do so, 900 to alley oop flatspin. Future JOSS teammates Jossi Wells and Russ Henshaw threw down, but ultimately coming up a bit short on the day. The Cheesiest, Joe Schuster, was like a human torch all day, firing tricks off left and right.
Third place belonged to Thomas Dolplads whose solid flare in the QP and dub cork 1080 (1260 maybe, but I think it was a 1080) made the man in red the one to watch today. International pimp Tom Wallisch slowed things down with switch 270 to pretzel 450, right 900, rodeo 900 and switch 1080 to WOW the crowd AND judges. However, little Heni-Lo dropped dub cork 1260s and rodeos to BLOW away the competition. Bloody Dollaz took it to the course all day, consistently slaying the course, even doing a 540 blunt in the QP, something that is a sight to behold.
Hopefully tomorrow the weather will cooperate for a LONG day of pipe riding, as men’s semi-finals*, finals and women’s finals are going down. Laax will never be the same after tomorrow’s day of pipe riding here at the Orage European Freeski Open.
On a side note, Keri Herman was absent for the awards ceremony, hence the extremely rudimentary photoshop job on the podium photo. Also she wants everyone to know that “she is single and ready to mingle.”
Men’s Final Results:
1) Henrik Harlaut
2) Tom Wallisch
3) Thomas Dolplads
4) Alexis Godbout
5) Matt Margetts
6) Phil Casabon
7) Nicolas Vuignier
8) Jossi Wells
9) Simon Dumont
10) Elvis Harsheim
11) Russ Henshaw
12) Joe Schuster
Women’s Final Results
1) Kaya Turski
2) Keri Herman
3) Eva-Maria Patscheider
4) Rosalind Groenewoud
5) Eveline Bhend
6) Nina Michel
7) Whitney Wickes
8) Claudia Bouvier
9) Katrien Aerts
10) Sofie Windstedt
11) Lena Stoffel
*Due to yesterday’s high winds, the event has moved all halfpipe skiers, open and pre-qualified into a super-semi-final tomorrow.
