FREESTYLE SKIING & SNOWBOARD Preview: World Cup Big Air seasons resume in Modena

American Olympic Snowboarder Chris Corning

The World Cup season in Big Air for Freestyle and Snowboard will resume after a two-month break with competitions in Modena (ITA) this weekend.

It’s not the start of the season, as the opener actually came in September, with competitions during the Winter Games New Zealand in Cardrona:

∙ In the Freestyle Big Air, Andri Ragettli (SUI) was the men’s winner, followed by Evan McEachran (CAN) and Finn Bilous (NZL). Elena Gaskell (CAN) won the women’s event, ahead of Caroline Claire (USA) and Yuki Tsubota (JPN).

∙ In Snowboard Big Air, Chris Corning (USA) was the winner over Takeru Otsuka (JPN) and Mons Roisland (NOR) in the men’s event, and Reira Iwabuchi (JPN) led teammate Miyabi Onitsuka to a 1-2 finish, with Klaudia Medlova (SVK) third.

Some of those names are familiar ones from the 2017-18 World Cup seasonal finish in both disciplines:

Freestyle/Big Air – Men:
1. 229 Christian Nummedal (NOR)
2. 179 Elias Ambuhl (SUI)
3. 174 Hugo Burvall (SWE)

Women:
1. 162 Silvia Bertagna (ITA)
2. 160 Giulia Tanno (SUI)
3. 155 Dominique Ohaco (CHI)

Snowboard/Big Air – Men:
1. 1,800 Chris Corning (USA)
2. 1,500 Yuri Okubo (JPN)
3. 1.464 Jonas Bosiger (SUI)

Women:
1. 2,000 Anna Gasser (AUT)
2. 1.960 Miyabi Onitsuka (JPN)
3. 1,940 Julia Marino (USA)

The qualifying and finals are both scheduled for Saturday, but could be held over to Sunday in case of bad weather. The Modena venue replaces the Milan stop on last year’s World Cup tour, won by Ambuhl and Corine Ballet Baz (FRA) in Freestyle and Corning and Gasser in Snowboard.

Look for results here.