FREESTYLE SKIING Preview: Slopestyle World Cup season opener in Austria

The first of six planned World Cup competitions in Slopestyle will be this weekend in Stupai (AUT), with Norway’s Oystein Braaten and Swede Jennie-Lee Burmansson looking to defend their titles from 2017.

The Slopestyle discipline was closely contested last season, with the leading competitors:

Men:
1. 420 Andri Ragettli (SUI)
2. 277 Ferdinand Dahl (NOR)
3. 272 Oscar Wester (SWE)
4. 229 James Woods (GBR)
5. 225 Oystein Braaten (NOR)

Women:
1. 449 Jennie-Lee Burmansson (SWE)
2. 270 Johanne Killi (NOR)
3. 245 Caroline Claire (USA)
4. 236 Tess Ledeux (FRA)
5. 230 Anastasia Tatalina (RUS)

In Stupai last year, Braaten finished ahead of Canadian Evan McEachran and American Colby Stevenson, while Burmansson edged Katie Summerhayes (GBR) and Claire.

Many of the Slopestylers also compete in Big Air, which has had two competitions this season already. Ragettli and Birk Ruud (NOR) have won for the men, and Elena Gaskill (CAN) and Mathilde Gremaud (SUI) have struck gold for the women.

Look for results here.