The 2024/25 slopestyle season is fast approaching its sharp end, with the penultimate event of the FIS World Cup going down this weekend in Stoneham, Canada. Both the men’s and women’s Crystal Globes are still far from decided and with many of the leaders either not making finals or absent, some of the underdogs have the opportunity to put the cat amongst the pigeons.
Kirsty Muir has qualified for two slopestyle finals in a row since returning from injury.
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Event News
all still to play for
Slopestyle Crystal Globe still in the balance going into the penultimate World Cup of the season in Stoneham
The Women
Almost all of the top ten ranked women for slopestyle this year are not riding in Stoneham either through injury or in order to take a break. From that top ten, only Flora Tabanelli and Rell Harwood have made it into finals, with runner-up in Aspen Megan Oldham unable to land a clean enough run on home snow to make the cut. Many of the top Europeans have not made the trip to Canada – Tess Ledeux and Mathilde Gremaud both opting to take the opportunity to rest and train.
This gives the finalists the opportunity to shake-up the rankings at the top of the table. Rell Harwood has been on form recently bagging a third place in Aspen – if she can take the win in Stoneham she would jump from eighth in the Crystal Globe rankings to second.
Olivia Asselin won qualifications comfortably beating the next best rider Flora Tabanelli by over ten points – in Section by Section judging ten points is a country mile, maybe even two – she will take some catching.
Olivia Asselin's impressive steel game will suit the rail-heavy course in Stoneham.
©Trevor Brown, Jr./X Games
The Men
Crystal Globe front runner Colby Stevenson did not make it through to finals and current second place Birk Rudd did not take the start. This gives the likes of Alex Hall and Andri Ragettli an opportunity to capitalize and possibly take control of the Crystal Globe standings going into the final round with a good result here.
Konnor Ralph and A-Hall won their respective heats but it will be Alex that drops last in the final after finishing with the highest score. His run oozed style and creativity and included a switch cork 540 lead mute bringback to 360 and a switch left foot front 630 tail drag off the cannon rail. This second trick scored the highest out of anyone in the field on this rail section – it was a thing of beauty and would belong in any Magma edit.
The course starts with two jumps followed by three rail sections, all of which have plenty of scope for creativity. The jumps are smaller than in Aspen and the judges were rewarding low rotation creative tricks – potentially this suits someone like Matej Svancer, who scored the highest on the second jump with his signature baron flip.
With it all to play for in the race from the Globe, a stacked and intriguing final start list and a creative course – this is not one to miss.
Aspen FIS World Cup Slopestyle Men's Highlights
FIS Freestyle Skiing
Stoneham Slopestyle World Cup Live Stream Information
The men’s and women’s slopestyle finals will start at 16:00 CET on 22 February.
If you have access to a VPN, you can watch live on the FIS Freestyle Skiing Youtube for free. You will need to set your VPN to Iceland, New Zealand or Australia. Or you can watch it on the FIS Live stream website by connecting from Switzerland.