Alex Hall & Mathilde Gremaud win a stormy Mammoth World Cup Slopestyle

Before the start of the contest, the livestream showed FIS contest director Ritchie Date asking for a show of hands from the women’s field: “Who would prefer not to go ahead with today’s competition?” Among the 12 women in the field, six raised their hands, presenting a difficult decision for Date and his organization.

The contest did, in fact, take place, but nobody seemed particularly happy about it. Sarah Hoefflin put it best after completing her first run: “It’s impossible to do a good run in these conditions.”

Sarah’s Swiss teammate Mathilde Gremaud ended up taking the win with the best run she could muster: a front swap front 270 out, switch right 270 to forward, and frontside 450 out in the rails; and a left 540 tail, switch left 540, and right rodeo 900 safety in the jumps.

Notably, Mathilde’s rodeo 900 was the biggest rotation of the day in the women’s field, as unpredictable wind gusts made it a challenge just to get to the bottom of the slope course in one piece.

In second place was 16-year-old Eleanor Andrews, who took advantage of the difficult conditions to land on the podium on her very first World Cup appearance. After a rail run nearly identical to Gremaud’s (with a back 450 out instead of a front 450), Andrews linked a switch left 540 mute into right and left 720s.

Third place went to Jay Riccomini, who put down a misty 450 out of the third rail, a switch right 540, right 360 tail, and left cork 720 tail.

On the men’s side, Alex Hall’s highly creative run took the win. After crashing on his first run, A-Hall delivered on his second and final chance. His rail run featured a switch Tokyo drift 270 front swap back 270 out; a back swap to back 270 while sliding the entire down-flat-down rail; and a left 270 on, front 450 out of the last rail, complete with a tail tap on the rail and nose tap on the knuckle. In the jumps, he linked a left double cork 1260 lead japan, switch left double cork 1260 mute and a picture-perfect right double cork 1080 bringback to 900 safety.

Second place went to Colby Stevenson. Colby served up a back swap back 450, switch 450 disaster, and back swap front 450 out in the rails, on his way to a left dub 1620 lead japan, switch left dub 15 double japan and switch right dub 1440 mute in the jumps.

Andri Ragettli landed in third place with two different disaster 450s, a switch 270 on, back 630 out, and a right dub 14 safety, left dub 16 stale and switch left double bio 1260 guitar.

The World Cup slopestyle circuit continues on 13–16 March in Tignes, France.