The final Big Air event of the season went down in Tignes this evening (Euro evening). The riders like this event, and the show was spectacular, and it showed in the riding. There were a whole lot of stomps, a whole lot of wild tricks and everyone seemed to be having fun. Shot of the day had to go to this boss gran in the crowd though. More authentically gangster than any skier out there.
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Women:
Run 1:
Anni Karava was the first to post up a big score with a perfect dub 10 safety, landed with her trademark swag netting 86.75. Tess Ledeux sent a dub 14 but came up a little short and got bodied. Liu Mengting threw down a dub 10 of her own but came up super short, only scoring 54. Mathilde put down a super clean carved dub 12 safety for 92.25. Heavy head landing ftw. Rell Harwood went switch bio 9 and took a 69 for her efforts, she also came up a smidge short which probably hurt the score. Flora Tabanelli, who we've never even heard of but is presumably Miro's brother, stomped a huge dub 12 safety too. It was probably too big to be perfect, but it was enough for third. This was interesting scoring from the judges and we back it. Technically she stomped perfect but it wasn't carved and it didn't look good, and seemingly that resulted in a 10 point lower score than Mathilde.
Run 2:
Kokone Kondo stomped a g'd up switch 7 for the soul to open round two. Anni Karava backed up her dub 10 from run one with a switch 9 lead tail. Weirdly she only scored 53... she came up a little short but again, seemed low. Tess Ledeux went huge and somehow held on to a dub 12 mute. She opened up a ton and took home an 82. Liu Menting sorted out her speed, bumping her dub 10 score up by a massive 30 points, to 84. Mathilde stomped a switch dub 10 for an 86 and a commanding lead. Rell Harwood put down a perfect dub 12 mute for 90, which at least kept things interesting. Flora went switch bio 9 mute for her second hit and stomped, giving her 80 and provisional second.
Run 3:
The snow started coming down more heavily at the end of men's run two, making for an interesting end to the contest. Tess crashed a second time, meaning a tough home event for her. Liu Mengting stomped the other way dub 10 for 86.25. Not many riders out there stomping them right and left like that. That put her in provisional second. Anni unfortunately missed the grab on her switch 9 leaving her off the podium. Not sure about that run 2 score though. Rell Harwood came up short trying to clean up her switch bio 9 and didn't improve. That all left Flora Tabanelli needing a 90.75 to shake up the podium and she couldn't make that happen, even with a perfect dub 12. Mathilde Gremaud took home the crystal globe and another big air win, with a victory lap to spare. She has dominated this season.
Results:
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Men:
Run 1:
Tormod Frostad, fresh off Jib League success, was first to drop, putting down a switch dub bio 16 japan. 87.25, it was sick, but didn't seem to leave the judges much room. Luca Harrington stomped a perfect switch right dub 18 japan 82.5. Seemed low to me but I'm no judge. Birk Ruud answered with a switch dub 18 of his own. The steno called it switch butter dub but it could just have been a loose takeoff. 80.0. Lukas Mullauer also threw a switch dub 18, capped tail, still only 85. Mac went switch triple 14 mute, 86.25. The scores in that zone were getting crowded at this point. Andri stomped a switch dub misty 16 buick for 91.00. And honestly on the scale we've seen so far, that seemed low. Matej went nollie (?) dub 10 dub japan brought back to 9? It must have been hard to call this, let alone score it, but he got an 86.5. Leo Landroe, who I only rememeber on Traveling Circus, boosted a switch triple 16 mute and went first, with a 91.5.
Run 2:
Tormod attempted a sick dub bio 18 dub safety/esco but couldn't quite put it down. Alex Hall laced his dub 10 bringback after a rare crash in run one. This is a little thing, but it's so sick how he doesn't have to open up to stop the rotation anymore. Beauty and the 90.5 reflected that. Elias Syrja being back in big air contests is probably the biggest win of the season, and he put down what I think was a nosebutter bio 14 japan, which certainly should be impossible. He only scored 79 and seemed a bit put off by that. Andri went forward dub 18 cuban and justly got a 92 for his efforts, grab was locked. Matej, on the total flipside, threw a tokyo drift dub bringback, basically a drift dub lincon japan pretzel. Grab was a little loose but a 65.5 seemed low. Leo L then blew the roof off the scoreboard with a triple 18 mute. It was sick but I don't know why it was a 94.
Run 3:
The final round of the men's contest had lots hanging in the balance. The rerack was a bit deceptive, because a lot of riders were siting on a good score + a crash. Elias Syrja started things off with a switch tailbutter 12 blunt. And that was a proper fucking tailbutter for 90.75. AHall put down a switch tailbutter dub 18 lead japan and the tailbutter was... less proper. He took a 96.0 for his efforts though... and the lead. Birk stomped a clean switch dub bio 16 mute but it wasn't enough to challenge the podium scores. Tormod narrowly under-rotated again which was a pity, because the trick looked sick. Matej cleaned up his tokyo pretzel stunt and got a 93.75 for it. Only enough for fourth at this point though. Andri stepped the switch dub misty 16 up to 18. He only scored an 86.75 for it though. Not really sure what was going on with his scores, because there was at least an argument that he should have been in the lead after two. Last to drop, Leo Landroe put down a switch triple 18 mute, he did touch a hand in the landing. Would it be enough? On the night, no! Leaving Alex Hall with the win in a crazy show of big air stunts. In a fitting finale, both today's winners also take home the respective Big Air Crystal Globes.
Results:
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This might work as a replay or it might not. Try VPN from a random country, I used Portugal.
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