Switzerland instead of New Zealand or North America: With the prelude in Chur, the big air experts are embarking on a new World Cup season on home soil for the first time. The Freeskier Finals will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, with the Snowboarder Finals on Saturday at the same time. Qualification takes place on a steel scaffold 40 meters high and 110 meters long.

A total of 26 Swiss-ski athletes compete for the freestyle premiere in Chur. The Swiss team is led by freeskiers Sarah Hofflin, Mathilde Gremaud and Giulia Tanno, as well as freeskiers Fabian Bosch and Kim Gabsar. With the exception of Taino, all of the above have already stood on the Olympic or World Cup podium. Tanno, who was returning after breaking his hand, won the Big Air World Cup in 2019/20. As Lenzerheidner, he is supported by Graubünden audiences such as Davos Gabsar.

ragtagly on the right track

The big absentee is Andrey Ragetley. The Flims Big Air overall World Cup winner from 2018/19, who seriously injured his left knee in March after winning the World Championships title in slopestyle, is not yet ready to start. The healing process is going great, but Chur is coming a bit early, the 23-year-old social media artist announced. Ragetley said preparations for next February’s Olympic Games in Beijing were not in jeopardy.

Among snowboarders, there is hope for a podium rest on Jonas Bosiger. The 26-year-old from Schwyz, who finished third at the Junior World Championships in 2013, has so far scored four podiums at the Big Air World Cup. Also at the start is Nicolas Huber, the 2017 World Cup runner-up in slopestyle. For halfpipe specialist Pat Bergener, the question of the first round of Big Air since 2015 didn’t arise because of a cruciate ligament rupture in March.

The international field of participants is strong, with Olympic champion, world champion and X Games champion Anna Gasser (Austria), Seb Toutant, Mark McMorris (both Canada) and Alexander Hall (USA).

City events as crowd pullers

Urban freestyle events have proven their worth for the FIS. Unlike competitions held on mountain peaks, events in urban areas attract huge crowds. The first Big Air World Cup for snowboarders was held in Milan in 2006. Since then, cities in Germany, Spain, England, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium and Russia have gotten on the train.

In Chur, the audience has been re-admitted for the first time in more than a year. In compliance with 3G norms, the venue is expected to attract around 17,000 visitors over the two days. The sporty part is complemented by various music show acts and other entertainment options.

The Olympic winter for freeskiers continues on 19/20. November in the Austrian Stubai Valley. Snowboarders are back in the program in Steamboat (USA) after two weeks.