Airtime via LAAX: Mathilde Gremaud and Birk Ruud are LAAX OPEN 2024 champions in freeski slopestyle – Resounding home victory for Olympic champion Gremaud – Fifth place for Laax local Andri Ragettli

Numerous winter sports enthusiasts and freestyle fans line the 500-meter-long course in the LAAX snow park. From top to bottom, it offers riders a variety of opportunities to show off their skills, within easy reach of spectators, which is unique in the FIS World Cup Circuit. The "Shark Fins" elicit the most enthusiasm from the audience: 10-meter-high curved wings, to be taken on the right or left, conjuring up a trick in the air, landing and entering the kicker line at full speed. Creativity is crucial in this sport, and perfect technique on the two boards is also part of the athletes' acrobatic performances!

Olympic champion Mathilde Gremaud mastered this most brilliantly, securing the first podium finish of this glorious weekend for Swiss-Ski. With a top run and tricks such as a double cork 1080, the Fribourg native was just a tad better than superstar Eileen Gu, as she had been at the Olympics. Jay Riccomini (USA) achieved his first World Cup podium and third place in Laax.

In the men's competition, Birk Ruud is also a new LAAX OPEN champion: "It's a really good feeling to be at the top and I'm very proud of myself today." The serial winner leads an extremely close, high-class quintet. He is followed in the rankings by Mac Forehand (2nd/USA) and Max Moffat (3rd/CAN), who thrilled the finish area with a meter-high jump on the final quarter. Olympic champion Alex Hall (USA) finished in fourth place. LAAX OPEN 2023 champion Andri Ragettli (SUI) was the celebrated fifth-place finisher.

All LAAX OPEN 2024 FIS Snowboard World Cup results can be found here: https://open.laax.com/results