Laax has a long memory, and it doesn’t hand out history lightly. But under lights last night, the men’s halfpipe finals delivered something the event has never seen before: an all Australian and New Zealand podium. In what is widely recognised as the biggest and longest halfpipe in the world, the Southern Hemi didn’t just feature, it took over, with Scotty James, Cam Melville Ives, and Valentino Guseli rewriting the script as the Milano-Cortina Olympics edge closer.
On top, as he so often is, stood Scotty James, claiming his fifth Laax Open title.
But it wasn’t completely a walk in the park for Scotty, it took a clutch performance under pressure on his last run for him to clinch victory as his younger antipode counterparts stood ahead of him in first and second. As he does time and time again, his finals run carried the calm confidence of someone who knows exactly where he sits in the sport right now – clinical, clean, and deliberate, with no wasted movement and no panic. Adding the (almost compulsory) triple cork and a new switch backside 1440 to his run, Scotty continues to reign supreme as one of the most technically gifted snowboarders of all time.
As the Olympic clock ticks louder, he continues to back up the narrative explored in his newly released Netflix documentary Pipe Dream: this isn’t about chasing relevance, it’s about refining dominance and chasing that last piece of the puzzle – Olympic Gold.
Behind him, the storyline stacked up quickly.
Young gun Cam Melville Ives, NZ’s 19-year-old phenom, delivered the run of his career to claim his first World Cup podium, and it felt earned. There was real intent in his riding – including a couple of triple corks and incredible switch backside rotations. Second place at Laax is no soft entry point, and Cam crossed that line decisively.
In third, Valentino Guseli completed the unprecedented podium and made his own statement in the process. Returning from injury, Val rode with freedom and confidence, showing little sign of time lost. His run blended progression with control, suggesting the comeback phase is already behind him, and that first hit alley-oop 540? We could watch it on repeat all day.
Two Australians and a Kiwi standing on a Laax podium has never happened before. More importantly, it didn’t feel accidental.
With Milano-Cortina fast approaching, the idea of seeing Scotty, Cam and Val together on an Olympic podium suddenly feels less like wishful thinking and more like a genuine possibility. Laax didn’t just crown winners last night – it showed us who’s ready.
