It’s been almost a month and a half since the 2022/23 FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe season at the Big Air Chur in Switzerland, but this week it’s back on and game on up in Canada at the Edmonton Style Experience Big Air World Cup presented by Toyota, the first of this season’s Shred the North Canadian series of World Cup competitions.
Talking here in Aussie time – Men’s qualifications and women’s semifinals are first up on the menu for Saturday 10 December, followed on Sunday, 11 December by men’s semifinals, then women’s finals at 11AM and men’s finals at 1PM local time.
You can watch it FREE and LIVE right here:
With a drop-in ramp that begins above the edge of the highest seats in Commonwealth Stadium and then follows the trajectory of the stands down into a wide-takeoff, long-landing, step-over jump, the geometry on display is the you kind would typically see on one of designer from Australia Charles Beckinsale’s signature on-piste showtime booters.
Making this weekend’s competition even more special will be the presence of Sebastien Toutant in the role of guest judge, who will be picking his favourite style trick of the finals with a bonus prize of $1500 each for his choice of the women and men. As well, there will also be an online fan vote for best trick happening after the competition, with an additional $1000 for each of those winners as chosen by Instagram vote.
Format-wise, we will see the top eight women from Friday’s qualifications go straight through to Saturday’s finals. For the men, meanwhile, the top three riders from each heat will advance directly to finals, with the next six riders from each heat going to Saturday morning’s semifinals. From semis the next four top riders will advance to finals for a total of 10 men dropping in on Saturday night.
Who’s our money on? We’re backing the Canadian crew, reigning World Cup Big Air champ Laurie Blouin and all out destroyer Mark McMorris. While he never stays off the top of the podium for long, it has been a hot minute since McMorris took a win on home soil, with his last major victory in Canada coming back in February of 2017 at the Quebec City big air World Cup.
