It’s that time of year when all eyes are on pre-season glacier and training camps to see who’s in form, who’s riding what and which number of rotations we’re up to on the big air jump (spoiler alert, it’s 6).
With likes Zoi Synnott, Tess Coady, Valentino Guseli and Scotty James about to pack their bags and hit the road for the bigger competitions of the season, we’ve put together a list of the events you want to keep your eye on this northern hemisphere season.
Follow @transfersnow for updates, results and how you can watch the events.
Big Air
With Big Air Chur done and dusted, the next stop on the calendar is the world’s first and only permanent, purpose-built big air venue in Beijing. The site of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the Beijing big air venue is one that you can’t forget. Don’t miss this one – it’s guaranteed to be one of the highest levels of competition this season.
From Beijing, we move to Edmonton, Canada for the Edmonton Style Experience set inside the massive Commonwealth Stadium. Making its debut last year, you might recall Valentino Guseli taking out the his first Big Air win in 2022. Keep your eyes peeled to see what happens this year!
The big air World Cup season closes at Big Air Copper Mountain, where the crystal globes are handed out, before moving on to X-Games, where the women’s competition in particular becomes the one to watch. Remember Reira Irabuchi landing the first triple cork in women’s competition last year?
Event Schedule
Nov 30th-Dec 2nd – Beijing Big Air, China
Dec 8th-9th – Big Air Edmonton, Canada
Dec 13th-16th – Big Air Copper Mountain, USA
Jan 26th-28th – Winter X-Games, USA
Halfpipe
It’s becoming arguably the most hotly contested field in snowboarding and with the level of progression in the ditch becoming nothing short of mind-blowing, halfpipe finals are always the premiere event to watch. The clinical technicality of Scotty James, the impeccable style and amplitude of Ayumu Hirano and the rise one of the most promising young women’s pipe riders in 14 year old Gaon Choi – this season is stacked with events we’re keen to watch. The Laax Open is always a highlight, where Kaishu and Valentino are sure to touch the stratosphere again, and in March, the always watchable Winter Dew Tour celebrates 20 years of competition.
Event Schedule
Nov 25th-26th – Changchengling Indoor Resort, China
Dec 6th-8th – Secret Garden Halfpipe, China
Dec 13th16th – Copper Mountain Grand Prix, USA
Jan 16th-21st – Laax Open, Switzerland
Jan 26th-28th – Winter X-Games, USA
Jan 31st-Feb 3rd – Mammoth Grand Prix, USA
Feb 8th-11th – Calgary Snow Rodeo, Canada
March 8th-10th – Winter Dew Tour, USA
Slopestyle
Zoi Synnott and Tess Coady – two names synonymous with southern hemisphere snowboarding, and two names we can’t wait to watch compete again. These two women are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on a snowboard and doing it with style, integrity and a genuine love for riding. Throw them in the mix with the likes of Anna Gasser, Mia Brookes and the incredible depth of Japanese riders and you have a recipe for an extremely watchable competition.
On the men’s side of things, slope progression is becoming out of this world as we whip out our calculators to work out what 1800 divided by 360 is. How does the new breed of riders spinning in unimaginably difficult ways stack up against the style of Mark McMorris and the creativity of Marcus Kleveland? Time will tell.
Event Schedule:
Jan 16th-21st – Laax Open, Swizterland
Jan 26th-28th – Winter X-Games, USA
Jan 31st-Feb3rd – Mammoth Grand Prix, USA
Feb 8th-11th – Calgary Snow Rodeo, Canada
March 15th-16th – Spindleruv, Czech Republic
March 21st-23rd Silvaplana, Switzerland
Stay tuned to transfermag.com for information about how you can watch these events live.
Other events:
Knuckle Huck (now including women’s Knuckle Huck)
Jan 26th-28th – Winter X-Games, USA
Winter Dew Tour Street Style
March 8th – Winter Dew Tour, USA
