Gasser and Kleveland amongst Laax Open slopestyle faves

Also dropping in on her first slopestyle World Cup of the season – in fact, her first World Cup of any kind in 2021/22 – is Australia’s Tess Coady, who grabbed third place last season in Laax. Coady finished 8th in her lone competition start so far this year at the Dew Tour, and the stylish 21-year-old will want to up the ante and put herself back in the podium conversation this weekend.

Other women’s favourites include 2017 Laax winner Enni Rukijarvi (FIN), who will be looking to build off her second-place finish at Dew Tour in December, and Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi, who would like to see a little more of the magic from last time she was in Switzerland, when she won the Silvaplana World Cup to finish off last season.

Riders like 2020 Laax third-place finisher Katie Ormerod (GBR), Slovakian veteran Klaudia Medlova, and up-and-comers like Annika Morgan (GER), Melissa Pepperkamp (NED), Evy Poppe (BEL) and Cool Wakishima (NZL) should also be watched this weekend.

ALL EYES ON KLEVELAND IN FIRST START OF THE SEASON

For the men we also have a clear favourite on the start list, as the inimitable Marcus Kleveland (NOR) is ready to drop in on his first competition of the 2021/22 season.

Last year Kleveland absolutely torn up the Covid-19 shortened competition calendar, winning Aspen 2021 World Championships slopestyle gold and big air bronze, X Games big air gold, and taking two wins and a third-place finish in the season’s World Cup competitions, ending the winter with the slopestyle and FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe overall crystal globes in hand.

Kleveland’s third place result last season came in Laax, but if his finish to 2020/21 is any indication, the 22-year-old is the de facto man to beat at the legendary competition this week.