There are just two competitions left in the 2021/22 FIS Freeski World Cup calendar and the battle for this season’s crystal globes is set to heat up this week at the season’s penultimate event, where a heavy collection of the world’s best are on hand in Tignes (FRA) for slopestyle competition that’s set to go down from 10-12 March, 2022.
Tignes has one of the deepest and most storied pasts in the history of the FIS Freestyle World Cup, having first played host to World Cup competition 42 years ago in the 1979/80 World Cup season, and the halfpipe, moguls, aerials, ski cross and even ski ballet World Cups have all showcased their stuff here at Tignes a multitude of times.
However, while Tignes has also played host to X Games Europe several times in the past (most recently in 2013), this week will mark the first time that the resort will welcome the women and men of the slopestyle World Cup to its storied slopes. And, with limitless sun through the first two days of training and an unconventional course design that’s allowing for for some creative skiing, the vibe has been high so far here in France.
LEDEUX LOOKING TO MAKE IT TWO-FOR-TWO ON FRENCH SOIL THIS SEASON
As far as the host French are concerned, the star of the show here in Tignes will be Tess Ledeux, as the 20-year-old comes into this week’s competition on home soil looking for a little slopestyle redemption after a somewhat disappointing result at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
While Ledeux did claim big air bronze in Beijing, she ended up finishing seventh in slopestyle – the event she was a strong gold medal-favourite for after claiming last season’s slopestyle and Freeski overall World Cup crystal globes.
Currently sitting in seventh place on the slopestylew World Cup standings, Ledeux already has one French victory in 2021/22 from Font Romeu, so perhaps another turn on home soil will be just the thing she needs to inspire her back to the top of the podium and put herself in the crystal globe race once again this season.
However, another win in France won’t come easy for Ledeux, as we’re looking at a strong field of women looking for one of the eight spots in Saturday’s finals at Tignes.
Tops among them is Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru, the current slopestyle World Cup leader and Beijing 2022 bronze medallist.
