FIS Hails Corvatsch Halfpipe World Champs Test Event European Cup Competitions As Success

The world’s newest superpipe saw its first significant competition repetitions this week, as FIS Snowboard and FIS Freeski European Cup action took to the Corvatsch 3303 venue for two highly entertaining days of pipe riding, with both of this week’s competitions serving as the test events for next winter’s St. Moritz-Engadin 2025 FIS Freestyle, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships.

Opened in February, the halfpipe at Corvatsch was a major addition to to a freeski and snowboard landscape that has seen the number of halfpipes declining worldwide in recent years - despite halfpipe’s standing as one of the most popular and most-watched events at the Winter Olympic Games for over two decades.

Immediately hailed as one of the best halfpipes in the world at the ribbon-cutting on day one, the Corvatsch pipe upped it’s standing even further when World Cup snowboarders and freeskiers from around the world were given an opportunity to ride it in their free time during the World Cup season-ending week of action at the Silvaplana slopestyle competitions in March.

Throughout all the action the Corvatsch pipe has seen so far in its short history, the venue has proven that it will be an exceptional field of play for World Championships action next winter.

Monday’s European Cup snowboard competition saw a strong collection of riders from around the world dropping in on the action, including competitors from as far away as Japan, Korea, China, the USA and New Zealand, with 19 women and 34 men on the start lists.

On the women’s side of things it was China leading the way, with Liu Yibo and Wu Shaotong taking first and second, respectively, while Switzerland’s own Isabelle Loestcher rounded out the podium in third place.

Over on the men’s side it was also an international rider owning top spot on the podium, as New Zealand’s Campbell Melville Ives put down a score 92.40 to best second place Patrick Burgener and third place David Habluetzel, both representing the host Swiss.

European Cup halfpipe action continued on Tuesday in Corvatsch with the freeski competition, again with strongly international fields on hand.

Japan’s Nanaho Kiriyama took top spot in the women’s event, followed by Keira Devenoges of Switzerland in second and Silje Kinkead of Denmark in third position.

For the men it was more good news for the New Zealand contingent, as 15-year-old Luke Harrold walked away with the W, followed by Germany’s Moritz Klein in second place and Alexander Swedenborg of the USA rounding out the top-3 in third.

Already, Tuesday’s scheduled snowboard slopestyle qualifications were postponed due to heavy winds on the course, and it’s now a bit of a puzzle for organisers and officials to put together the next days of competition with that cancellation and a big dump of snow forecast for Wednesday.

Now, snowboard slopestyle qualifications are slated for Thursday, 11 April, to be followed by finals on Friday.

Qualifications for freeski slopestyle are already in the bag, having taken place on Monday, and slopestyle finals for the freeskiers are now also scheduled to go down on Friday.

Big air action, originally slated to take place with qualifications on Friday and finals on Saturday for both the snowboarders and freeskiers, has been pushed back one day for each phase, with qualies scheduled for Saturday and finals on Sunday.