Claire Second In World Cup Big Air
Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, Vt.) kicked off the first FIS Freeski World Cup big air of the season with a second-place finish at Cardrona Alpine Resort Friday.
Blue skies and calm conditions welcomed some of the world’s best freeskiers on top of Cardrona’s 75-foot big air jump, making for a perfect background to the final freeski event of the two-week Winter Games NZ.
Claire pulled a switch 900 octo grab on her first jump, and a left 720 tail grab on her second to land on the podium. Canada’s Elena Gaskell stomped her switch 1260 on her second run of three, holding her mute grab all the way to claim her first World Cup victory. Canada’s Yuki Tsubota was third.
In the men’s event, Switzerland’s reigning slopestyle World Cup champion Andri Ragettli rebounded from his first run crash with a triple 1620 truckdriver on his second run, and a perfectly stomped switch triple 1440 truck driver on run three to grab the victory. Canada’s Evan McEachran was second, and local Finn Bilous of New Zealand was third. No U.S. men qualified for the finals.
The FIS Freeski World Cup season will be back in action again in two months with the second stop in Modena, Italy on November 4.