Kim & Mastro Make History; Gerard Third in Laax
The highly anticipated 2025 Laax Open proved to be one for the books, celebrating its 10th anniversary with a jam-packed Saturday schedule featuring both snowboard slopestyle and halfpipe competition. Chloe Kim took the win with Maddie Mastro in second on the women's side, while Red Gerard was third for the men.
The pressure was on as 10 Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athletes were set to compete in front of a crowd of 12,000 onlooking fans lining the sides of the infamous Crap Sogn Gion glacier. With both Laax Open rookies and seasoned veterans in the mix, it was sure to be an exciting day of action and the team stepped up to the plate, securing three podium finishes, three never-been-done tricks and a Laax Open record on the sport’s biggest stage.
SLOPESTYLE
First up was the men’s slopestyle semifinal and boy, did it deliver.
The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team saw five athletes advance from Wednesday’s first round of slopestyle competition, four of which being past Laax Open slopestyle podium finishers: 2023 runner-up Dusty Henricksen, 2020 runner-up Red Gerard, 2019 champion Chris Corning and Sean Fitzsimons, whose clutch win at the 2022 Laax Open secured him a spot in the Peoyng-Chang Olympics. Joining the three veterans was 2023 junior world champion Brooklyn Depriest in his Laax Open debut.
Showing off his signature sleepy style, Dusty Henricksen punched his ticket to the final round with teammate Red Gerard, whose second run came in clutch after failing to put his first attempt down top-to-bottom.
Henricksen was first to drop for the men in finals and laced together a near-flawless run before clipping the final rail, earning him a score of 64.19 from the judges. A rail mistake on the top section of his second run would end Henricksen’s chances at another Laax Open podium, but still, the 2023 FIS slopestyle Crystal Globe winner was back riding in his first slope competition back from injury.
Gerard showed veteran composure in the Laax Open final and put on a show for onlooking fans, putting his first run down clean top-to-bottom in signature Red Gerard fashion. Complete with a signature hand drag over the rainbow rail and a frontside miller flip 540, the judges awarded Gerard’s technically savvy run an 86.22 that held the top spot for most of the competition, only to be beaten by Canada’s Cameron Spalding by a mere four tenths of a point late in the contest, securing Gerard the second spot on the podium.
15-year-old Lily Dhawornvej was the lone American qualifier for the women after earning her spot in the big show during Wednesday’s round of qualifications. Although unable to put down a run top-to-bottom, Dhawornvej gained invaluable experience competing on the sport’s biggest stage and continued her breakout season with an eighth place overall finish in Laax.
HALFPIPE
With slopestyle competition done and dusted, all eyes turned to the halfpipe for night finals under the lights - the signature and most anticipated event of the Laax Open.
Four Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athletes were set to drop: two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time Laax Open champion Chloe Kim, two-time Olympian and 2023 Laax Open medalist Maddie Mastro, two-time Olympian and 2017 Laax Open champion Chase Josey and 16-year-old Youth Olympic Games silver medalist Alessandro Barbieri.
Donning the FIS World Cup halfpipe leader yellow bib, Mastro was first to drop for the Americans and quickly set the tone for the night, nailing her signature double-crippler on her first hit and lacing together a near-flawless run. Mastro’s first run score of 88.75 put her in third place heading into run two, but the veteran was determined to best her 2023 Laax Open bronze medal. In one of the most insane runs the halfpipe world has ever seen with Mastro stomping the first-ever competition front dub 1080 and became the first woman to drop two dubs in one competition run en route to a second place finish at the 2025 Laax Open.
Teammate Chloe Kim was the only rider to best Mastro’s score and added another historic Never Been Done to her resume, becoming the first woman to land a cab dub 1080 in competition. Kim was all smiles in the corral after her first run heater that earned her the fifth Laax Open title of her career and a spot in the history books as the most decorated Laax Open athlete of all time.
“This means so much to me. I was really having a hard time in practice but really wanted to show off my cab double," said Kim in a post contest interview. "I’m so happy I was able to put it down. This was my first contest where I really just wanted to ride for fun and do what felt fun and it was so rewarding."
When asked about both her own and teammate Mastro's respective NBDs, she said, "Just wow. It's crazy to see the sport progress and I'm honored to be a part of it and inspire a new generation of female riders."
It was a dog-eat-dog world at the top of the pipe on the men’s side of competition and Josey and Barbierei held it down for the Americans in a field of heavy hitters. Josey was first to drop in the 12-man final and showed why he’s one of the most consistent riders on the World Cup circuit, putting down a technical run complete with a front-1260 on his final hit that earned him a solid score of 70.00 from the judges - his best of the two-run format. Making his first appearance in a Laax Open final, 16-year-old Barbieri was unable to lace together a full run top-to-bottom but showed he can hang with the best in the world and is one to watch on the World Cup circuit.
With three new pieces of hardware in tow, the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team travels back to the states, with many heading straight to Aspen, Colorado for the 2025 Winter X Games, Jan. 23-25. X Games athletes will be joined in Aspen by the rest of the team the following week for another round of World Cup competition with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Visa Big Air presented by Toyota.
RESULTS
