Double Podium in Laax: Forehand, Hall Go Two, Three
The Laax Open is one of the most anticipated World Cups of the slopestyle season and it's not hard to see why. Laax, Switzerland has a beautiful background in the Swiss Alps, a consistently creative course and always draws a great crowd.
The competition set up in Laax is also innovative, with the men's field having a qualifier, semifinal and final event throughout the week. Six of nine American men made it through qualifications and into the semifinals - Alex Hall, Colby Stevenson, Mac Forehand, Konnor Ralph, Troy Podmilsak and Hunter Henderson.
Four of the six Stifel U.S. Freeski Team members made it through the semifinals and into finals - Hall, Forehand, Stevenson and Podmilsak. Stevenson was the top qualifier, with Hall second and Forehand third.
After run one, Forehand was sitting in the top spot with Hall close behind in second. Norway's Birk Ruud had a beautiful second run, putting him in first, Forehand in second and Hall in third. Forehand and Hall had great second runs but couldn't put something down cleaner than run one. The final results were Ruud in first, Forehand second and Hall third.
Forehand reflected on the competition, saying, "Today was incredible! Showed up this morning and knew instantly that it was going to be a perfect day. Zero wind, tons of sun and not a cloud in the sky. Did some of the best skiing I’ve done over the whole week and felt really good to put down the run I wanted to do and get on the podium."
Stevenson finished the day in ninth with creative and unique runs, just not clean enough to threaten the podium. Podmilsak finished in 12th.
On the women's side, Marin Hamill was the sole American who made it through qualifications. Marin finished sixth in finals, with China's Eileen Gu on top, Canada's Megan Oldham in second and Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud in third.
Coach Ryan Wyble was proud of the team today, saying, "I'm super hyped for Mac and Alex to end up on the podium. The level of skiing was crazy high with perfect conditions and an epic course, so it was a great show from everyone. Marin had a solid week and laid down a super stylish run for sixth which was great to see from her at her second comp back since the Olympics. The whole team skied well on the challenging course here all week."
Next up for many of the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team is X Games in Aspen, Colorado starting Jan. 23, 2025.
