Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) celebrated his 19th birthday in big-time fashion by landing on the top step of the podium in the FIS Snowboard World Cup big air opener in New Zealand Saturday. Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, Mich.), the 2018 big air Olympic silver medalist, just missed the podium, finishing fourth.

With a perfectly stomped backside quad-corked 1800 melon grab on his second run, Corning produced a jaw-dropping World Cup victory with one of the highest big air World Cup scores ever seen – 98.00!

“I couldn’t ask for a better birthday,” said Corning. “I haven’t done the quad since the Olympics and I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth since (finishing fourth there). I’ve been thinking about doing it and when I landed my first trick today I knew I had two chances to go for it.”

Conditions at Cardrona Alpine Resort for the final snowboard event of Winter Games NZ were once again clear and calm, setting the stage for some truly astonishing big air action on the perfectly shaped 75-foot jump. Competitors each had three runs on the day, with their best two-jump scores being combined for final rankings.

At the end of the first run, Corning was sitting in second place having put down a tidy flat spin 1440 for a 90.60, while 2018 junior world champion Takeru Otsuka of Japan held the lead with a score of 95.6 for his cab 1620 indy. 

But there would be no stopping birthday boy Corning, the defending overall World Cup slopestyle champion dug into his bag of tricks and pulled out the quad, relegating Otsuka to second. Corning then upped his score on run three with a frontside 1440 chicken salad for the win. 

Otsuka’s frontside triple 1440 mute on run three was enough to secure him second place and his first career World Cup. Norway’s Mons Roisland claimed his third World Cup podium with a third-place result.

In the women’s big air, 16-year-old Reira Iwabuchi of Japan held the lead from her very first run for her second career World Cup big air victory. Japan’s Miyabi Onitsuka finished second, and Slovakia’s Klaudia Medlova was third. No American women participated.

The FIS Snowboard World Cup season continues with another big air competition November 3 in Modena, Italy. 

RESULTS
Men’s big air finals
Women’s big air finals
 

The U.S. Junior World Snowboard and Freeski Teams wrapped up a very successful two weeks at the 2018 FIS Junior Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships, winning a combined 10 medals, and the snowboard team winning the Marc Hodler Trophy, awarded to top nation at the championships.

The battle for the Marc Hodler Trophy came down to the wire with final two events of the championships, the parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom, being the largest barrier for the U.S. Team. The Russians put up a strong challenge, winning 10 of the 12 medals awarded in the final two events, however, the U.S. Snowboard Team took the trophy with 104 points to the Russian team’s 91.

On the freeski side, the U.S. Team finished just behind Russia in the Marc Hodler Trophy standings - 121 points to 97. With two podiums in big air and one each in skicross and halfpipe, it is clear the U.S. is ready to kick off the 2018-19 season. Overall, there were strong performances from a mix of U.S. Team athletes, USASA Alumni, and Project Gold Campers landing and executing big runs at New Zealand’s Cardrona Alpine Resort.

“This was the most successful FIS Junior Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships the U.S. Team has ever experienced,” noted U.S. Ski & Snowboard Sport Development Manager, Snowboard and Freeskiing Abbi Nyberg. “Looking forward, U.S. athletes are poised for a bright future heading toward the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.”

FIS JUNIOR SNOWBOARD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Luke Winkelmann – Silver – Big Air (Winhall, Vt.; U.S. Snowboard Team; USASA Southern Vermont Series)
• Tessa Maud – Silver – Halfpipe (Carlsbad, Calif.; U.S. Snowboard Team; USASA Unbound Series)
• Toby Miller – Gold – Halfpipe (Truckee, Calif; U.S. Snowboard Team; USASA North Tahoe Series)
• Jake Vedder – Gold – SBX (Pinckney, Mich.; U.S. Snowboard Team; USASA Great Lakes Snow Series; 4/16/98)
• Mike Lacroix – Bronze - SBX (Shrewsbury, Mass.; USASA Massachusetts Series)
• Livia Molodyh – Silver – SBX  (Hubbard, Ore.; USASA Mt. Hood Series )

FIS JUNIOR FREESTYLE WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Mac Forehand – Gold - Big Air (Winhall, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School, USASA Southern Vermont Series)
• Ryan Stevenson – Silver - Big Air (Washington, N.J.; USASA Rocky Mountain Series)
• Mazie Hayden – Silver – SX (North Clarendon, Vt.; Killington Mountain School, USASA Southern Vermont Series)
• Dylan Ladd - Silver - Halfpipe (Lakewood, Colo.; USASA Rocky Mountain Series, Winter Park Competition Center)

Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) and Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, Mich.) led the way for the U.S. Snowboard Team in qualifying at the opening FIS Snowboard World Cup big air of the season at Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand Thursday. 

Mack, the 2018 Olympic big air silver medalist, stomped a backside triple 1440 Japan grab and a score of 90.60 for the top qualifying spot in heat one. No stranger to World Cup podiums, Corning booked his place in the finals with a backside triple 1440 melon and a 91.40 on run one in the second qualifying heat. 

The finals for the first World Cup big air of the season are scheduled for Saturday at Cardrona Alpine Resort. Tune in to the OlympicChannel.com for coverage of the snowboard big air finals Saturday, 10 p.m. EDT, in the U.S.

RESULTS
Men's snowboard big air qualifying

START LISTS
Men's snowboard big air finals
 

Toby Miller (Mammoth, Calif.) added the snowboard halfpipe gold medal to his FIS Junior World Championships collection, and Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.) won her first world championships medal, a silver, at the 2018 FIS Junior Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.

Opening with a frontside double 1080 stalefish to cab double 1080 melon combo, and closing out with a frontside 1080 tailgrab, Miller was clearly on a mission to better the two Junior World Championship silver medals he had won in 2015 and 2017.

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Miller, who put down a blistering first-run score of 93.20. “The level of riding out here today was absolutely phenomenal - all the riders are so talented. This is my fourth Junior Worlds and every year the level just gets higher and higher. I’m honored to be in such an elite group of riders.”

Close on the day, but not close enough were a pair of Japanese riders boasting a name famous in halfpipe circles, as Ruka and Kaishu Hirano finished second and third respectively behind Miller. Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.) was eighth.

Maud, competing in her first event as a member of the U.S. Snowboard Team, dropped in switch to open with a cab 720 tail grab and following that up with back-to-back 540s. She put down a nice combination of spins and perhaps the best invert of the day on the women’s side with a solid crippler in her high-scoring second run to earn herself the silver medal. 

Japan’s Mitsuki Ono put down three solid runs to win the gold medal. Canada’s Elizabeth Hosking, meanwhile, relied on her first-run score of 68.80 to stay ahead of the pack to take the bronze. 

RESULTS
Men’s halfpipe finals
Women’s halfpipe finals
 

Toby Miller (Mammoth, Calif.) opened his second run with back to back 1080s for a score of 95.60 and the top spot in the men’s snowboard halfpipe qualifier at the 2018 FIS Junior Freestyle Ski and Snowboard Halfpipe World Championships Saturday.

With heavy snow in the mountain weather forecast for the next few days, the qualifying competition was rescheduled from Sunday to Saturday and came down to a game of strategy for Miller, who nailed his second run to move atop the standings.

“Both my runs went great,” said Miller. “My first run I got a 90.80, the first run is the most nerve-wracking one, you want to put down a score and make finals on that first run. I was very fortunate to do that, I’m stoked. I ended up bumping up (on run two) doing a cab double 10 after the frontside 1080 and doing three 10s instead of two. I just wanted to up the score a little more and use it as practice and get ready for finals.”

Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.) finished 10th to advance to the finals scheduled for Tuesday at Cardrona Alpine Resort.

In the women's snowboard halfpipe qualifier, China’s Lulu Jia nailed down the top qualifying spot with an 85.6. Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.) finished third to move on to Tuesday's finals.

RESULTS
Men's halfpipe qualifier
Women's halfpipe qualifier

START LISTS
Men's halfpipe finals
Women's halfpipe finals

Luke Winkelmann (Bowling Rock, N.C.) led the way for the U.S. Team in snowboard slopestyle qualifiers Thursday at the 2018 FIS Junior Freeskiing & Snowboard World Championships.

In the first men’s qualifying heat, Winkelmann took the top spot with a score of 89.66. Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.) finished sixth with a score of 80.66 to advance to the finals. Japan’s Takeru Otsuka won the second heat with a score of 90.00. Will Healy (Riverside, Conn.) was fourth with a score of 84.00.

On the women’s side, Jade Thurgood (Salt Lake City) was fifth with a score of 71.20.  Ty Schnorrbusch (Frisco, Colo.) was eighth with 58.20.

The men and women’s slopestyle finals take place Friday at the Big Bucks Park at Cardrona Alpine Resort.

RESULTS
Men’s slopestyle qualifier heat 1
Men’s slopestyle qualifier heat 2
Women’s slopestyle qualifier

START LISTS
Men’s slopestyle finals
Women’s slopestyle qualifier

Jade Thurgood (Salt Lake City) finished fourth in snowboard big air competition at the 2018 FIS Junior Freestyle Ski & Snowboard World Championships at Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand Wednesday. Ty Schnorrbusch (Frisco, Colo.) was fifth.

Japan’s Kokomo Murase took the gold medal, followed by Canada’s Sommer Gendron with the silver and China’s Ziyan Ren with the bronze. Wednesday’s competition was originally scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 25, however, weather conditions delayed the finals to Wednesday.

Snowboard competition at the Junior World Championships, part of the Winter Games NZ, continues Thursday with the slopestyle qualification, and Friday with the slopestyle finals. Both Thurgood and Schnorrbusch are scheduled to compete.

RESULTS
Women’s big air

START LISTS
Men’s slopestyle qualification heat 1
Men's slopestyle qualification heat 2
Women’s slopestyle qualification

Jake Vedder (Pinckney, Mich.) rode away with the men’s snowboard cross gold medal, and Mike Lacroix (Shrewsbury, Mass.) took home the bronze, at the 2018 FIS Junior Freestyle Ski & Snowboard World Championships at Cardrona Alpine Resort Monday. In the women’s snowboardcross finals, Livia Molodyh (Hubbard, Ore.) won the silver medal.

Vedder was the top qualifier and simply rode away from the rest of the field, winning his opening round and cruising through the quarterfinals, semifinals and into the finals. In the finals, Vedder moved to the front from the start and escaped the carnage behind to win his first junior world title.

“I hear someone say ‘woah’ next to me, I look over and his board’s right by my head, and then we made contact going in to turn five and I went down,” said Lacroix.

"And then the German (Maximilian Rathgeb) went shooting by us into second but somehow crashed in the last bank," added Grondin "I don't know what happened to him there. It was a crazy race, but it was fun."

Snowboard competition continues Tuesday with the team snowboardcross event.

RESULTS
Men’s snowboard cross
Women’s snowboard cross