Aspen World Cups Serve Up Olympic-Cycle Drama
Blouin Back on Top, Canter Breaks Through & Japan Dominates Halfpipe As
The LAAX OPEN once again proved why it holds a unique place on the World Cup calendar. More than just another stop, the 2026 edition carried extra weight: the final major FIS Snowboard World Cup event before the Olympic Winter Games. Under that pressure, the world’s best didn’t hold back. They sharpened, tested, and in some cases redefined what’s possible.
Few venues deliver atmosphere like the Laax halfpipe at night. Thousands lined the walls as Scotty James dropped into a final that felt more like a statement than a tune-up. With a near-flawless second run, James claimed his fifth LAAX OPEN victory, cementing a legacy that stretches across generations of pipe riding.
The run’s defining moment was a switch backside double cork 1440 mute, landed in competition for only the second time ever, a reminder that progression doesn’t pause, specially in an Olympic year. Completing the men’s podium were Campbell Ives Melville in second and Valentino Guseli in third, underlining the Southern Hemisphere’s growing influence at the top of the pipe scene.
On the women’s side, Gaon Choi delivered a composed, high-level performance that left no doubt. Her combination of a backside 900 stalefish and frontside 1080 melon earned a decisive win and capped off an all-Asian podium. Rise Kudo took second, with Cai Xuetong in third. A powerful snapshot of where women’s halfpipe is heading.
If halfpipe was about authority, slopestyle was about emergence. Under clear skies at Crap Sogn Gion, Romain Allemand made history by becoming the first French rider ever to win a FIS Slopestyle World Cup. The 19-year-old’s run blended control and ambition, highlighted by a back double 1080 pullback to 900 melon, earning him a breakthrough LAAX OPEN title.
Japan’s teenage talent Yuto Kimura finished second, while Olympic champion Su Yiming rounded out the podium in third. For the Swiss crowd, Jonas Hasler’s sixth place carried special significance, securing his Olympic qualification on home snow.
In the women’s slopestyle, Kokomo Murase claimed her first LAAX OPEN victory with the kind of polish that makes difficult tricks look effortless, notably a frontside double cork 900 truckdriver. American Lily Dhawornvej took second, while Austria’s Anna Gasser, already an Olympic champion, finished third as the competitive depth of the field continued to tighten.
With the Games looming, LAAX felt less like a rehearsal and more like a line in the sand. Veterans proved they still control the narrative, while a new generation showed they’re ready to challenge it now, not later. If this was the final World Cup checkpoint, it delivered exactly what snowboarding needed: clarity, momentum, and just enough uncertainty to make the Olympic stage impossible to predict.
Cover photo by Shaina Joel.
Blouin Back on Top, Canter Breaks Through & Japan Dominates Halfpipe As
Paul and Rukajärvi among the 12 riders getting ready to drop into
Mark your calendars: 28–29 March 2026 — Volcom Spot to Spot returns to Avoriaz
