BEIJING FIS FREESKI WORLD CUP (CHN) – 30 NOV-02 DEC
Stop number two on this season’s big air World Cup takes us back to what is arguably the most striking venue in all of snowsports, the world’s first (and only) permanent, purpose-built big air venue in Beijing (CHN). The site of indelible memories from the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the Beijing big air venue is without parallel in the world. Don’t miss this one, because it’s almost a guarantee that we’ll see the highest competition level of the season there in China.
VISA BIG AIR AT COPPER MOUNTAIN FIS FREESKI WORLD CUP (USA) – 13-16 DEC
Copper Mountain keeps bringing the goods, year in and year out, and last season was no exception as the resort welcomed big air World Cup action to its slopes for the first time since 2017/18, reminding us all how much we love a good ol’ fashioned on-piste booter comp. Throw in the annual halfpipe festivities as well, and Copper is shaping up again to be the perfect way to send us into the holiday break.
TIGNES MOUNTAIN SHAKER FIS FREESKI WORLD CUP (FRA) – 13-15 MAR
Tignes is one of the absolute OGs of the FIS Freestyle World Cup, hosting its first World Cup back in 1980 and seeing every single FIS Freestyle and Freeski World Cup event hit its storied slopes at some point in the last 43 years.
Every event except big air, that is.
This season that all changes, and Tignes will stamp the final box on its bingo card when nighttime big air action goes down as part of the Mountain Shaker weekend. With crystal globes to hand out there in Tignes and the always outrageous French crowd on hand to witness the madness, this is gonna be a good one.
THE HEAVY HITTERS – WOMEN
TESS LEDEUX – 21 – FRA
The reigning big air World Champion and Olympic silver medallist, Tess Ledeux has only missed a World Cup big air podium once in the past three seasons, making her one of the most consistent – and consistently impressive – performers in all of freeski. While she’s already about to start her eighth season of international competition Ledeux is still just 21 years old and only getting better.
MEGAN OLDHAM – 22 – CAN
Five words: world’s first women’s triple cork.
Last season Megan Oldham made history on way to winning X Games gold when she dropped the first triple cork stomped by a woman. Throw in a pair of World Championships medals (silver in slopestyle, bronze in big air) and a couple of World Cup podiums (including big air victory at Copper Mountain (USA)) and you’ve got one of the finest freeski seasons we’ve seen in quite some time. The scary thing for the rest of the field is that 22-year-old Canadian is really only hitting her prime now. We expect to see even more out of her in 2023/24.
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