Last weekend's FIS Snowboard World Cup big air event in Edmonton, Alta. bore witness to some groundbreaking moments.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott etched her name in history on Dec. 10 en route to the top of the women's podium. The Kiwi's performance included a groundbreaking switch backside 1260, a trick never before landed in women's competitive snowboarding; for which she received a staggering 99 out of 100 in the qualifying round. Following a stumble on her first round of finals and with no room for error, she rallied with a remarkable second round of 97.25, and secured her well-deserved victory with a final jump score of 86.00 (183.25)
Reflecting on her historic achievement, Sadowski-Synnott said in a release: "That trick hasn't been done in competition before, so I didn't really know what to expect. I'm super-hyped on the score."
17-year-old Briton Mia Brookes and Anna Gasser, the Austrian double Olympic gold medallist for big air, rounded out the top three in that order.
Jasmine Baird was unable to defend her title from last year's contest. Instead, the Whistlerite finished seventh after falling on her second and third attempts.
Sea to Sky fans do have something to cheer about, however. Caleb Chomlack, Maggie Crompton and Keenan Demchuck edged out a stacked field to lock up the Nitro Best Team title in the first Snowboard Rail Jam ever held in a stadium.
"Crazy experience in Edmonton," said Chomlack on his Instagram account after the fact. "Thank you to everyone involved and mad respect to my team. [Keenan and Maggie], you both killed it."
Juliette Pelchat also took advantage of the elite urban snowboard showcase to win Best Trick among women.
"Stoked to ride the Grind Rail jam with the dopest team: [Frank Jobin and Truth Smith]," Pelchat said on Instagram. "Super happy to take the win for women’s best trick. Big love to everyone. It was a pleasure to ride this setup with a group of insanely talented boarders and all my homies!"
Over on the men's big air contest, Japan's Taiga Hasegawa (181.00) emerged victorious by executing three impeccable 1800s, the last of which bumped him into the lead. Reigning Olympic big air champ Su Yiming of China clinched silver, while American Redmond Gerard, returning to World Cup competition after a year-long hiatus, claimed bronze.
Nicolas Laframboise of Quebec, sporting a bright orange Edmonton Oilers helmet along with a fresh blue Oilers alternate jersey, finished sixth after attempting a backside quad 1800 on his final jump, just sliding out on his landing.
Full results are available here.
