Quebec (QC), Canada – Canadian snowboarders took the top two podium spots under the bright lights Saturday night in downtown Quebec City at the last big air contest on the 2011 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Tour. Local star Sebastien Toutant of L’Assomption, Quebec, better known to his fans as Seb Toots, took home the first place despite nursing a rib injury, while Matts Kulisek of Montreal, Quebec took the second place.nToutant took the victory in the Jamboree big air presented by Amnesia/Arsenic by smoothly dropping down his very own trick, the “Tootsie Roll”, in his third and final jump to cumulate 56.1 points. The Tootsie Roll is a backside 1080 double-cork.
“I was supposed to be in Norway for another contest. I injured myself in Austria while training and came back to Canada to receive treatments,” explained Toutant. “My physio told me it would be a good test to take part in this contest. It’s really nice to come here and win the discipline. Having a ramp in an urban setting is really different than a contest on a mountain. There is a lot less time to get ready, but what a show!”
Toutant has had a great season to date, winning two of the season’s four World Cup Big Air contests, as well as the 6-star TTR Big Air in Beijing, China. In slopestyle, the rising star won the high-profile X Games competition as well as a 6-star TTR stop in Davos, Switzerland.
The big air event in Québec City, which took place on a man-made structure, was the last one scheduled on the 2011 World Cup calendar. Toutant is currently leading the way but has not secured the coveted Crystal globe as it is awarded to the winner of both big air and slopestyle events combined. There are two World Cup slopestyle events still scheduled on the 2011 calendar.
Kulisek scored 51.0 points Saturday night with a hughe frontside 1080 and a switch backside 900, which was enough to secure the second position. Kulisek is also no stranger to international success, finishing seventh at last year’s Jamboree in his first World Cup start. Last June, Kulisek finished second at the 5-star TTR Billabong Ante Up in Whistler, British Columbia.
Stefan Falkeis of Austria rounded out the podium in third with a score of 50.6 points. Ian Thorley, of Marquette, Mich., was the sole U.S. entrant. He just missed qualifying for the finals and finished in 13th.
The Quebec stop on the 2011 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup tour ends today in Stoneham with parallel giant slalom races.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS World Cup
Stoneham, Quebec – Feb. 19, 2011
Big Air
1. Sebastien Toutant, Canada
2. Matt Kulisek, Canada
3. Stefan Falkeis, Austria