Landgraaf, The Netherlands – The freestyle snowboard World Cup season began over a month ago in New Zealand, and now it’s time for the race boarders to follow suit. On Thursday the season’s sole indoor event, a parallel slalom, will take place at SnowWorld Landgraaf in Holland.
About 100 riders are expected to compete at the ninth event to be held in the so-called “World Cup fridge.” They will battle it out for the first World Cup points in the race for the coveted Crystal Globes. Qualifiers are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local time while the finals will start at 2 p.m.
Eurosport 2 and Orange Sports in France will broadcast the head-to-head duels of the finals live.
Viewers and fans are likely to see last season’s winners in Landgraaf, Andreas Prommegger of Austria and Russia’s Ekaterina Tudegesheva, in the knock-out duels. In addition, fans will witness the unexpected return of Canada’s Jasey Jay Anderson to competition. The 36-year-old Vancouver Olympic Gold medalist, who had announced his retirement from active competition sports after the 2010 World Cup finals, is getting back to business.
Others expected to draw on solid results in Landgraaf from previous seasons include Germany’s Amelie Kober, and Siegfried Grabner and Benjamin Karl, both of Austria. While Grabner and Karl have each won the indoor event twice, Kober has smiled from SnowWorld’s top podium spot three times. The 23-year-old has spent the summer training rigorously after giving birth to her son Lorenz last year.
Other women fighting for contention will include Switzerland’s Fränzi Mägert-Kohli, Marion Kreiner and Claudia Riegler of Austria, and Kober’s German counterpart, Isabella Laböck. In addition, reigning Parallel Giant Slalom World Champion Alena Zavarzina of Russia is also back on track after a long break from a torn ACL.
On the men’s side, the odds-on favorites for victory are Austrians Karl, who successfully defended his Crystal Globes last season, and Andreas Prommegger. Italy’s Roland Fischnaller and Aaron March are also in the hunt, however, as they finished second and third, respectively, at last year’s competition at SnowWorld.