A Norwegian hat-trick or an Austrian first for gold?

Last updated on 10.10.2023

When the best slopestyle athletes in the world throw down their most spectacular tricks in the fight for the first World Cup points of the season, prime conditions are a must. For the seventh time, all will be delivered on the Stubai Glacier. From November22 to 25, 2023, the FIS Freeski World Cup will kick off the season with the popular Austrian slopestyle event. 90 athletes from 23 nations will once again do the honors at the Snowpark Stubai Zoo – among them a strong Austrian team that has a chance of success on home soil.

Winter is not far away, and the thought of the white gold already gets many winter sports enthusiasts excited. Also, for the artists on two planks, because in a few days, the crème de la crème of freeskiing will once again offer a show of a special kind with spins, grabs, double corks and rail slides from November 22 to 25:

The stage: the snowpark on the Stubai Glacier at over 3,000 meters above sea level, loved by the local and international scene, thanks to perfect conditions already optimally shaped at the beginning of the season and equipped with world-class features.
The players: 90 athletes from 23 nations who can rightly be called the world’s best in their craft on two planks.
The spectacle: the most spectacular tricks in the fight for the first Slopestyle World Cup points of the season.

Now a tradition, this annual event marks the beginning of the FIS Slopestyle World Cup season. Four days of freeski action at its best in the legendary Snowpark Stubai Zoo on the Stubai Glacier. For the seventh time already the world’s freeskiing elite will gather at Gaiskarferner to collect the first important points for the World Cup ranking on the Pro-Line.

But there’s still a lot to do until then. The course, which is a good 500 meters long, designed with around eight features and has 110m of vertical, can only be built with the utmost dedication and know-how. This is a task that the organizers and shapers have been able to accomplish in recent years to the complete satisfaction of the athletes and trainers. It is important to guarantee the professional and safe events of the last years again, therefore, the preparations at the Stubai Glacier are already running at full speed.

Norwegian three-peat or a new kid on the block?

Everything for the best of the best because the annual line-up on the Stubai Glacier is impressive. From Olympic champions to world champions and X-Games winners – they all won’t miss the popular first event on the Stubai Glacier. Once again, the big questions arise: Will there be defending titles? Or perhaps completely new surprise winners?

It is well known that the Scandinavians are particularly fond of Austrian snow. And it shows, as the Nordic flags have almost always popped up on the podium at the Stubai Glacier in recent years. At the upcoming season opener, a Norwegian could once again put on the legendary crown. For Birk Ruud it would be a hat-trick, should he once again throw down the best runs on snow in the men’s. In the women’s event, the flag at the top could also be red-blue-white, but in French form. In the absence of the winners from the two previous years, it is perhaps the Frenchwoman Tess Ledeux from 2020 who will certainly try to climb the top step of the podium once again.

This kick-off event is also important for the Austrian team and Ski Austria as the organizer. So far, the Austrian anthem has never played at the home World Cup, but perhaps the seven-year drought will be broken, and there will be a home victory after all? The Austrian team around head coach Martin Premstaller is extremely strong.

Tentative PROGRAM FIS FREESKI WORLD CUP STUBAI 2023*

Wed. 22.11. Training Women & Men

Thu. 23.11. Training Women & Men

Fri. 24.11. Qualifications Women & Men

Sat. 25.11. Finals Women & Men | Live on ORF1 at 10:30 am

*Program subject to change

Perfect accommodation in the Stubaital

A large selection of different accommodations for every requirement in a guest-friendly atmosphere can be found at: www.stubai.at