THE TOP RIDERS WENT ALL OUT AT THE FIS ALPINE SNOW TKO PGS WORLD CUP
January 27, 2023 -- Blue Mountain, Ontario -- The Alpine Snow TKO FIS Snowboard World Cup PGS concludes with Jenny (SUI), Hofmeister (GER), Karl (AUT), and Kwiatkowski (POL) on top.
The sun was shining and the energy was high as the 2023 Alpine Snow TKO reached its finale today, with the second of two FIS Snowboard World Cup PGS races at Blue Mountain, Ontario. Spectators watched in awe as elite snowboarders from across the globe pushed the limits of speed in head-to-head knockout style finals, rounding out a thrilling week of snowboarding action in the heart of the Blue Mountain Village.
In the first of two World Cup PGS races on Thursday, January 26th, conditions were challenging. 15 centimetres of snow overnight made for softer than ideal snow on the course, and high overcast skies challenged visibility periodically through the day. Still, the riders performed. "The snow was soft, but there was actually good ice underneath the top layer– you could dig down and get a good edge," said Benjamin Karl (AUT), the men's winner of the day. He bested top qualifier Sangho Lee (KOR) in the big final to take his second win at Alpine Snow TKO, where he had an unprecedented tie for first place in 2020. Oskar Kwiatkowski (POL) rounded out the podium in third.
The day one women's big final was dramatic, with Lucia Dalmasso (ITA) taking a heartbreaking fall and leaving the door open for Jenny. The second place place finish was more than a consolation prize, however– it was her best career result and first World Cup podium. Sabine Schoeffmann (AUT) bested Claudia Riegler (AUT) in the small final to round out the podium in third.
Team Canada was just out of reach of finals on day one, with Arnaud Gaudet (CAN) posting the host nation's best result of the day and finishing 17th in qualifiers, two hundredths of a second from qualifying for the head-to-head rounds. Birthday girl Aurelie Moisan was the highest ranking Canadian woman, finishing 19th.
Today saw the second of two World Cup PGS races, with Friday afternoon crowd cheering enthusiastically from the base of Blue Mountain's iconic Silver Bullet chair. Oskar Kwiatkowski took the top spot on the men’s side, besting Alexander Payer (AUT) in the big final and improving on his third place finish from yesterday. The result moved Kwiatkowski into the leader position on the FIS World Cup PGS tour. Rolland Fischnaller (ITA), the day's top qualifier, rounded out the podium in third.
Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) won the day for the women after an intense head-to-head with Julie Zogg (SUI). After today's event, Hofmeister leads the PGS tour standings. Daniela Ulbing (AUT) took third, her fourth podium of the Alpine World Cup season.
The Canadians rode well, but again fell shy of finals. Ben Heldman had the strongest finish for the men in 20th, and Aurelie Moisan led the women in 21st. We’re proud of all our Canadian athletes, and excited to see what the rest of the season brings for them.
