Freeskiing
10 years of Laax Open, and competitors keep levelling up
Laax Open brings out the best of snowboarding and skiing's style, with athletes raising the bar year after year. Get caught up on the action from Laax Open 2025.
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The Laax Open is ten years old this year, and the refined evolution of slopestyle was on full display during the event’s decade celebration. Eight different features, with three diverse rail sections, shark fins, a considerable quarterpipe and a big ol’ kicker that saw doubles and buttery rotations all day long. There’s no excuse for boring riding on a course this creative and a gloriously sunny day with little wind inspired competitors to unleash their best work.
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Snowboard slopestyle: Big tricks and tight scores at Laax Open
The UK’s Mia Brookes came in seeded one and stayed there easily, dominating the event with an effortlessly stylish rail game, back-to-back 900s and even a beautifully executed handplant on the QP. The seventeen-year-old Brookes came in more than six points ahead of second place Kiwi Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.
Mitsuki Ono giving the spectators a show
© Ondrej Kolacek/Red Bull Content Pool
Olympian multi-medalist Sadowski-Synnott showed up in a big way but looked just slightly less confident than Brookes. A flip on the cannon rail, switch back 12 on the big sender, and a big bag of tricks throughout the course demonstrated why she shows up on the podium regularly.
Japanese rider Murase Kokomo made the rails look especially smooth and stylish but struggled a bit on the big kickers and shark fin. Her style probably deserved more points from the judges, but considering she came in seeded last, the day turned out well for Kokomo.
Shout to the legendary Anna Gasser of Austria, who has been competing at Laax for a full decade and landed in fourth with the help of a beautiful cab 9 truckdriver on the big kicker and a solid run otherwise.
Canadian teenager Cameron Spalding is currently leading the World Cup standings, and he showed why with a stellar run today, barely squeaking ahead of American Redmond Gerard with a run that showed off a frontside 1440, crazy smooth 1660, and a 12, let alone a full suite of creativity on the rail sections. Gerard was sitting in first after he put on an absolute clinic on the airs but narrowly missed the top spot when Spalding came out of the gates with a powerful second run.
Germany’s Noah Viktor wasn’t far behind in third with a flawlessly smooth run full of heavy stomps and a clear confidence that translated to a great score less than three points behind both second and first.
Women's snowboard slopestyle:
- Mia Brookes (GBR)
- Zoi Sadowski Synnott (NZL)
- Kokomo Murase (JPN)
Men's snowboard slopestyle:
- Cameron Spalding (CAN)
- Redmond Gerard (USA)
- Noah Viktor (GER)
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Snowboard halfpipe: Scotty James raises the bar with unbelievable performance
Another win at the Laax Open for Scotty James
© Lorenz Richard / Red Bull Content Pool
Australian halfpipe Scotty James absolutely blew up the halfpipe with an amplitude and technicality few riders have ever accomplished. It’s hard to understand how James does it, and he did it under pressure, sitting in second place on his second run. From his switch tricks to his long, casual grabs, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could beat it. Anyone other than Hirano Ruka that is.
Ruka Hirano came so close to winning. There. We said it. His meticulous technicality was only outmatched by the superhuman ability to poke out a grab mid-triple. It’s unbelievable. The level of halfpipe riding is maybe the best it has ever been. They keep upping the level while most of us struggle to comprehend the progression.
Scotty James tearing up the halfpipe
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
Ayumi Hirano does every trick a little bit... extra. In his third place run, we saw him go frontside on every hit but absolutely send triples and everything above a 12 in quick succession with an unheard-of amplitude. If he went backside and/or switch he easily could have been somewhere closer to first.
A familiar face showed up on the women’s side – Chloe Kim wins everything, so it’s no surprise she is standing tall on the podium again. His run was a refined mix of big-and-slow rotations and just-plain-slow grabs that held on forever, making for the complete package we expect from the American pipe maven.
Maddie Mastro mentally preparing
© Ondrej Kolacek/Red Bull Content Pool
American pipe maestro Maddie Mastro lives where flow and amplitude meet, and her run arguably deserved the win, but such is judged sports. A huge front 10 double.
Korean Choi Gaon pulled together a ridiculous assortment of spins – including a switch backside 9 – to show up in a big way. If she had gotten in a couple of solid grabs, she might have had a shot at a second. Either way, she should be proud of a great third place effort.
Maddie Mastro
© Ondrej Kolacek/Red Bull Content Pool
Women's snowboard slopestyle:
- Chloe Kim (USA)
- Maddie Mastro (USA)
- Gaon Choi (KOR)
Men's snowboard halfpipe:
- Scotty James (AUS)
- Ruka Hirano (JPN)
- Ayumu Hirano (JPN)
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Freeski slopestyle: Eileen Gu shines at Laax Open 2025 with flawless performance
Eileen Gu
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
With great weather comes great results. The 2025 edition of the Laax Open opened on January 17 with perfectly summer skies and warm temperatures, and the athletes rose to the occasion. A decade after first taking flight, the freeskiing field is virtually unrecognizable, both in the start list and in the evolution of competition tricks. Laax has become a respected measuring stick for the season overall, and every competitor here knows what a good result means in Switzerland.
Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu of China won for the first time at Laax, throwing big tricks with impeccable technique and polishing rails with easy confidence. A smoothly executed double 10 was a highlight.
Eileen Gu mid-air at Laax Open 2025
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
X-Games winner Megan Oldham of Canada kept pushing the women with her always-on, always-progressive skiing. She almost makes it look too easy, and her ultra-smooth rotations and solid grabs might be the most fundamentally strong in the field.
Defending champion – and overall World Cup winner – Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland showed up with some hometown advantage, spinning slowly and throwing big doubles with clean grabs. While she struggled to clear a few knuckles in her first run, Gremaud's second was all big spins and smooth transitions.
Mathilde Gremaud takes third at Laax Open
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
As expected, Norwegian Birk Ruud was yesterday's most versatile, creative, and precise skier on the mountain. With a regrettable flounder on the final rail in his first run, Ruud came back for a second run that absolutely ruined everyone with multiple huge spins, technical rail work, and the earned style and versatility that only comes when you're as dedicated to flow as this hybrid freeskier/snowboarder is. He deserved the win, hands down.
When American Mac Forehand got bumped by Ruud in his second run, the sun-soaked crowd had the pleasure of watching him go off the hook with a switch triple 16 on the big kicker and a double 10. His confidence is unbelievable. With only a few adjustments and maybe a stronger lower-level showing, he may have taken the win from Ruud.
Mac Forehand won second place at Laax Open
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
The fastest way to a judge’s heart is athletic creativity. American Alex Hall is a creative powerhouse but also an athletic ninja. So precise. So intriguing. Flexing the bringbacks, switch, well, everything, and huge spins, Hall showed everyone who he was…again. More rotations. More flips. Arguably more style. This guy never stops. Canadian Max Moffat rounds out the podium, earning third place with an incredible performance.
All in all, it was an incredible start to the Laax Open. It’s been a decade of iconic freeskiing here, and this year, we maintained the same level of excitement.
Women's freeski slopestyle:
- Eileen Gu (CHN)
- Megan Oldham (CAN)
- Mathilde Gremaud (SUI)
Men's freeski slopestyle:
- Birk Ruud (NOR)
- Mac Forehand (USA)
- Max Moffatt (CAN)
Mac Forehand and Max Moffatt celebrate their podium finishes
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
Eileen Gu takes the Laax Open 2025 crown
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
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