Freeskiing
Scotty James and Eileen Gu make history as the Laax Open levels up again
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 2026.
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Returning for its 11th edition, Laax Open 2026 provided some harrowing weather for the competitors. With strong winds, riders struggled with their speed. Nonetheless, around 250 international athletes showed up to give it their all. For many, this served as one of the final opportunities to qualify or fine-tune form for the upcoming games in Italy.
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Snowboard slopestyle: Big tricks and tight scores at Laax Open
Romain Allemand put in a stunning performance to clinch the Slopestyle win
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
At the women’s snowboard slopestyle at the 2026 Laax Open, Japan's Kokomo Murase braved the windy conditions and won the title with a score of 77.55 points, taking the top spot on the podium in the FIS World Cup contest. Lily Dhawornvej from the United States finished second with 71.18 points, while Austrian Anna Gasser rounded out the podium in third with 69.70 points.
French rider Romain Allemand pulled off a standout performance to take the victory in the men’s snowboard slopestyle final, ending a long drought for France in World Cup slopestyle wins. He delivered the top score on the course to edge out the competition. Japan’s Yuto Kimura finished second, and China’s Su Yiming – one of the favourites and top qualifiers – also put in a strong showing, ultimately placing among the top competitors.
Anna Gasser took third place in the women's contest
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
Su Yiming matched her result in the men's competition
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
Women's snowboard slopestyle:
- Murase Kokomo (JPN) 77.55
- Lily Dhawornvej (USA) 71.18
- Anna Gasser (AUT) 69.70
Men's snowboard slopestyle:
- Romain Allemand (FRA) 86.70
- Yuto Kimura (JPN) 81.95
- Su Yiming (CHN) 76.10
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Snowboard halfpipe: Scotty James fabulous for fifth Laax gold
A fabulous fifth Laax Open trophy for Scotty James
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
Australian halfpipe hero Scotty James absolutely blew up the halfpipe once again with a second run under the lights in Laax that was unquestionably one of the best he's ever thrown down.
After scoring an 84.00 on his first run that would have handed him the victory, the 31-year-old absolutely demolished a world-class field on his second run with an instant classic that included him landing his Switch Backside Double Cork 1440 Mute for only the second time ever. No one else stood a chance against that, and his massive 98.75 points from the judges reflected the level of his riding. That's now five Laax Open titles in the hands of James, and no one looks like beating him anytime soon.
Behind James, fellow antipodeans filled the other two podium spots. New Zealander Campbell Ives Melville bounced back from a lowly 41.00 on his first run to be the only other rider to break 90 points in the final after scoring 91.00 on his second attempt to bag the silver. James's fellow Australian Valentino Guseli stomped a solid 80.25 on his first run to ease into third place without even needing to take his second run.
The women's contest was won in a similarly dominant fashion by Korea's Gaon Choi. Like James in the men's final, Choi delivered a second run to blow her competition out of the water, landing both a Backside 900 Stalefish and Frontside 1080 Melon on her way to scoring 92.50. No one else even got close to scoring 90 points.
Second was snapped up by Japan's Rise Kudo with another stomped second run pushing her right up the order with an 82.75 from the judges, while China's Cai Xuetong completed the podium after bagging 75.25 points for her first and only run.
Valentino Guseli's third place made it a good event for Australia
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
Women's snowboard halfpipe:
- Gaon Choi (KOR) 92.50
- Rise Kudo (JPN) 82.75
- Cai Xuetong (CHN) 75.25
Men's snowboard halfpipe:
- Scotty James (AUS) 98.75
- Campbell Ives Melville (NZL) 91.00
- Valentino Guseli (AUS) 80.25
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Freeski slopestyle: Eileen Gu dominates to set a new record for Freeski World Cup wins
Eileen Gu clears the clouds in the Slopesyle competiton
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
There was déjà vu in the Freeski Slopestyle finals as both Eileen Gu and Birk Ruud both repeated their winning performances from 2025, with Ruud actually making a hat-trick of Laax Open wins after winning in 2024 as well.
The only surprising thing about Gu's victory in the women's final was just how easy the Chinese superstar made it look. She wrapped up the win in the first round with a stylish run that included a Left Double Cork 1080 Blunt and scored 85.13 points. That left the rest of the field well behind. American Marin Hamill claimed second with another strong first run that saw her awarded 71.38, while Austrian Lara Wolf improved massively on her second run to jump up into third place.
Another Laax Open victory also marked a huge milestone in Gu's incredible career: her 20th career FIS World Cup victory. With that, she's now officially the all-time record holder for the most wins in Freeski World Cup history, male or female – and she's still only 22-years-old!
Things were a lot closer in the men's final, where one solitary point separated Birk Ruud and Matěj Švancer at the sharp end. It went the way of Ruud in the end, handing the Norwegian Laax lover with his third straight win here.
Ruud impressed with a technical, clean first run, that included a Switch Left Double Cork 1620 Blunt, ending up with 85.08 points. Švancer was in equally smooth form however and also threw down a near-perfect run first time out to finish with a 84.08 from the judges. With neither skier able to better their score on their second runs, that one point decided the contest in Ruud's favour while Canada's Evan McEachran completed the podium.
Matěj Švancer celebrates Slopestyle silver
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
Women's freeski slopestyle:
- Eileen Gu (CHN) 85.13
- Marin Hamill (USA) 71.38
- Lara Wolf (AUT) 67.85
Men's freeski slopestyle:
- Birk Ruud (NOR) 85.08
- Matěj Švancer (AUT) 84.08
- Evan McEachran (CAN) 82.70
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Watch the Laax Open 2026 replays in full
Snowboard Slopestyle men's finals:
Snowboard Slopestyle Men's Finals by The Bomb Hole
Top snowboarders hit the Laax Open slopestyle competition as Chris Grenier delivers off-the-cuff commentary.
Snowboard Slopestyle women's finals:
Snowboard Slopestyle Women's Finals
Top snowboarders hit the Laax Open slopestyle competition.
Snowboard Halfpipe:
Snowboard Halfpipe presented by The Bomb Hole
Top snowboarders hit the Laax Open halfpipe competition as Chris Grenier delivers off-the-cuff commentary.
Freeski Slopestyle
Freeski Slopestyle – Laax Open
World-renowned freeskiiers race down the iconic course in the Swiss Alps for the fourth outing at Laax Open.
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