A rider airs it out during the snowboard big air qualifier at the world championships on Sunday, March 14, 2021, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen. Photo by Tamara Susa/Aspen Skiing Co.
Mark McMorris bounced back from his slopestyle shortcomings to make big air finals, while Anna Gasser led a strong contingent of women in Sunday’s qualifying ahead of the final events of the world championships at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen.
McMorris, the Canadian superstar and Winter X Games medals record holder, was among the biggest surprises to not have qualified for slopestyle finals earlier in the week, but scored 92.75 on the first of his two big air qualifying runs on a tricky jump Sunday to lead the men.
Norwegian gold medalist Marcus Kleveland (center), silver medalist Canadian Sebastien Toutant (left) and Finish bronze medalist Rene Rinnekangas celebrate on the podium after the men s snowboard slopestyle competition at the FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Photo from US Ski and Snowboard
Summit County’s Red Gerard led the American contingent in Friday’s men’s snowboard slopestyle final at the world championships in Aspen, but it wasn’t enough to sneak onto a star-studded podium led by Norway’s Marcus Kleveland.
Kleveland, a four-time X Games champion, including Aspen big air gold only six weeks ago, nearly dropped out of the final after hurting his leg in training.
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American rider Red Gerard of Silverthorne drops in for a run on the Buttermilk Ski Area slopestyle course for a qualifying round Wednesday at the International Ski & Snowboard Federation Freeski and Snowboard World Championships in Aspen. The 2018 Olympic champion qualified through to Friday’s final.
Photo by Tamara Susa
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the day of the World Championship slopestyle finals, which is Friday.
Local pro snowboarders Chris Corning and Red Gerard were two of the 16 riders able to battle daunting, fickle weather conditions at Buttermilk Ski Area on Wednesday in Aspen to qualify through to Friday’s slopestyle finals at the International Ski & Snowboard Federation Freeski and Snowboard World Championships.