Unfazed by some strong competition, James put together two cracking runs to finish in 4th place overall as he keeps up the pressure on the leaders in the world standings.
After a tidy score of 78.75 in his first run, the Victorian Institute of Sport athlete ramped it up in his 2nd run with a score of 86.00 points, even though he was already confirmed of a finals spot.
He'll have to overcome first placed qualifier and Sochi gold medallist Iouri Podladtchikov to top the podium, but it's repeat efforts like tonight's that rubber stamp the credentials surrounding 22 year-old James.
The other Aussie in the semi-final, Nate Johnstone, was unlucky to just miss out on the Top 12.
His 65.00 point run in the 2nd attempt was a massive improvement on his opening 20.50 run, but just found him outside the finals spots.
You can watch the final live on Saturday night at the official website livestream below.
http://www.open.laax.com/en/welcome/