NSWIS snowboarders Meila Stalker and Tess Coady both secured top-six finishes in the World Cup slopestyle event in Aspen, USA, with Stalker achieving a personal-best result fifth place and Coady close behind in sixth.
 
In qualifying for the eight-athlete final, Coady was fourth on 69.98 points and Stalker sixth with 69 points. Ally Hickman missed finals, finishing 26th.
 
Finals were held under sunny skies, where Stalker posted her best score in run one with 51.36 points to claim fifth, while Coady’s top score of 47.85 points, also in run one placed her in sixth.
 
In the men’s competition, Joshua Robertson-Hahn placed 26th, while Valentino Guseli wrapped up a busy week in Aspen by competing in both the halfpipe and slopestyle events, finishing 35th overall. Jesse Parkinson came in 42nd.
 
In the freeski slopestyle event, Joey Elliss was the only Australian in action, finishing in 48th place.
 
The World Cup tour now heads to Laax, Switzerland, for the final Olympic qualification events, with freeski slopestyle event on January 17 and snowboard on January 18.

IMAGE
Meila Stalker launching above the park in Aspen
© FIS/Andrew Wevers

Teenage sensation Indra Brown continued her outstanding debut World Cup season with a fourth-place finish in Aspen, USA, just missing the podium by 3.75 points, but retaining the coveted yellow bib and her lead at the top of the standings.
 
In qualifying, Brown opened with 79.75 points before improving to 86.75 in her second run, advancing to her fourth consecutive World Cup final.
 
Under sunny skies, Brown opened the best-of-two-run final with a strong 85 point performance. In her second run, she looked set for a big score, but sat down on a landing late in the run, with her score from the first run putting her in fourth place.
 
Victory went to Fanghui Li of China with 93 points, followed by Zoe Atkin of Great Britain on 92.75, and Kexin Zhang also of China in third with 88.75.
 
With one World Cup event remaining in Silvaplana, Switzerland, on March 29, Brown leads the standings on 290 points, ahead of Atkin on 260 and Zhang  with 245.
 
“I was super happy, didn’t land my second run which I would have loved to, but that’s how the sport goes,” said the 15-year-old Victorian secondary school student..
 
“I am so happy my family were here, and everyone brought such great stoke at the bottom of the halfpipe.
 
“The first hit was a little slow, starting your run without maximum speed doesn’t help for the rest of the run, but everyone was in the same boat.”
 
Next for Brown will be her X-Games debut in Aspen on January 23.
 
“We have X-Games in two weeks, which I am super excited for. I am taking it week by week, not rush anything or get ahead of myself, taking the steps I need to take to get there and just enjoy the process.”
 
The next event for Brown will be the X-Games, also in Aspen on January 23, where she will make her X-Games debut.

NSWIS snowboard star Valentino Guseli came agonizingly close to a third consecutive World Cup podium in Aspen, USA, finishing fourth in the men’s halfpipe.
 
Guseli faced a packed schedule, competing in both halfpipe and slopestyle, and started strongly by winning the halfpipe qualification round with an impressive 92 points. In the best-of-two-run final, he delivered two solid performances, opening with 85.25 points and improving to 86.75 in his second run, securing fourth overall.
 
Victory went to Yuto Totsuka (Japan) with 90.50 points, followed by teammate Shuichiro on 90, and American Alessandro Barbieri rounding out the podium with 89.25.
 
Guseli now sits second in the World Cup standings with 210 points, trailing Totsuka by 50 points on 260, with three events remaining this season.
 
In the women’s event, teenager Amelie Haskell celebrated her 18th birthday in style, qualifying for her first World Cup halfpipe final and achieving a personal-best eighth place with a top score of 63 points.
 
The women’s podium featured Mitsuki Ono of Japan in first with 91 points, American Madeline Schaffrick second on 82.75, and Sena Tomita also of Japan in third with 80.75.
 
Also representing Australia but missing finals were Emily Arthur in 18th and Misaki Vaughan in 20th, who missed the finals.
 
The final Olympic qualification event for halfpipe will take place at the World Cup in Laax, Switzerland, on January 17.

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Valentino Guseli showing his incredible amplitude in Aspen
© Chris Hocking

Melbourne teenager Indra Brown has continued her incredible World Cup debut halfpipe season with her first gold medal performance in Calgary, Canada. Brown now boasts three consecutive podium finishes since her debut in early December, making it one of the most impressive starts to a career at her age in winter sports history.
 
Brown claimed bronze on debut in China in early December, followed by silver in the USA before Christmas, and now gold in Canada. Her victory equals a record set by Sweden’s Jennie-Lee Burmansson during the 2017–2018 season, when Burmansson, also 15 at the time, opened her World Cup slopestyle career with a second, first, and third-place finish.
 
Brown also made history for Australia becoming the first Australian skier to claim three Freeski Halfpipe World Cup podiums, surpassing Davina Williams and Amy Sheehan, who both had two.
 
In a best-of-two-run final under light snow and flat light conditions, Brown opened strongly with a score of 85.20 points that no skier was able to match.
 
Her podium run included a leftside 900 safety grab, rightside 900 safety grab, leftside 720 safety grab, switch rightside 540, switch leftside 360 mute grab and finished with an alley-oop 360 japan grab.
 
China’s Kexin Zhang claimed silver with 84.20 points, while American Svea Irving took bronze on 83.20.
 
Brown commented after the event:
 
“The visibility in qualifying was really challenging, so I dialled things back a bit just to do enough to make finals, without taking too many risks. The conditions for finals were great, so I was super happy to ski how I did.
 
“Calgary is so special to me, this is where I first tried skiing halfpipe, and I have the most wonderful friends here. The atmosphere in Calgary is amazing, and so fun to embrace this whole snow rodeo theme here.”
 
“My coach Jaime Melton is such a legend, he's been a huge support in all areas and especially making sure I don't focus on the result, but instead focus on visualising and executing my runs how I want to execute them.
 
This start to my World Cup career has been such a thrill, self-belief is really important in helping me execute my runs, drawing on all the hard work and preparation I put in, helps me give the confidence I need to ski how I hope to.
 
“The pipe is always built so well in Aspen, and so fun to ski, and I can’t wait to get back competing and having a great time with such an amazing group of athletes.”
 
The victory sees Brown move into first place on the World Cup standings with 240 points, ahead of Zhang (185) and Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin (180), who did not compete in Calgary.
 
Two World Cup halfpipe events remain this season: Aspen, USA, on January 10, and the World Cup Final in Silvaplana, Switzerland, on March 29, following the Olympics.

TOP - Indra Brown with men's event winner Nick Goepper of the USA 
BOTTOM - Indra Brown flying high in the Calgary Halfpipe
© FIS/Preston Peterson

NSWIS snowboard World Championship medallist Valentino Guseli has claimed his first World Cup victory since February 2024, delivering a gold medal performance in Calgary, Canada. The victory capped a historic day for Australia’s winter sport youth movement, following 15-year-old Indra Brown’s breakthrough win in the women’s freeski halfpipe earlier in the day.

The 20-year-old from the NSW South Coast now boasts three World Cup wins, all on Canadian snow, two in Calgary’s halfpipe and one in big air at Edmonton.

Guseli carried his strong form from a podium finish at Copper Mountain, USA, into Calgary, qualifying first for the finals.

In the best-of-two-run night showdown, he opened with an unbeatable score of 87.75 points, securing the win before his second run and turning it into a celebratory “victory lap.”

His gold medal run featured a stylish backside alley-oop 360, cab double cork 1080, frontside 1260, backside 720 and switch backside 900, with all tricks completed with grabs. 

Swiss rider David Habluetzel finished second with 80 points, while Patrick Burgener of Brazil was third on 79.25.

“It was great, it was the most fun run I have had it this pipe all week, so happy to end my time in this pipe off like that,” said Guseli after completing his victory lap final run.

“I am stoked, Calgary has always treated me very nicely, and I was really happy to be back in Canada after a two-year hiatus. Feels good to be back on the top step and looking forward to pushing for more. “

“There are so many Aussies in Canada, so I really feel the Aussie love here, but also everyone in Canada is so nice, so thank you.”

In the women’s snowboard halfpipe, Australians Emily Arthur finished 14th, Misaki Vaughan 15th, and Amelie Haskell 18th.

With four World Cup events remaining, Guseli now sits first on the halfpipe standings like Brown, and both will wear the yellow leader’s bib at the next event in Aspen, USA, on January 9.