Russ Henshaw saved his best run for last to finish eighth overall in the men’s Ski Slopestyle at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.
 
Competitors in the 16-man final had three chances to post a good performance with their best score to count towards the ultimate ranking.
 
Henshaw’s first two runs didn’t go to plan, scoring 32 points and 47 points respectively. He aborted both runs after running into trouble on course.
 
“The trick I’m trying is a nose-butter dub 10, I was doing it yesterday but there wasn’t a lip there yesterday and it was easier for me,” Henshaw said. “Today there was a lip and I was struggling with it.”
 
“In the second run, my upper body was going at 12 and my lower body at 10 so I just couldn’t slow the rotation down.”
 
The Sochi Olympian needed something special for his final attempt and he delivered, scoring 81.80 points to finish eighth overall.
 
“It’s been a tough day, I landed a run, it wasn’t the run I was planning on but I’m happy I landed,” he said.
 
Henshaw is already looking to the year ahead after experiencing an up-and-down season due to injury.
 
“I’m really happy that I’ve made it through this (event) uninjured just because this course hasn’t been the best.
 
“I’ll ski as much as I can over the next 12 months, do a training camp in Switzerland at end of April and then the Australian season in preparation for next winter.
 
“Staying healthy is my main goal,” he said.
 
Earlier in the day, Australia’s Ryley Lucas was given an opportunity to put down a second run after a decision was made by organisers to hold a semi final for competitors who finished qualifying ranked 13-52.

Lucas scored 25.60 points which have him a ranking of 26 of semi final competitors.  
 
The Ski Slopestyle final brings the 2017 World Championships to a close with Australia taking home five medals to equal its best ever medal haul from a Ski and Snowboard World Championships.
 
Australian medallists from the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships:
 
Britt Cox - gold - women's Moguls
Scotty James - gold - men's Halfpipe
Danielle Scott - silver - women's Aerial Skiing
Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin - bronze - men's Snowboard Cross
David Morris- bronze - men's Aerial Skiing

Russ Henshaw has qualified for the men’s Ski Slopestyle final at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.
 
Henshaw needed to finish in the top six of his heat to have a chance at contesting a third World Championships medal (he won silver in 2015 and bronze in 2011) and he did just that, finishing sixth with 88.33 points.
 
The two-time World Championships medallist felt the pressure in Saturday’s qualifying as weather delays also impacted the competition format, reducing qualification from two runs to one.
 
“I’m stoked to put a run down under the pressure of one run (qualification),” Henshaw said.
 
The Sochi Olympian said he adjusted his run due to the conditions.
 
“I did a right 9 Japan on the first jump, then a switch 9 safety on the second. I hit the up-tube and did a 270 on 450 out, and then on the last jump did a nose-butter dub 10. Then I hit the battleship and did a back 810 off, and then on the final a-frame a switch 2 back 4.
 
“Such a tough course to land a run on so I’m over the moon,” he said.  
 
The 26-year-old is planning small changes to his run for Sunday’s final.
 
“I can definitely clean a few things up from here,” he said. 
 
“Change the top jump, maybe do a right 9 to a dub 12, (need to) figure that out in training as I haven’t done that here yet.”   
 
Australia's Ryley Lucas booked a semi-finals start, opting for a conservative approach that paid-off. 

The 22-year-old scored 40 points which was enough to secure a start in the 40-man semi-final. 
 
“I tried to play it safe (today),” Lucas said.
 
“I put down a basic, clean run, came a little bit unstuck but still skied out so I’m happy.
 
“We had interrupted training for a few days, the weather and the conditions didn’t align too well,” he said.
 
Lucas is proud to be representing Australia at a World Championships for the first time.    
 
“This is the pinnacle of our sport, it’s a big moment and I’m happy that we had one good day for the contest,” he said.
 
The men’s Ski Slopestyle finals will be held on Sunday. The top four from the 40 man semi-finals will meet the top 12 men from Saturday’s qualifying in a best of three run final.
 
Final events will be lived streamed at: https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/2017-snowboard--freestyle-world-champs/
 
 

Tess Coady missed advancing to the finals of the women’s Big Air at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships, but the 16-year-old isn’t disappointed and she's promising even better results next season.  
 
Coady finished ninth in her qualifier which is a commendable result given it was her first time competing in an international Big Air competition.
 
One of 19 competitors in her heat, Coady needed to finish in the top two to secure automatic passage to the final. A third, fourth or fifth place result would have earned a semi-finals start.
 
She performed two back 7’s in the best of two run event, scoring 61.33 points for her first and 65 points for her second.
 
The teenager was pleased to land both of her runs in Thursday’s qualifying. 
 
“I wanted to get something clean, try go big and put something down,” Coady said.
 
“It was pretty good, the jump was riding pretty well. I’m pretty stoked I landed,” she said. 
 
Coady is satisfied with her World Championships debut and the experience has increased her appetite for future success.
 
“First year on the World Cup tour and I’m pretty stoked with how it all went but next year I’m going to be hungry for some higher results,” she said.
 
There was further disappointment for Australia’s Matt Cox, who was ruled out of men’s qualifying after experiencing a fall in training.
 
It was a case of history repeating itself for Cox who suffered the same fate ahead of last week’s Slopestyle event.
 
The 19-year-old was looking good in his practice runs on Wednesday, but he couldn’t stick his landing during training prior to the event and he was ruled out as a precaution.
 
 
 

Russ Henshaw and Ryley Lucas will form Australia’s two-man Ski Slopestyle contingent at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.
 
The pair come into the season’s ultimate event having contested each of the five rounds of the 2016/17 Ski Slopestyle World Cup.
 
Henshaw is on the comeback from injury and is happy with his form. He skied with confidence at the Silvaplana World Cup in Switzerland and finished fifth in his heat. His season best performance came at the Seiser Alm World Cup in Italy where he won bronze.
 
The Sochi Olympian says his World Championships campaign will also benefit from two days of on-snow training at Switzerland’s Laax ski-resort.
 
“You only need one or two good days and everything comes back, it’s all muscle memory, Henshaw said.
 
“I ended up doing a bunch of tricks there that I was happy with so I’m feeling good coming into this event, if I didn’t have those two days I’d be a bit stressed,” he said. 
 
Henshaw already has bronze (2011) and silver (2015) World Championships medals, the latter was won within a year of knee surgery to repair two torn ACLs.
 
“Where I’m at right now I feel my body’s back to what it was before all that stuff started happening and I feel like I’m skiing like myself,” he said.
 
“I know I’ve got a lot more to offer and I just need the time on snow to work through it,” Henshaw said. 
 
21-year old Ryley Lucas made his World Cup debut in 2016 and comes into these World Championships with a full World Cup season under his belt.  He will be looking to finish the season on a high and make a strong World Championships debut.
 
UPDATE FRIDAY PM SPAIN TIME: Ski Slopestyle qualifying has been cancelled Friday due to the conditions. Further updates from officials are being awaited. Final events will be lived streamed at: https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/2017-snowboard--freestyle-world-champs/
 

As the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships moves into its second week, two of Australia’s youngest team members are gearing up for their second event of the competition.
 
With the Snowboard Slopestyle now behind them, 16-year-old Tess Coady and 19-year-old Matt Cox will represent Australia in the Big Air when competition gets underway on Thursday.
 
Coady will be aiming to add another good result to the 11th she achieved in the Slopestyle.
 
The teenager will make her international Big Air debut at these World Championships and she will need a top six ranking in qualifying if she is to progress to Friday’s final.
                              
“I’m really keen to ride this jump, it looks pretty nice,” Coady said.
 
“Think it should be really fun, I’ve got a few tricks in mind to do on the jumps. Good to go in with a bit of a plan,” she said.
 
Given it’s her first international event Coady won’t set any expectations.
 
“Just got to see how it goes, especially comparing to other girls’ tricks, hopefully if I put a couple of good tricks down I can get a higher result,” she said.
 
In the Slopestyle Coady didn’t get the first run she was hoping for.
 
“I stuffed up my first run so I was really happy that I got it together and landed on my second run,” she said. 
 
“The atmosphere was super good up the top so it was extra motivation to put a run down and put a good score on the board.
 
“When it comes down to that second run it’s definitely a bit more pressure but it can be a good thing for motivation. It makes you want to land it that little bit more because you have nothing behind you,” she said.
 
19-year-old Matt Cox is hoping for a better outcome in the Big Air after he was unable to start the Slopestyle due to a fall in training. The former Halfpipe competitor switched to Slopestyle and Big Air events in 2016 and has two Big Air World Cup appearances under his belt coming into these World Championships.
 
Cox will start in Thursday’s qualifying where he will need a top 10 result in order to advance to the final.
 
Big Air has featured at the World Championships since 2003 but has not previously been contested at the Olympic Winter Games. That’s all set to change with the discipline set to make its debut at PyeongChang in 2018.
 
Big Air qualifying begins Thursday with the finals to follow on Friday evening under lights. Final events will be lived streamed at: https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/2017-snowboard--freestyle-world-champs/

Scotty James has won his second consecutive halfpipe world title with an emphatic victory at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships this morning.
 
Scoring 95.75 for his first run, James’ title defence was never in doubt.
 
He eclipsed his score in his second run, scoring a massive 97.50 points to further extend his lead over the ten-strong field.
 
“Fair to say it’s a good feeling to put the first one down because you can feel a bit more comfortable to move forward,” James said.
 
“I was happy with the first score but obviously felt I could improve so 97 was really nice,” he said.
 
As number one qualifier, James had the advantage of being the last competitor to drop in and when his nearest rival, Olympic gold medallist Iouri Podladtchikov scored 93.25, there was no doubt of the result and James was able to enjoy a victory lap on his third and final run.
 
“I was ready to bounce back if one of the guys knocked me off the top,” James said.
 
“I switched it up after my first run and started instead with a front side nine and did the backside 1260 and that was the biggest thing that I was focusing on - especially with a field like that. I knew I had to do that to finish first or on the podium,” he said. 
 
James said his win was a dream come true.
 
“Over the moon to call another gold medal mine after two years.
 
“I definitely thought about it waking-up and that it would be nice to win again and get another victory lap. Super stoked for that to happen.”
 
James' latest effort caps a stellar season for the two-time Olympian who has gone from strength to strength in recent months winning two of halfpipe’s biggest prizes, the World Cup Crystal Globe and the X Games gold medal.
               
With two World Championship titles under his belt, the only event that remains for the 22-year-old is Olympic gold and he has eleven months leading into the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games in February 2018 to prepare.
 
“The aim is to make the most of every halfpipe I get to ride and try and learn some new things because the next 11 months is huge for most of the riders because they’re all very hungry for what everyone wants and that’s a gold medal.”
 

Scotty James has qualified in first position for the men’s halfpipe final at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.
 
The two-time Olympian and reigning world champion executed two solid runs in Friday’s qualifying, scoring 80.25 points in his first attempt before stepping it up in the second to score 92.25 points.
 
 “Had to go up,” James said of his scores.  
 
“Taking into consideration I’m doing four hits I need to do four tricks and I think that’s what the judges wanted so I put that in my second run and ended up getting 92,” he said.
 
Spain’s warm conditions haven't deterred the 22-year-old from putting on a show. 

“You can do all the tricks you want in there and that’s my plan for tomorrow night for the finals. It's going to be a good show,” he said.
 
“The pipe is in great shape. It's just when it gets a bit warm like this that the walls start to fade a little so you just need to be a little lighter on your toes when it heats up.”
 
Sochi Olympian Kent Callister was close to qualifying for the 10-strong men's final but settled for 11th after he was unable to beat his first run score of 72.75. 

After receiving 68.50 points for his first run, 2013 World Champion Nate Johnstone could not complete a superior run in his second attempt and he finished in 14th.   
 
In the women's event, former World Champion and Olympian Holly Crawford finished 10th with a strong second run score of 78.25 points. Crawford was unlucky not to qualify for the final with only the top six progressing in the women's event.
 
Youth Olympic Games representative Emily Arthur put down two consistent runs in the women’s event, scoring 61.75 points in the first and 51.75 points in the second to finish 17th overall.
 
Halfpipe finals will be held under lights on Saturday. Final events will be lived streamed at: https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/2017-snowboard--freestyle-world-champs/

Australia's Tess Coady and Matt Cox will turn their attention to the Big Air at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships after both riders bowed out of the Slopestyle on qualification day.
 
An early fall in her first run didn’t rattle 16-year-old Coady and she put down a strong second attempt which scored 63.50 to finish in 11th position. 

Only the top eight women progress to Saturday’s final. 
 
One of the youngest in the 33 strong field, Coady recently finished sixth in her first ever World Cup event and the teenager will be looking to gain more international experience when she takes to next week’s Big Air event. 
 
Matt Cox's Slopestyle aspirations ended before the event began after the 18-year-old had a fall during training. He was ruled out as a precaution but is optimistic of taking part in the Big Air event.
 
The athletes return to action next Thursday for Big Air qualifications.

The 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships is all that stands between Scotty James and a dream season.   
 
James is one of five Aussie halfpipe athletes in the Spanish ski resort town of Sierra Nevada for the ultimate event of the year.
 
The 22-year old has already secured the 2016/2017 World Cup Crown and X Games gold medal and will be aiming to
add a second consecutive World Championship title to his burgeoning trophy chest this weekend.  
 
James is fresh from a podium finish at the US Open Halfpipe Final where he finished second to one of his main rivals, the Olympic champion Shaun White.
 
It's a result James will be aiming to reverse when competition begins with qualification on Friday.
 
“I don’t emphasise too much on who’s going to be there. I worry about myself and how I’m going to best perform and take that approach,” James said. 
 
“Everyone knows what everyone can do in terms of tricks but everyone I’m competing against this week I’ve competed against all year,” he said.
 
The reigning world champion would like nothing better than to end his season on a high.
 
“I didn’t go into the season with any expectations. I knew I had worked really hard and put a lot of effort into it, more than I ever have in my whole career, so having that kind of confidence on my side played a big part in my success,” James said. 
 
“I’m feeling really good - as good as I have all season coming into this one. Because it’s the last one of the year I want to give it a good nudge and hopefully come out with the result that I want.”
 
The two-time Olympian won’t be changing tactics for the World Championships. 
 
“The run I’ve been doing now has been going pretty well for me - so that will be the plan for this week,” he said.
 
“I’ll take it day by day depending on the conditions and how the pipe is and hopefully it pans out the way it has been for the past season,” he said.  
 
Nathan Johnstone and Kent Callister will join James in the men’s event. The pair were most recently in action in the US Open where they finished 20th and 24th respectively.
 
In the women’s event Australia will be represented by former world champion and three-time Olympian Holly Crawford and Youth Olympic Games representative Emily Arthur, who both also competed in US Open where they finished 10th and 16th respectively.
 
The men’s and women’s Halfpipe World Championships will be decided at 6am Sunday morning (AEDT) and can be viewed live on Eurosport or by live stream via the Ski & Snowboard website https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/2017-snowboard--freestyle-world-champs/
 

In a stacked field featuring the words best riders, Scotty James has posted another top performance, claiming his fourth podium performance of the season at the US Open Snowboard event in Vail, Colorado, USA.

Competing in the 22 foot walls of the Vail Superpipe, the VIS athlete was again up against the past three Olympic Gold Medal winners in Shaun White of the USA and Iouri Podlatchikov of Switzerland.

After emerging victorious over Shaun White  two weeks ago at the Olympic Test Event World Cup in Pyeongchang, Korea, this time White had the edge with his best score of 92.74 finishing ahead of James in second place with a score of 82.87.

Also competing for Australia but unable to advance to the final were NSWIS athlete Holly Crawford (10th), Emily Arthur (16th), Nathan Johnstone (20th) and Kent Callister (24th).

All athletes will now head to Spain for the World Championships in La Molina. Halfpipe qualifiers are schedule for March 10 with the final on March 11.

Men’s Halfpipe Finals Results
1. Shaun White (USA), 92.74
2. Scotty James (AUS), 82.87
3. Chase Josey (USA), 79.87

Women’s Halfpipe Finals Results

1. Chloe Kim (USA), 87.12

2. Elena Hight (USA), 80.12
3. Maddie Mastro (USA), 78.25


PHOTO: Scotty James going massive in the Vail Halfpipe © Jeff Brockmeyer

NSWIS Park & Pipe skier Russ Henshaw, has narrowly missed out on advancing through to the finals at the World Cup event in Silvaplana, Switzerland.

With competitors divided up into four separate heats, with the top four athletes advancing through to the final, Henshaw produced two consistent runs, scoring 83.33 in the first run and 80 points in his second.

With Henshaw's first run score of 83.33 counting in the best of two format, he fell agonisingly close with just one point separating the fourth and fifth place skiers.

Henshaw had to settle for fifth in his heat, and an overall placing of 18th.

After the event, Henshaw was u-beat despite his near finals miss.

"Four go through to finals from each heat, I got 5th in my heat."

"Super frustrating but really happy with how I'm skiing!"

In the final, victory went to Canadian Teal Harle with American's McRae Williams and Gus Kenworthy in second and tird place.

Silvaplana was the final stop on the World Cup circuit, with Henshaw finishing the season ranked eighth in the World.

The next event for Henshaw will be at the FIS Freestyle World Championships taking place next in Sierra Nevada, Spain, from March 17-19.

Image courtesy Russ Henshaw Instagram

Silvaplan's Corvatsch Park in Swizterland will host the fifth and the final stop of the FIS Freestyle slopestyle World Cup season this weekend and Australia’s Russ Henshaw is in the mix for a top-ranked finish.

Currently ranked seventh in the world and trailing the World Cup Slopestyle Skiing leader Andri Ragettli by 42 points, Henshaw has already collected one bronze medal this season in Seiser Alm, Italy.

He will be looking to qualify this afternoon (Friday 3 March), skiing in Heat 2 and hoping the weather is favourable after the many harsh conditions that have dogged the Slopestyle events this season.  

After months of creative planning, tons of snow have been moved in and around Snowpark Corvatsch these past weeks in readiness for a big weekend with over 130 athletes in the best-of-two qualification runs. Finals will go down on Saturday evening (AEDT).

The Slopestyle World Championships will be held in Sierra Nevada, Spain on March 17.