<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The start of the 2022/23 FIS World Cup season is upon us, as a strong collection of some the most exciting snowboarders and freeskiers from around the world have descended upon Switzerland for the <strong>Big Air Chur Festival</strong>, set to go down this weekend from 21-22 October.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Big Air Chur had its World Cup debut last season and made an immediate splash as the first World Cup competition with spectators allowed on site in over a year. And when we say spectators, we mean LOTS of spectators, as some 15,000 fans were on site each day to take in a heavy-hitting list of musical performers and the very best freeskiers and snowboarders on the planet throwing down on the massive scaffold jump.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After last year’s huge success we’re expecting even bigger and better things from Big Air Chur this weekend, with an exciting lineup of performers and, of course, a full roster of some of the finest big air athletes on earth on hand and looking to begin another World Cup campaign with strong showings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Training sessions for all athletes at the Big Air Chur have already started on Wednesday and will continue on Thursday before the fun really starts on Friday, 21 October, where freeski action will begin at 8:45 CET with qualifications, followed by the first musical acts on the big stage beginning at 15:00 CET.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After that it’s women’s and men’s freeski finals and awards ceremony from 20:00-22:00, before U.S. rap legend Busta Rhymes turns up the volume to send the party deep into the night. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The timetable for Saturday’s snowboard programme will mirror Friday’s freeski agenda, although this time it will be German electrorap group Deichkind on stage to close out the festivities in what should be spectacular fashion. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also slated to perform over the course of the weekend are the likes of Stress, Kraftklub, Ali & Milchmaa, Steff La Cheffe, and others, </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">110,000 CHF in prize money will be up for grabs over the course of the weekend, with 55,000 allotted for each of the freeski and snowboard World Cup competitions - 27,500 CHF for each of the men’s and women’s sides of each competition. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On top of that we will, of course, be awarding the first World Cup points of the 2022/23 season, setting off on the five month quest for this winter’s crystal globes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>WHO TO WATCH - SNOWBOARD</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last season’s overall Park & Pipe crystal globe winner and the winner of last season’s Chur competition was<strong> Kokomo Murase </strong>of Japan, and the 17-year-old will be on hand in Chur once again this year looking to defend her title. With a deep bag of tricks and last season’s triumphs on her side, Murase could be tough to beat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, one rider on hand who’s proven time and again that she can beat not only Murase, but basically any other snowboarder in the world if she puts her mind to it is Austria’s <strong>Anna Gasser</strong>, and the two-time reigning Olympic big air gold medallist looks to be on a mission already here in Chur, dropping her signature cab double underflip on just her third hit of Wednesday’s training.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Others to watch out for on the women’s snowboard side include Murase’s Japanese teammate <strong>Reira Iwabuchi</strong>, rising British ripper <strong>Mia Brookes</strong> (competing in her first career World Cup), veteran <strong>Enni Rukajarvi </strong>of Finland, and Germany’s <strong>Annika Morgan</strong>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the men’s side the podium predictions get trickier, with consistent top-tier talent throughout the top half of the field,. That being said, there are a few names that stand out, with <strong>Rene Rinnekangas</strong> of Finland, Sweden’s <strong>Sven Thorgren</strong>, and Japan’s <strong>Takeru Otsuka</strong> among that elite upper tier. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rinnekangas claimed what is somewhat surprisingly the only World Cup podium of his career here in Chur last season with a runner-up finish, with Thorgren finished just behind Rinnekangas in third, proving that both are comfortable stepping up on the big stage in front of what is going to be a massive Big Air Chur crowd. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then there’s Otsuka, who somehow hasn’t had a World Cup podium in almost four years, despite having one of the deepest bags of tricks in the world. The 21-year-old seems due to step back onto the podium, and soon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, all of the riders above will have to go through last year’s winner <strong>Jonas Boesiger</strong>, last year’s Chur winner who claimed his maiden World Cup victory on home Swiss soil to thrill the festival crowd.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Niek van der Velden</strong> of the Netherlands, Australia’s <strong>Valentino Guseli</strong>, <strong>Clemens Millauer </strong>of Austria and a ridiculously stacked Japanese team that has six other riders aside from Otsuka are a few of the others keep an eye on on Saturday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>WHERE TO WATCH LIVE</strong>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">FREESKI - FRIDAY 21 OCT</div><div style="text-align: justify;">FIS LIVESTREAM (WITH GEO RESTRICTIONS) - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUAxYQjhnw" target="_blank">HERE</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">CBC STREAMING, VIAPLAY STREAMING (DEN), TV3 SPORT (EST, LAT, LTU), V SPORT WINTER, L’EQUIP STREAMING, RAI SPORT, ESPN LATIN AMERICA STREAMING, V SPORT 1, JOJ SPORT, C SPORT WINTER</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>SNOWBOARD - SATURDAY 22 OCT</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">FIS LIVESTREAM (WITH GEO RESTRICTIONS) - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgt2CKsrlWU" target="_blank">HERE</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">CBC STREAMING, VIAPLAY (DEN), TV3 SPORT (EST, LAT, LTU), V SPORT WINTER, J SPORT 1, ESPN LATIN AMERICA STREAMING, V SPORT 2, C SPORT WINTER, VIAPLAY UK, SKIANDSNOWBOARD.LIVE</div><div><br /></div>