<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>FIS World Cup in LAAX as Gateway to Olympia</em></strong><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Premiere: Finals in Slopestyle and Halfpipe on Saturday, January 15, 2022</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/fis-world-cup-ss-hp-laax-open-2022" target="_blank">LAAX OPEN 2022</a> has a decisive role to play: it is the very last chance for freestyle snowboarders to qualify for the <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/xxiv-olympic-winter-games-beijing-2022" target="_blank">2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing</a>. Travelling from all over the world, it is for some to punch their Olympic ticket with a brilliant performance at Crap Sogn Gion and for others who already have their ticket to Beijing but are after the LAAX OPEN podium and the lion’s share of the CHF 140,000 prize money.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The result of this is a premiere: World Cup decisions in two disciplines are scheduled on one and the same day in LAAX, namely Saturday, 15 January 2022: slopestyle at midday, followed by the halfpipe finals in the evening.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What a World Cup line-up: 180 riders from 32 countries</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The end of the entry period makes one thing clear: The starting places for the LAAX OPEN 2022 are fully booked! 32 national federations from all five continents have registered 180 riders in the women's and men's slopestyle and halfpipe disciplines.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Top names, such as golden Olympians <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/anna-gasser" target="_blank">Anna Gasser</a> (AUT), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/chloe-kim" target="_blank">Chloe Kim</a>, <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/jamie-anderson" target="_blank">Jamie Anderson</a>, <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/redmond-gerard" target="_blank">Red Gerard</a> and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/shaun-white" target="_blank">Shaun White</a> (all USA) stud the charts, as well as those of the new freestyle generation, <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/zoi-sadowski-synnott" target="_blank">Zoi Sadowski Synott</a> (NZL), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/valentino-guseli" target="_blank">Valentino Guseli</a> (AUS) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/leon-vockensperger" target="_blank">Leon Vockensperger</a> (GER). Likewise entered for the prestigious 2022 event are OPEN Champions <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/yuto-totsuka" target="_blank">Yuto Totsuka</a> (2021, JAP), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/scotty-james" target="_blank">Scotty James</a> (2019 & 2020, AUS), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/queralt-castellet" target="_blank">Queralt Castellet</a> (2020, SPA), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/julia-marino" target="_blank">Julia Marino</a> (2020, USA), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/jiayu-liu" target="_blank">Jiayu Liu</a> (2019, CHN), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/maxence-parrot" target="_blank">Max Parrot</a> (2017, CAN), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/chase-josey" target="_blank">Chase Josey</a> (2017, USA), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/mark-mcmorris" target="_blank">Mark McMorris</a> (2016, CAN) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/stale-sandbech" target="_blank">Stale Sandbech</a> (2015, NOR). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In parallel with other nations, the formidable teams from Japan and Switzerland are using the LAAX OPEN 2022 as an opportunity to determine their favourites for the 2022 Olympics. Big Air Chur World Cup Opening winners <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/kokomo-murase" target="_blank">Kokomo Murase</a> (JAP) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/jonas-boesiger" target="_blank">Jonas Bösiger</a> (SUI) were already in winning form at the end of October and planning to compete in the LAAX slopestyle. Naturally, the Swiss crowd favourites <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/jan-scherrer" target="_blank">Jan Scherrer</a> and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/pat-burgener" target="_blank">Pat Burgener</a> want to make it to the Halfpipe Night Finals once again and thrill us in the 200 metre long superpipe.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Live on Air</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The LAAX OPEN 2022 finals will be broadcasted on Swiss TV SRF and on a world-wide livestream on eurovisionsports.tv and laax.com. Red Bull TV will show the finals semi-live and on VOD.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More information: <a href="https://open.laax.com/en/welcome/" target="_blank">www.laax.com/open</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Source: LAAX OPEN</div>