<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>World’s best snowboarders open the new year with a highlight in Laax: FIS Snowboard World Cup <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/fis-world-cup-ss-hp-laax-open-2022" target="_blank">LAAX OPEN 2022</a></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the North American stops in 2021/2022, the <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events?tour=1059&eventsdate=all" target="_blank">World Cup circuit</a> moves directly to Switzerland in the second week of January for the final Olympic countdown. The LAAX OPEN is the last World Cup before the <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/xxiv-olympic-winter-games-beijing-2022" target="_blank">Olympic Winter Games</a>. 140,000 CHF total prize money is up for grabs in equal shares for women and men, slopestyle and halfpipe.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who will take the crown at Crap Sogn Gion mountain at 2,252 metres above sea level? The decision will be made on <strong>Saturday, January 15, 2022</strong>. The high-quality sporting finals can be experienced live on site with a breathtaking mountain backdrop or via livestream: <a href="http://www.laax.com/open" target="_blank">www.laax.com/open</a> and in the semi-live edition on <a href="https://www.redbull.com/ch-de/events/laax-open" target="_blank">Red Bull TV</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>A playground for freestylers</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Always innovatively designed by the <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/spots/laax-snowpark" target="_blank">Snowpark LAAX</a> crew, the slopestyle course demands creativity as well as a clean technique from the riders. Every performance is individual. It looks so playfully easy as they fly through the air or glide over the rail - especially by the finalists. Candidates for this will certainly be <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/annika-morgan" target="_blank">Annika Morgan</a> (GER), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/katie-ormerod" target="_blank">Katie Ormerod</a> (GBR) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/anna-gasser" target="_blank">Anna Gasser</a> (AUT). In the men's event, the Canadians and Scandinavians are firm favourites, while the Swiss team has been making a recurring splash year after year, most recently with <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/moritz-boll" target="_blank">Moritz Boll</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Spotlight on the 200-metre halfpipe experience</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the women's competition, LAAX OPEN winner 2020 <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/queralt-castellet" target="_blank">Queralt Castellet</a> (SPA) stands out from the pack with the ladies from Japan clearing a triple podium in Laax in 2021. The Chinese gals are also coming up trumps in the Olympic winter with <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/cai-xuetong" target="_blank">Cai Xetung</a> and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/jiayu-liu" target="_blank">Jiayu Liu</a>. Japan is currently also setting the bar in the men's event, especially with last year's LAAX OPEN winner <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/yuto-totsuka" target="_blank">Yuto Totsuka</a> and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/ruka-hirano" target="_blank">Ruka Hirano</a>. Last but not least, the best that host Switzerland has to offer: <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/jan-scherrer" target="_blank">Jan Scherrer</a>, who recently finished on the podium three times at major international events and is in true form to do the same at his home World Cup in Laax.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Event information, program and more on <a href="http://www.laax.com/open" target="_blank">www.laax.com/open</a></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The top international event pioneers with a Covid-19 protection concept, which integrates athletes as well as all event participants, staff and guests, and was created in coordination with the Swiss-Ski and FIS federations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Press Release Source: LAAX OPEN</div>