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Results: Visa Big Air concludes with four winners crowned at Buttermilk

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Austin Colbert

Canada's Eli Bouchard reacts after his final run in the Visa Big Air men's snowboard final on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

The Visa Big Air wrapped up on Thursday with the finals for all four contests. Held at Buttermilk Ski Area, the event was the final World Cup stop for the big air snowboard athletes this season.

Here are the quick hits on how the finals went down:

Men’s snowboarding

Eli Bouchard, a 17-year-old from Canada, stole the show in the men’s snowboard final, which featured many heavy-hitters. As the last to drop in, he scored 96 on his final run to vault over Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa — who recently won X Games silver in big air — for the win.

Each rider was given three runs, with the best two runs combining for the final score.

Bouchard impressed the judges with his triple “moose flip,” which he claims to have invented, which he landed on his second run, scoring 93.


“Basically, it’s like a double sloth roll or gator roll, and a frontside 180, and then a switch crippler,” he explained after the contest.

This was his first career World Cup podium (and win). His prior best finish had been 12th in slopestyle last month at the Laax Open.

Behind Bouchard (189) and Hasegawa (184.50) was third-placed Yuto Miyamura of Japan (171.25). Just missing the podium was American Oliver Martin (170.75), who is based out of the Vail area, followed by Silverthorne’s Red Gerard in fifth (168).

Canadian legend Mark McMorris settled for sixth (161.25) and his teammate, Liam Brearley, was seventh (137.25). Rounding out the finalists were Colorado’s Chris Corning (eighth, 134.25), Japan’s Kira Kimura (ninth, 111.75), and Norway’s Oyvind Kirkhus (10th, 106.25).

While he finished second in the contest, the 19-year-old Hasegawa was still able to clinch the overall Crystal Globe in big air for an impressive season that included two World Cup wins and two runner-up finishes (he was ninth in the other).

“I’m so happy to get my first Crystal Globe, but I’m sad with today’s second place,” he said to FIS media. “But I put down a good run with my first frontside 1980 in competition.”

Colorado’s Chris Corning competes in the Visa Big Air men’s snowboard final on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Women’s snowboarding

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is clearly back in top form after an ankle injury kept her out for most of 2024.

She won Saturday’s slopestyle World Cup in Aspen and followed that up on Thursday by winning the women’s snowboard big air final for her sixth career World Cup win (she has three each in slopestyle and big air).

The Kiwi finished with 172.25 to narrowly edge Japan’s Kokomo Murase, who was second with 170.25. Japan’s Momo Suzuki was a distant third with 150.

A few weeks back at X Games Aspen, Sadowski-Synnott won slopestyle gold over Murase, while claiming bronze in big air, won by Austria’s Anna Gasser. The 23-year-old also happens to be the reigning Olympic slopestyle champion; she won Olympic silver in big air.

“I actually can’t believe it, given the conditions were kind of challenging today with the really firm, shady landing, and it was pretty bumpy and contrasted with the run-in being soft and bumpy,” Sadowski-Synnott said to FIS media. “To put down those two tricks in these conditions, I’m pretty stoked.”

Colorado’s Lily Dhawornvej was fourth with 145.50, the best career World Cup finish for the 15-year-old in only six starts. California’s Hahna Norman was fifth (144.25), Austria’s Hanna Karrer was sixth (133.50), Japan’s Mari Fukada was seventh (110), and Japan’s Miyabi Onitsuka was eighth (86.75).

Despite not competing in finals, British teenager Mia Brookes was still able to clinch her second consecutive overall Crystal Globe in big air.

“It’s really special when you’ve worked so hard over the season,” she said.

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott competes in the Visa Big Air women’s snowboard final on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Men’s skiing

Earlier Thursday in the men’s ski finals, Austria’s Matej Svancer took the top spot with 190.25. The 20-year-old now has four World Cup wins and six podiums in 16 big air starts.

New Zealand’s Luca Harrington continued his breakout season by finishing second with 187.75, while Montana’s Konnor Ralph was best among the Americans, finishing third with 183.75.

Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli just missed the podium in fourth (183). He was followed by France’s Timothe Sivignon in fifth (174.75), Canada’s Noah Porter MacLennan in sixth (174.25), and Austria’s Julius Forer in seventh (168.25).

American Mac Forehand, who comes from the East Coast, was eighth with 152.25. Rounding out the finalists were Canada’s Dylan Deschamps (ninth, 117.25) and Norway’s Birk Ruud (10th, 81.75).

Svancer currently sits in the lead for the overall World Cup big air title, although the freeskiers still have a sixth and final contest remaining with a trip to Tignes, France, coming in mid-March. Harrington is only 10 points back of Svancer in second.

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Women’s skiing

Canada’s Megan Oldham won the women’s ski final with 183.75, and in second was Italy’s Flora Tabanelli (175.25). Rounding out the podium was Finland’s Anni Karava (157.50), while Switzerland’s Anouk Andraska was fourth (140.75).

This was Oldham’s fourth World Cup win and second in big air.

“For me, this first place today is huge,” she said to FIS media. “Last year I was recovering from a knee injury, and so to come back at my first big air … and to get on top of the podium means a lot to me.”

In fifth was French superstar Tess Ledeux (122), who had the best single trick of the contest, scoring 95.75 on her second run. But she was unable to put down a clean second trick, with the best two of three run scores making up the final tally.

Killington’s Eleanor Andrews was sixth (112.75), Germany’s Muriel Mohr was seventh (110.50), and Utah’s Rell Harwood was eighth (94.50).

Despite there being one more contest, the 17-year-old Tabanelli clinched the big air Crystal Globe. Her 340 points has her well ahead of China’s Mengting Liu (216) and Karava (207).

acolbert@aspentimes.com

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