Reira Iwabuchi & Liam Brearley Win Snowboard FIS World Cup Corvatsch Silvaplana 2024
The weather lives up to its promise, as do the snowboard finalists: in sunshine and with a white panorama, the 10 women and 16 men showcase freestyle at its finest in the Corvatsch Park at 2,700 metres above sea level. The innovative slopestyle course truly beckons the snowboard pros to show off all their skills. Rails, the triple kicker line and, as a highlight, the quarterpipe specially created for the World Cup finals at the end – there's plenty on offer for guests and fans.
As expected, the Japanese come up trumps. Reira Iwabuchi (JPN) won her second Corvatsch title after 2021 with style and confidence. Super technical on the upper rails and a Frontside 9, Backside 9 and Cab 10 over the kickers. “This is my favourite mountain to win on!” beams the experienced Japanese rider after her winning run. Her team-mate Kokomo Murase finishes in second place and wins the slopestyle crystal globe as well as the overall World Cup. Two-time Olympic champion Anna Gasser (AUT) finishes the World Cup in 3rd place. This is also her third podium in a row in Silvaplana (3rd place 2023, 1st place 2022). The slopestyle course at Corvatsch suits her well: “It was great for the last run, the wind stopped and all the girls were able to step it up again. I’m stoked to be on the podium with these two gangsters.”
The sporting standard in the men's competition is unspeakably high. Three young snowboard pros from three continents take the top three places after some daring tricks. The winner is 21-year-old Canadian Liam Brearley, who pushes defending champion Taiga Hasegawa, in the lead for a long time, into 2nd place. Liam is particularly impressive on the first rail section and with a sensational Switch 720 in the quarterpipe at the end. Liam is also no stranger to Silvaplana, having already taken 2nd place in 2021 and 2023. In 2024, he is finally the Corvatsch champion and takes home the slopestyle crystal globe: “I’m always blown away by the slopestyle course here. I love the fact that they incorporate transition features into the run. It separates the wheat from the chaff and forces us to be creative.” Taiga Hasegawa and Valentino Guseli finish the World Cup season in 2nd and 3rd place. The 18-year-old Guseli (AUS) is the overall Park & Pipe World Cup winner again this winter after 2022/23. The Japanese are once more delighted with the Nations Cup Park & Pipe.
The Swiss riders put on a great show at their home World Cup. In his first Slopestyle World Cup final, 17-year-old Jonas Hasler finishes in an excellent 6th place, with Corvatsch local and 2025 World Cup ambassador Nicolas Huber in 7th, and Silvaplana rider Jeremy Denda in 8th place. Good prospects for the Freestyle World Championships St. Moritz 2025, which have their medal decisions in slopestyle and halfpipe on Corvatsch.
