Snowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARY
Team Canada will be taking to the slopes, and the halfpipe, as the FIS Snowboard Slopestyle and Halfpipe World Cup returns to Calgary this weekend.
Snow Rodeo is back at the new home of Canada’s snowboarding halfpipe program, bringing with it some of the world’s top freestyle snowboarders.
“Calgary is home to the best rodeos on earth and the Snow Rodeo is no exception,” said Dustin Heise, CEO of Canada Snowboard.
“This year will see a halfpipe World Cup as well as the Slopestyle World Cup which I am really looking forward to seeing come back to life after a few years break.”
Halfpipe athletes will be competing on the 22-foot-high superpipe for cash prizes, along with points towards FIS standing and qualification for the next Olympics.
Competitors are scored based on the height of their air outside of the superpipe, along with the difficulty of tricks performed, the variety of tricks performed, and how well the tricks are performed.
Slopestyle athletes will also be using the features and jumps at WinSport to compete for cash prizes and FIS standing.
The athletes will be judges on many of the same criteria as the halfpipe, but also on the quality of their jumps, and the overall impression that the athlete presents during their ride.
Halfpipe qualifications begin on Thursday, Feb. 9, with the finals for both men and women starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10.
Slopestyle qualifications start on the morning of Feb. 10 for the men, and the morning of Feb. 11 for the women. Finals for slopestyle begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.
Photos from the first day of practice for the Snow Rodeo FIS World Cup
Snowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARYSnowboarders practice on the halfpipe during the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard World Cup Slopestyle and Halfpipe competition at WinSport on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARY
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