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X Games Norway 2020 | Hafjell’s Finest

Big Air, Knuckle Huck and Slopestyle – X Games 2020 was one for the books

Above: Stale Sandbech, Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi.

A handful of hours of sleep, numerous amounts of first-class snowboard performances and multiple empty bottles of hand sanitizer sums up this year’s X Games Norway. We spent the weekend in the thick of it, experiencing first-hand the joyful madness of what went down at Hafjell.

“Bluebird and freshies, the conditions were ideal, to say the least, and everyone was all smiles”

When we arrived at Hafjell Friday afternoon practice was already in full swing. Bluebird and freshies, the conditions were ideal, to say the least, and everyone was all smiles. Minor adjustments had to be made to the slopestyle course, but once that was sorted, the boys and girls were hitting the massive AF features like they were born and bred on them – features us mere mortals would never even dream to go near.

After a successful practice sesh on Friday, the athletes made sure to not pile up on the beers as Saturday was comp day. Unfortunately, the conditions we were faced with on Saturday morning weren’t as ideal as the day before. Nonetheless, this didn’t stop heaps of people from showing up to the event nor the riders from going into full send mode.

Jamie Anderson. Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi.

First up we had the ladies competing for the Big Air titles. Sadly, everyone’s favourite Slovakian brown-haired beauty, Klaudia Medlova, had to drop out as she wasn’t feeling too good (no, it wasn’t coronavirus). On this note, shout out to the organisers for making hand sanitizer accessible at every corner of the event – if only our livers would feel as good when constantly being soaked in alcohol.

“On this note, shout out to the organisers for making hand sanitizer accessible in every corner of the event”

Despite the unfortunate drop out, we still had eight amazing ladies competing for the Big Air gold with Anna Gasser placing first after nailing a Cab double cork 1080 Indy on her last run. The Austrian was followed by Japanese Miyabi Onitsuka and Canadian Laurie Blouin (who was rocking an absolutely banging pink outfit!).

Results Snowboard Big Air Women
1. Anna Gasser (AUT)
2. Miyabi Onitsuka (JPN)
3. Laurie Blouin (CAN)
4. Jamie Anderson (USA)
5. Kokomo Murase (JPN)
6. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL)
7. Enni Rukajarvi (FIN)
8. Brooke Voight (CAN)

Big Air Medalists from the right: Miyabi Onitsuka, Anna Gasser and Laurie Blouin. Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi.

Two hours later the boys were ready to take on the big jump. After a tough comp, the podium was faced with a Canadian invasion as Mark McMorris took home gold, followed by Max Parrot and Darcy Sharpe.

“Mark McMorris also earned his 19th X Games medal, surpassing Shaun White as the most-medalled athlete in Winter X Games history”

Mark McMorris also earned his 19th X Games medal, surpassing Shaun White as the most-medalled athlete in Winter X Games history. The curly-haired Canadian also stomped two of the biggest tricks of the comp – a backside 1620 mute and switch backside 1620 melon.

Results Snowboard Big Air Men
1. Mark McMorris (CAN)
2. Max Parrot (CAN)
3. Darcy Sharpe (CAN)
4. Mons Røisland (NOR)
5. Sven Thorgren (SWE)
6. Ståle Sandbech (NOR)
7. Rene Rinnekangas (FIN)
8. Fridtjof ‘Fridge’ Sæther Tischendorf (NOR)

Max Parrot. Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi.

As the sun began to set, the highlight of our day drawing closer – the Knuckle Huck. After what the boys laid down in Aspen a couple of months back, we were beyond stoked to witness this competition upfront. After a few dropouts, the Knuckle Huck ended up a battle between five Norwegians.

“After a few dropouts, the Knuckle Huck ended up a battle between five Norwegians”

The boys threw down some pretty epic stuff, but Knuckle King Kleveland was above the rest and placed highest on the podium with tricks highlighted by a butter 540 to nollie 1080 and a butter Cab 720 to backside 720 – a well-deserved win in a competition one could say to be inspired by the man himself. Marcus Kleveland has barely been back on snow for a year after his injury, so we’re pretty stoked to see what the next year will bring for this 20-year-old (the guy also has a constant smile on his face, making us like him even more).

Results Snowboard Knuckle Huck
1. Marcus Kleveland (NOR)
2. Stian Kleivdal (NOR)
3. Fridtjof ‘Fridge’ Sæther Tischendorf (NOR)
4. Mathias Eckhoff (NOR)
5. Ulrik Badertscher (NOR)

Rene Rinnekangas. Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi.

Sunday started off with Women’s Slopestyle Finals, with Zoi Sadowski-Synnott bringing home her second X Games Slopestyle gold. Her first run highlighted technical prowess in the rails at the top of the course with combos like backside bluntside to backside 180 sameway and a boardslide pretzel. On the third run, her switch backside double cork 900 stalefish earned Zoi the biggest trick of the contest and a solid first place. The New Zealander was followed by Japan’s Kokomo Murase and Canada’s Brooke Voigt, who earned her first X Games medal by winning bronze.

Results Snowboard Slopestyle Women
1. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL)
2. Kokomo Murase (JPN)
3. Brooke Voigt (CAN)
4. Anna Gasser (AUT)
5. Laurie Blouin (CAN)
6. Jamie Anderson (USA)
7. Enni Rukajarvi (FIN)
8. Miyabi Onitsuka (JPN)

Zoi Sadowski Synnott. Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi.

For the final competition of the games, we got to see eight snowboarders battle for Men’s Slopestyle gold. The two Canadian Big Air champs had a close race for the top spot, but Max Parrot’s full pass on run 4, including a 50-50 pole jam to wildcat backflip up top and a frontside triple cork 1440 mute at the bottom, helped push him to the top. His cab triple cork 1620 from run 1 and frontside bluntslide to 450 out from run 2 were also two of the biggest tricks of the contest. Keeping his fellow countrymen happy, Norwegian Stale Sandbech secured his place on the podium with a bronze medal.

Results Snowboard Slopestyle Men
1. Max Parrot (CAN)
2. Mark McMorris (CAN)
3. Ståle Sandbech (NOR)
4. Sven Thorgren (SWE)
5. Mons Røisland (NOR)
6. Rene Rinnekangas (FIN)
7. Marcus Kleveland (NOR)
8. Darcy Sharpe (CAN)

Slopestyle medalist’s from the right: Mark McMorris, Max Parrot and Stale Sandbech. Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi.

All in all, it was a weekend to remember – great vibes, ground-breaking snowboard performances and most importantly, no cases of coronavirus were to be recorded. Until next year Norway!

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