Words & Photos // Jenny Bletcher
With two years to go until South Korea hosts the Winter Olympics, this February the Pyeongchang Olympic Committee received winter athletes from around the globe to compete in a series of 28 different Olympic test events. For the GB Park & Pipe athletes present, it was a chance to grab a sneak preview of what 2018’s Olympic slopestyle course might look like.
By all accounts, Sochi’s slopestyle course was pretty gnarly; so naturally the team were intrigued as to how Pyeongchang are planning to throw some added bangers into the mix. Interestingly, whilst Russia went all out with their sizeable kickers, South Korea haven’t gone quite as big, instead choosing to get a little more creative. There’s the standard thrre jumps/three rails, but the kickers are a choice of side hits, twisted take offs or standard kickers measuring at between 21 and 23 metres, though these are step ups compared to Sochi’s standard booters.. We’re left discussing whether they’re thinking a side-on double cork would beat a straight kicker triple, and if what we’re looking at now will even resemble the course in 2018.