Zoe Atkin and Finley Melville Ives Conquer the Halfpipe
Credit : @fisparkandpipe
The halfpipe in Engadin, Switzerland, became a crucible of aerial artistry on a day etched in the annals of freestyle skiing. Under a benevolent sky, Zoe Atkin and Finley Melville Ives, two athletes pushing the boundaries of their sport, ascended to the pinnacle, each crowned World Champion in a display of breathtaking skill and daring innovation. The perfect conditions of the pipe seemed to embolden the competitors, fostering what many observers hailed as one of the most progressive contests in the history of the discipline.
In the women's competition, sixteen-year-old Zihan Chen of China laid down an early marker of consistency, linking switch hits with clean grabs. However, her lead proved ephemeral as Svea Irving of the USA soon followed. Despite a relatively limited variety of switch tricks, Irving's sheer amplitude propelled her into the top spot, a testament to the judges' emphasis on height. While her subsequent run mirrored the first, some questioned grabs and a slight dip in amplitude saw her eventually settle into fifth place.
Rachael Karker of Canada then raised the bar, linking massive back-to-back 900 japan grabs, showcasing remarkable height and seizing the lead. However, her second run faltered, preventing her from improving her score. Cassie Sharpe, also of Canada, demonstrated the ingredients of a winning run with both way 900s and 1080s, but missed grabs in her first attempt kept her score lower. A cleaner second run, with a strategic downgrade of one trick to ensure a solid grab, saw her climb into second place.
The first run concluded with Fanghui Li of China establishing a commanding lead. Heeding her coach's advice to prioritize technicality and consistency over maximum amplitude, Li executed the most complex run of the morning, seamlessly linking a switch right 900 cindy with a switch left 720 japan, all while maintaining impressive flow. Her clean grabs, held throughout the rotations, stood in contrast to some of the "touch" grabs seen from other competitors. The judges, acknowledging the difficulty, variety, and execution, awarded her the top score.
Credit : @fisparkandpipe
Zoe Atkin's first run ended in a crash on a massive left alley-oop 540 high mute, leaving her with all the pressure on her second attempt. What followed was a display of fearless ambition. Atkin unleashed a run of unparalleled amplitude for a female competitor, her opening left 540 mute rivaling the height achieved by many of the male skiers. She maintained this momentum throughout, even on her both-ways switch 720s. Her grabs were not only huge but also varied, incorporating lead blunts, high mutes, and both japan and lead japan grabs, showcasing a deliberate artistry in this element of her run. The judges rewarded Atkin's amplitude and the exceptional execution of difficult grabs, placing her in first position. Li's second run saw her go bigger and add a right 1080 safety, but it wasn't enough to surpass Atkin's combined score of height and grab variety, leaving the British skier to celebrate a hard-fought victory.
The men's competition initially saw a Canadian dominance, with Brendan Mackay leading a five-skier lockout at the halfway point of the first run. However, the rapid progression of halfpipe skiing was starkly evident; Mackay's clean run featuring four-way doubles, including a double cork 1620, which might have secured a win just a few years prior, now only placed him seventh.
Henry Sildaru of Estonia, a rare competitor in all three freeski disciplines (halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air), disrupted the Canadian stronghold with a unique run featuring a switch right single cork 1260 stale and a flawless left double cork 1260 blunt, his slopestyle background evident in his long, well-defined grabs. However, a fall on his second run saw him slip down the standings as the competition intensified. Hunter Hess of the USA overcame a binding issue in his first run to deliver a standout second run, adding a left double cork 1620 japan and a particularly well-executed reverse mute on his switch right 1080, edging ahead of Sildaru.
Alex Ferreira of the USA took the lead after the first run with a massive display of both ways double cork 1620s and switch double cork 1080s, though some of his grabs were noted as being somewhat short. Sixteen-year-old Kiwi Luke Harrold, qualifying in second, showcased one of the most technically demanding runs, linking back-to-back double cork 1620s at the bottom and switch alley-oop double cork 900s at the top. While amplitude can sometimes be a challenge for Harrold, his first run secured him second place, just behind the veteran Ferreira.
Finley Melville Ives, the young New Zealander who had qualified first, then delivered what many considered the best halfpipe run ever executed. His amplitude was enormous throughout the pipe, and his grabs were held with seemingly effortless style. His run featured five different double corks, each in a different direction and with a distinct, well-defined grab, culminating in a commanding lead. Nick Goepper of the USA, after missing a grab in his first run, rallied in his second, landing back-to-back double cork 1620 cindys and his signature bone roll 900 blunt to move into second place, despite some less-than-perfect grabs. Ferreira could not improve on his first run, leaving the podium positions seemingly settled.
However, Luke Harrold, sitting just outside the medals, created a moment of unforgettable brilliance. Having released a training clip of the first-ever switch alley-oop triple cork just weeks prior, he attempted the unthinkable in the middle of his World Championship run. Landing cleanly from his switch 1080, he launched into the switch triple cork, gripping the mute and bringing the rotation down to his feet. Despite a compromised landing that affected the rest of his run, Harrold had made history, mobbed by his fellow competitors in a display of camaraderie and respect. The judges acknowledged the groundbreaking feat with a score that, while not reflective of a complete run, honored the magnitude of the trick. Melville Ives, witnessing his friend's historic achievement, celebrated his own victory with an extra measure of joy, embracing Harrold at the bottom of the pipe.
The day's events seemed to echo a playful sentiment, a nod to the rising talent emerging from New Zealand. With both Atkin, representing Great Britain but with strong ties to New Zealand, and the young Kiwis Ives and Harrold showcasing such exceptional skill and innovation, the future of halfpipe skiing appears to be in the hands (or rather, on the skis) of a new generation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the stunt ditch.
