FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season 2022/23 preview
Nov 29, 2022·Snowboard Cross
We are only 3 days away from the highly anticipated FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season, so let`s take a look at what we can expect.
Ten competitions, thereof one Team Event, seven venues, six countries and three continents, this is how our World Cup Calender 22/23 will look like.
Due to the lack of snow, the season will start off with a little delay than originally anticipated, in Les Deux Alpes, France. This will not only be the first race of the season, but also the first Snowboard Cross World Cup race run on this glacier. The race is on December 02-03, 2022. Les Deux Alpes is one of our long-term projects and so we are happy to finally start with the first of many more races to come there.
Due to the lack of snow in Montafon, Austria, the World Cup circuit now has an additional training week before the next race is held in Cervinia, Italy from December 17-18. The final competition before Christmas will now take place at one of our classic races in Montafon, Austria where the rescheduled two races are coming up on December 19 – 20.
After an extended break the tour will start again in Italy with a night event in the old Olympic village from 1956 in Cortina d‘Ampezzo, from 27 – 28 January 2023.
In February, the teams will jump over to North America for back-to-back races in Mt. St. Anne, located in the province Québec in Canada. The first race will happen on February 3rd. with qualification and February 4th. with finals, followed by our first Team Event this season on February 5th.
Right after the North America races, the best Snowboard Cross athletes will fly over to Asia for the season highlight, the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia from March 02-04. The Championships start with qualifications on 02 March before on 03 March the best 16 women and 32 men are heading into the finals. On 04 March it`s time for some team spirit. The 16 best teams which consist of one woman and one man of the same nation will fight for the World Champion Mixed Team title for the third time in Snowboard Cross history. The first ever World Champions in the Mixed Team Event has been Team USA with Lindsey Jacobellis and Mick Dierdoff racing in 2019 on home soil. The first Mixed Team World Champions are at the same time the remaining Team World Champions from 2021. Let`s see if Lindsey Jacabellis and Mick Dierdoff will present Team USA together again and if they will defend the title.
Following the pinnacle event of the season in Georgia, the tour will then move back to Europe for another back-to-back race in Sierra Nevada, Spain from March 10-12.
Finally, the Snowboard Cross World Cup tour will come to a close with the World Cup Finals which will again take place in Veysonnaz, Switzerland from March 15-16. Veysonnaz is one of our most consistent World Cup venues and so we already count twelve Snowboard Cross World Cup events there over the last years.
Who to watch – WOMEN (click for FIS profile):
Michela Moioli (ITA) – the Olympic champion from 2018 and three-time and three-time SBX World Cup crystal globe winner, who in general has never finished lower than third rank on the SBX standings, except for the injury-shortened 2013/14 season. Add three World Championships bronze medals and one silver medal from the last World Champs in Idre Fjall 2021 to this portfolio and you have another highly successful athlete who is for sure to be in the podium mix on a regular basis again this season.
Chloe Trespeuch (FRA) – Beijing 2022 Olympic Silver medalist, Sochi 2014 OWG Bronze medallist, 2017 Sierra Nevada World Championships silver medallist and second in the overall World Cup standings of 21/22, the 28-year-old French counts as a highly successful Snowboard Cross athlete. Add 27 podiums, of which 3 were victories in an overall of 72 World Cup starts, that is quite the statistic. Trespeuch is entering the new FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season, of which she never finished out of the top-5 within the last six seasons.
Charlotte Bankes (GBR) – reigning World Champion and overall FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Winner from 2021/22. With seven podiums, of which five were victories she for sure was dominating the last World Cup season and will be one of the athletes everyone should have on their list for some more podiums in the upcoming season.
Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) – current Olympic champion, Torino 2006 Olympic Silver medalist and five-time World Champion. With her 37 years, 105 World Cup starts of which 31 were victories, she is for sure one of the most experienced riders in the circuit who is always good for a surprise. Jacobellis already made history by her countless achievements, but she is also the winningest athlete in snowboard cross among men and women.
Not to be overlooked: Odine Meryeta (CAN), Belle Brockhoff (AUS), Audrey McManiman (CAN)
Who to watch – MEN (click for FIS profile):
Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT) – After hugely successful past three seasons, it is no wonder that the Austrian finally came home from the Olympic Winter Games 2022 with a Victory. The current Olympic Champion and three-time crystal globe winner is for sure one of the most consistent riders to hit the World Cup podium in recent seasons. Out of 78 World Cup starts, he managed to get on the podium 26 times, with 14 victories. He will for sure try to maintain his excellent results and try to claim the missing World Championships gold medal in his collection in the upcoming season.
Martin Noerl (GER) – was a surprise rider for most of us last season. The 29-year-old German, who won the crystal globe last season, only counts four victories in his whole career and in total stood on the podium for four times. Nevertheless, he was listed as favorite for the Olympics as he won the three races in January 2022 right before the Olympics started. We are curious to see whether he will be able to show his strong performance from last season again in the upcoming season.
Eliot Grondin (CAN) – vice Olympic Champion 2022, third place at the World Championships 2021 and fourth in the overall World Cup in the season 21/22. Besides that, the young Canadian can already count 36 World Cup starts, whereof six have been podiums, in detail, one third, three second and two victories, most of them last season. With his 21 years, he is not only an athlete to keep an eye on this season, but also for the future.
Not to be overlooked: Omar Visintin (ITA), Jakob Dusek (AUT), Lorenzo Sommariva (ITA), Merlin Surget (FRA)
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