Halfpipe heroes reunite in Laax in last World Cup showdown before Milano Cortina
Jan 14, 2026·Snowboard Park & Pipe)
All eyes will be on the Laax halfpipe this week as four-time men’s World Champion Scotty James (AUS) and defending Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano (JPN) return to World Cup competition just weeks before the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
James and Hirano lead a field of 48 men competing at the Laax Open beginning on Thursday 15 January. Laax marks the fifth and last Halfpipe World Cup before the Olympic Winter Games begin in February.
Hirano and James have not contested a World Cup event since the Japanese rider won the discipline season opener and spearheaded a Japanese podium sweep in Secret Garden (CHN) in December. James uncharacteristically finished in 10th place in that final.
Hirano’s teammate Yuto Totsuka currently leads the men’s Halfpipe World Cup standings on 260 points after Totsuka topped the Aspen World Cup last week, while compatriot Shuichiro Shigeno was runner-up. Totsuka claimed victory in Aspen after twice missing out on the top spot in second place at Secret Garden and Copper respectively. The in-form 24-year-old will be keen to continue that success in Laax this week and is one of five Japanese riders within the top 10 who could power Japan to a second podium sweep of the season.
Last season’s Crystal Globe winner Ruka Hirano comes to Laax after he was fifth in Aspen last week and eighth in Copper just before the Christmas break. Ruka began the 2025/26 season with third place in Secret Garden and will be aiming for another top-three finish to lock in one of the four quota spots available to the stacked Japanese team for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games.
Following his 10th place finish in Secret Garden in December, many eyes in Laax will be on Scotty James to see how the 31-year-old bounces back in time for his sixth Games at Milano Cortina. James already has Olympic silver and bronze medals from the Beijing 2022 and PyeongChang 2019 Games respectively, and last season claimed his fourth Laax victory, which was also his 10th World Cup victory.
Fellow Australian Valentino Guseli will be keen to improve on his fourth-place finish in Aspen last week after beginning the new year with victory at the Calgary World Cup. Just before the Christmas break the 20-year-old began the 2025/26 World Cup season – his first season since recovering from a 2024 ACL injury – with third place in Copper.
In third place ahead of Guseli in Aspen last week was U.S. teenager Alessandro Barbieri. The 17-year-old is the top ranked U.S. snowboarder in a field of 12 men hoping to compete for Team USA at Milano Cortina.
Other noteworthy contenders this week in Laax are David Habluetzel (SUI) and Brazil’s Patrick Burgener, who finished third in Calgary while Habluetzel was runner-up. Burgener previously represented Switzerland before the 2025/26 season and his Calgary result gave Brazil its first Park & Pipe World Cup podium finish while adding to the 31-year-old’s previous nine podium finishes from his time on the Swiss team.
Switzerland claimed a further two spots in the men’s top 10 in Calgary with Jonas Hasler in fourth and Mischa Zuercher in seventh – and with the three joined by Leandro Saraiva in Laax, home pipe advantage in Laax could prove to be a winning factor for the Swiss team.
In the women’s field, Halfpipe World Cup standings leader Gaon Choi (KOR) returns to World Cup competition in Laax after missing Calgary and Aspen following her back-to-back victories in Secret Garden and Copper. The 17-year-old was third in Laax last year behind Maddie Mastro (USA) and winner Chloe Kim. However, with Kim sidelined by a shoulder injury she picked up while training in Laax, both Choi and Mastro are well placed to take the top spot.
Mastro comes to Laax with just one event under her belt this season after finishing sixth in Copper right before the Christmas break. After winning the Crystal Globe last season, the 25-year-old will be looking to secure qualification for Milano Cortina in Laax. Kim is the only American halfpipe rider who has already qualified for Milano Cortina but the double Olympic champion’s bid for a three-peat is now in doubt after she dislocated her shoulder.
Like their male counterparts, the Japanese women’s team is also well placed to dominate the Laax podium after taking two of the available three spots in Aspen, led by Mitsuki Ono. The 21-year-old’s victory in Aspen was her first win in almost two years, while teammate Sena Tomita was third behind runner-up Madeline Schaffrick (USA).
Rise Kudo, Sorana Ohashi and Ruki Tomita rounded out the top six in Aspen, giving Japan five of the top six spots in Aspen. With Engadin 2025 World Championships silver medalist Sara Shimizu set to drop in on her first World Cup of the season here in Laax, the Japanese team will be fielding a squad of unmatched strength on the women’s side once again this week.
China’s Cai Xuetong did not compete in Aspen and resumes her 202526 World Cup season in Laax after narrowly missing the Copper podium in December with fourth place following her third place finish at the season opener in Secret Garden. With 34 World Cup career podiums to her name – including 14 victories – Cai has amassed the most top-three Halfpipe World Cup results of all-time across women’s and men’s competition.
Halfpipe competition in Laax begins on Thursday 15 January from 9:25 Central European Time (CET), followed by night-time finals on Saturday 17 January from 19:00 CET.
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