Rail Event finals bring 2025/26 Park & Pipe season to a close in Les Deux Alpes

The 2025/26 FIS Europa Cup Rail Event Finals took place this past weekend in Les Deux Alpes, closing out a huge second season of FIS Rails action with a fitting and memorable finale to a long Park & Pipe campaign. Blessed with beautiful weather and perfect snow conditions following recent snowfall, Saturday’s competition featured a whole lot of good vibes, great snowboarding, and exceptional fans - including Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme.

As the final event of the entire FIS season - across all disciplines - the Rail Finals highlighted how rail events uniquely extend the winter sports calendar, with action this season kicking off in Antwerp (BEL) back in September and running successfully all the way through to the late May in France.

Finals in Les Deux Alpes saw multinational podiums on both the women’s and men’s sides of the equation, with France’s own Anouk Tronchet taking the win women’s win ahead of second place Maarja Liis Rahumeel of Estonia and Anne Sophie Lechon of Belgium. On the men’s side it was Thom Wijnstra of the Netherlands earning the victory over second place Julien Merkin of France and Poland’s Gustaw Nawarkiewicz-Wisniewski.

In the FIS Rail Event Europa Cup overall standings it was Lechon claiming the title on the women’s side,  while Wijnstra was back on top of the box once again as the season’s best rider on the men’s side. 

For Lechon it was six podiums in six starts, with two thirds, two runner-ups, and victories in Riga (LAT) and Szczyrk (POL), as the 34-year-old topped the EC Rails standings for the second season in a row. 

For Wijnstra, meanwhile, it was six podiums in seven starts this past winter, with two victories, one runner-up, and three third place results. Last season the 24-year-old finished just outside of the Rails season top-3 in fourth place.

The success of Lechon and Wijnstra - both riders from countries nearly devoid of ridable natural slopes - reflects a defining characteristic of rail events: they open doors for talented athletes from beyond traditional alpine nations, further diversifying and strengthening the sport.

This year’s FIS Rail Event Finals in Les Deux Alps was the last of eight European Cup Rails competitions this season, which also saw the format debut on the FIS North American and FIS Asian Cup circuits, as well as at the Calgary 2026 Junior World Championships - the first global championships Rails competition in FIS history.

With the season now concluded, attention already turns to the future. Preparations are underway for another exciting winter, with new Europa Cup Rail events planned in locations such as Kläppen (SWE), Tbilisi (GEO), Girona (ESP), and Sapporo (JPN), alongside many others.

The momentum behind rail events continues to grow — promising another season of innovation, accessibility, and world-class performances.

QUICK LINKS

• Full Europa Cup Snowboard Rail Event calendar and results

• Rails Snowboard final rankings