Snowboard World Cup 2020/21 awards recap

With the conclusion of the 2020/21 FIS Snowboard World Cup seasons at the end of Sunday’s slopestyle competitions in Silvaplana (SUI), the last of this season’s major trophies were distributed to the top athletes and nations. Today we’re taking a look back at the big winners of a season unlike any other…

FIS Snowboard Nations Cup overall

Austria - 2882 points

Powered on by their alpine and snowboard cross racing squads and crystal globe-winning seasons for Alessandro Haemmerle (in men’s SBX) and Anna Gasser (in slopestyle and Park & Pipe overall), the Austrian Snowboard Team was able to earn the FIS Snowboard Nations Cup overall honours for the 2020/21 season. Claiming 15 World Cup podiums on the season and 52 top-10s, Austria finished with 2882 points - just over 400 points clear of second place Italy.

Snowboard Cross

Women’s crystal globe: Eva Samkova (CZE) - 450 points

Men’s crystal globe: Alesandro Haemmerle (AUT) - 430 points

Women’s Rookie of the Year: Pia Zerkhold (AUT) - 123 points

Men’s Rookie of the Year: Quentin Sodogas (FRA) - 74 points

Nations Cup: USA - 1688 points

With women’s 2020/21 World Cup bronze medal winner Faye Guilini and men’s fifth-ranked rider Hagen Kearney leading the way, the US SBX squad was able to take home this season’s Nations Cup trophy with 1688 points - 201 points ahead of runner-up nation Italy.

In the crystal globe battles it was Eva Samkova claiming her third career crystal globe for the women, with all three of those globes coming in the last five years. On the men’s side of things, meanwhile, Alessandro Haemmerle matched the great Pierre Vaultier’s (FRA) record of three straight crystal globe wins - though Haemmerle still has some work to do to surpass the six career globes won by the Frenchman.

SBX Rookie of the Year honours went to Pia Zerkhold of Austria and Quentin Sodogas of France.

Alpine

Women’s PGS crystal globe: Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) - 440 points

Women’s PSL: Julie Zogg (SUI) - 295 points

Women’s parallel overall crystal globe: Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) - 593 points

Men’s PGS crystal globe: Roland Fischnaller (ITA) - 215 points

Men’s PSL: Aaron March (ITA) - 258 points

Men’s parallel overall crystal globe: Aaron March (ITA) - 424 points

Nations Cup: Russian Federation - 2762

While they weren’t able to nab any of the season’s alpine SB crystal globes, the Russians did earn the alpine SB Nations Cup trophy for the season. Putting several riders into the top-3 of the PGS, PSL and parallel final rankings the Russians, lead by the likes of Dmitry Loginov, Igor Sluev (who finished a single point back of Roland Fischnaller in the PGS crystal globe battle) and Sofia Nadyrshina (who finished second overall in the women’s field), were able to earn 2762 points for the big trophy win.

Park & Pipe

Women’s slopestyle and Park & Pipe overall crystal globe: Anna Gasser (AUT) - 295 points (195 SS, 60 BA)

Men’s slopestyle and Park & Pipe overall crystal globe: Marcus Kleveland (NOR) - 260 points (all SS)

Park & Pipe Nations Cup: Japan - 1822 points

With just one big air competition, two halfpipe and three slopestyle events over the course of the 2020/21 season the FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe World Cup was one of the most pandemic-affected tours this past winter. However, the level of riding witnessed at each of the six World Cup competitions that went down was truly exceptional, and the precedent set as we move towards what we hope is a more “normal” 2021/22 season was a strong one.

The Japanese team walked away with the Park & Pipe Nations Cup, helped in no small part by Yuto Totsuka’s wins in both the season’s halfpipe competitions, as well as a 1-2 finish for Reira Iwabuchi and Kokomo Murase at the slopestyle season finale in Silvaplana (SUI).

Both Anna Gasser and Marcus Kleveland earned slopestyle and Park & Pipe overall crystal globe honours this season. Kleveland in particular impressed in 2020/21, as he returned to full-time competition after dealing with injury problems in 2019/20 and proceeded to register podiums in all three of the season’s slopestyle competitions - including back-to-back wins to close the season out in Aspen and Silvaplana.