Birk Ruud Takes First in Ski Slopestyle at LAAX Open 2024

LAAX OPEN 2024 kicks off the snow sports season in style! In the world-famous snow sports competition on Crap Sogn Gion Mountain, 23-year-old Monster Energy team rider Birk Ruud from Baerum, Norway, took first place in the heavily contested Men’s Freeski Slopestyle event.

On Saturday at LAAX OPEN 2024, 21-year-old Olympic snowboarder Annika Morgan from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, claimed second place in the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle event.

Started in 2005, the annual LAAX OPEN is known for showcasing the world’s best freestyle snowboarders in halfpipe and slopestyle competitions, as well as freeski slopestyle, at the award-winning resort in the Swiss mountains. This year, almost 300 riders from across the globe competed in the official World Cup event sanctioned by the World Ski Federation (FIS) from January 19-21, 2004.

Here’s how the action unfolded for team Monster Energy at the LAAX OPEN 2024:

In Sunday’s Men’s Freeski Slopestyle final, Monster Energy’s Birk Ruud dropped in as a top contender after winning Olympic gold in the discipline at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Plus, after finishing in third place at LAAX OPEN 2023, the 23-year-old from Baerum, Norway, was hungry for a win.

The final featured twelve riders, including multiple X Games gold medalists, Olympic champions, and innovators of the sport. Looking to win the prestigious LAAX OPEN title, as well as important FIS World Cup points, the qualified riders hailed from Canada, Estonia, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and the United States.

Ruud secured the win on his second run of the final with a standout performance. Stringing together a rightside 450 pretzel 2, and switch 2 continuing 6 in the rail section, followed by right double 1440 safety on the shark fin, left double 1620 mute, switch double 1800 blunt, switch 720 Japan, 180 on, 180 off the spine, and 2 on continuing 450 off the final rail, earning the Norwegian 87.01 points and the coveted LAAX OPEN trophy.

At age 17, Ruud barged onto the scene by winning X Games gold in Freeski Big Air at X Games Oslo 2018. The win at LAAX OPEN 2024 marks his eighth victory in a Slopestyle FIS World Cup. Ruud owns five X Games medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) and will compete at X Games Aspen 2024 next weekend.

The big story in Saturday’s Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle finals was the absence of the previous year’s winner, 22-year-old Zoi Sadowski-Synnott from Wannaka, New Zealand. This left the door open for a new face to claim the top spot. Under blue skies, eight riders faced off on the challenging course featuring a stacked rail section and several big jumps.

In the heated session, 21-year-old Olympic snowboarder Annika Morgan from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, put down a perfect run to claim second place. Attacking the technical course with speed, Morgan laced a back 270 on the first rail into a frontside lipslide pretzel 270 off the second, straight into a switch backside 180 nose grab off the bat wing hip, then blitzed the jump line with a frontside 720 melon, to a massive backside 1080 to the flats for 80.75 points and second place.

Most recently, Morgan claimed bronze in Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle at the 2023 Toyota U.S. Freeski & Snowboard Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain. The younger sister of all-around snowboard talent Ethan Morgan, Annika, represented Germany in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Next on the calendar, Monster Energy riders are headed to Aspen, Colorado, for the world’s biggest showcase in winter action sports. Don’t miss the action at X Games Aspen 2024 from January 26-28, and follow Monster Energy for updates from Buttermilk Mountain.