Yiming Su and deep Japanese and U.S. teams drive Laax men’s slopestyle storylines
The men’s field of 60 riders will compete across three days, beginning with Friday’s qualifications. The top 24 will advance to Saturday’s semi-finals, with 12 riders moving on to Sunday’s finals to close out the competition.
Defending Laax champion Cameron Spalding of Canada will not compete this weekend, neither will three-time Olympic bronze medallist Mark McMorris, who both continue training at home.
The People’s Republic of China’s Yiming Su, who has already clinched this season’s big air Crystal Globe, will be among the favourites as he looks to claim the top spot on the podium. Yuming has recently revealed technical new tricks on his social media that he could look to land in competition at Laax.
Team USA’s already Olympic-qualified athletes* Red Gerard and Jake Canter will also sit out Laax to train at home. However, seven U.S. men will be in the field, including Justus Henkes, 17-year-old Oliver Martin, Brock Crouch, and 2022 Laax champion Sean Fitzsimons, all looking to meet qualifying criteria for the final two U.S. team berths.
The Japanese team also remains highly competitive, with past and present big air world champions Hasegawa Taiga and Kimata Ryoma aiming to rise above a field of six Japanese teammates and secure a top three finish in Laax.
Milano Cortina 2026 will be the fourth Olympic Games to feature slopestyle snowboarding, which will be contested at Livigno Snow Park, beginning with men’s big air from 5–7 February, followed by women’s big air on 8–9 February. Men’s and women’s slopestyle competition will then take place from 16–18 February.