Jake Canter officially has joined the U.S. Olympic team after his first-ever World Cup win in men’s snowboard slopestyle on a crisp morning under blue skies at the U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen.
In his home state, Canter surged to a score of 85.16 on his second run to secure his trip to the Milan Cortina Games. The winning run opened with a frontside 50/50 to lipslide 270, followed by a backside 270 on the second rail section, a switch backside 1260 nosegrab, a backside 1980 melon, and finally a switch noseslide 630.
“I grew up riding here with AVSC (Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club) as a kid, so having a slopestyle course on the mountain that kind of gave me everything and being able to win it…it doesn’t feel real. This is unbelievable,” Canter said following his victory.
The 22-year-old hailing from Silverthorne, Colorado has one other podium finish in his career: a 3rd-place result at the Laax Open in 2022.
“I still don’t think it’s real,” he said. “I’m happy to be here, and I had so much fun today.”
Depending on their best results at the four selection events, which includes Saturday’s competition in Aspen, several U.S. snowboarders automatically will qualify to go to the Olympics. After Canter’s win, there is just one more spot ready for the taking on the men’s side and three openings for the women’s team.
Six Americans in total competed on the men’s side, but Red Gerard is the only other snowboarder to qualify for the Olympics at this point. He tallied a top score of 76.96 and finished 6th overall in the leadup to his third Winter Games.
China’s Su Yiming finished 2nd behind Canter with a score of 84.18. The two-time Olympic medalist already has recorded back-to-back World Cup wins in big air this season and is eyeing his second trip to the Winter Games, where he won gold in big air and silver in slopestyle in 2022.
Dane Menzies of New Zealand came in 3rd, tallying 83.68 points on his best run for his first-ever podium finish on the World Cup stage. He finished 4th in Aspen last February, which is his next-best World Cup performance in slopestyle.
On the women’s side, Canada’s Laurie Blouin recorded her first World Cup victory in slopestyle since March 2022 in Bakuriani, and the third win of her career overall. Her best run consisted of a 50/50 to front lipside, then a boardslide to fakie, a cab double underflip 900, a frontside double cork 1080, and a 50/50 backflip.
Japan once again was dominant in the women’s event as one of the world leaders in snowboarding, represented by three of the top-four finishers. This is the eighth straight World Cup slopestyle event featuring at least one Japanese woman on the podium.
Mari Fukada recorded a 2nd-place finish with 77.26 points, her second career trip to the podium in slopestyle and second top-three performance overall this season including a big air win in November. Kokomo Murase, who reached the slopestyle podium three times last season, came in 3rd with 75.36 points.
The competition opened with a touch of drama, as the first rail feature required some maintenance from park officials midway through the event. Crew members were forced to clear burrs from the rail after each of the first two athletes, Americans Jamie Anderson and teammate Jessica Perlmutter, suffered uncharacteristic falls at the very start of their first runs. Even Fukada took a spill, rebounding for a strong second run en route to the 2nd-place finish.
The rough start can be attributed to the frigid temperatures in Aspen, which dipped into the negatives overnight and eventually rose to about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Such cold weather can cause the metal tubes to feel “sticky” and provide resistance to the boards.
Anderson, a three-time Olympic medalist, did not complete her second run after taking a hard fall courtesy of the frozen rail. The 35-year-old is attempting to make an Olympic comeback after having two children and taking a three-year pause from the sport. She is one of the frontrunners to make the women’s big air and slopestyle team headed to Italy.
As far as the other athletes making the trip to the Winter Games, Sean FitzSimons is a top contender to snatch up one of the remaining spots on the men’s team thanks to his 3rd-place outing at last year's slopestyle selection event in Aspen, despite a 15th-place finish. Ollie Martin, age 17, did not take part in the U.S. Grand Prix final but will challenge for the other automatic selection after finishing third at the 2025 World Championships in both disciplines.
The final selection event for the U.S. Olympic team, and the last World Cup event before the Olympics, will kick off at the Laax Open on Jan. 15.
Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle
1. Jake Canter (USA), 85.16
2. Su Yiming (CHN), 84.18
3. Dane Menzies (NZL), 83.68
4. Judd Henkes (USA), 79.47
5. Kira Kimura (JPN), 79.25
6. Red Gerard (USA), 76.96
7. Enzo Valax (FRA), 71.57
8. Brock Crouch (USA), 68.78
9. Yuto Kimura (JPN), 64.26
10. Clemens Millauer (AUT), 61.30
11. Jonas Hasler (SUI), 55.35
12. Francis Jobin (CAN), 49.48
13. Hiroto Ogiwara (JPN), 47.73
14. Dusty Henricksen (USA), 42.15
15. Sean Fitzsimons (USA), 41.46
16. Truth Smith (CAN), 34.05
Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle
1. Laurie Blouin (CAN), 81.21
2. Mari Fukada (JPN), 77.26
3. Kokomo Murase (JPN), 75.36
4. Momo Suzuki (JPN), 65.86
5. Meila Stalker (AUS) 51.36
6. Tess Coady (AUS), 47.85
7. Jessica Perlmutter (USA), 30.84
8. Jamie Anderson (USA), 2.20