Coady and Cox Give Double Thumbs Up to Slopestyle Course

It’s being hailed as one of the best Olympic slopestyle designs, with Australia’s Tess Coady and Matt Cox giving it a resounding thumbs up after a successful training session ahead of the start of competition today.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) has described the course as "arguably the most technically advanced, thoughtfully designed, and awe-inspiring slopestyle course ever constructed."

For 21 year old Tess Coady, she’s out to showcase her talent after being selected for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, only to suffer an injury during warm up that ruled her out of competition.  Four years on, the Melbourne native comes into the Olympic Games in red hot form having recently won Laax World Cup, and wasted no time to test out the course and put in some big training sessions ahead of the start of competition. 

"They've done a really great job in the build, and aesthetically it looks really nice - I'm sure we could watch for that, but now it looks like it's going to ride really good, too,” she said.

Both Coady and Cox are soaking up the full Olympic experience, with Cox doing his best to focus on the task at hand and not get ahead of himself. 

“I think the whole experience isn’t going to kick in that i’m at an Olympics until it’s over and done. I’ve got a job to do and I’m ready to do it,” said Cox.

“The course is really good, the snow quality is good. I spoke to the park builders and they are grooming the landings in the mornings that way we get a bit softer of a landing. The top section is super firm and icy… as we get towards the bottom half of the course where we get to a bit more high stakes… impact landings, they have been making it softer for us,” he said. 

The design of the course has centred around bringing together the culture as well as practical design. 

“The main goal was a creative course that's connected to Chinese culture,” says Schneestern’s head designer and Beijing 2022 project manager Dirk Scheumann on his vision.

“The main challenge we faced was to protect riders from the strong west winds. ‘Where would you like to be in windy conditions?’ I asked myself. Behind the wall, right?

“That's how Great Wall design came to be a part of the course. Also, the rail features are installed in steps, that go lower and lower towards the right side. We believe this will serve its function and that riders will be able to perform at their best. 

“Once the wind issue was solved we put all effort to designing features that allowed for creative lines on the rails, take-offs, and landings, and I hope to see all the lines we imagined - and more - utilised by the riders at Beijing 2022.”

Scheumann sees the Beijing 2022 slopestyle course at Genting Snow Park as the most advanced build he’s ever been a part of creating, but also just another step in the constant evolution of slopestyle skiing and snowboarding.

“Slopestyle venue design is always a special thing because it's an integral part of the performance the athletes will put on display,” he says, “The course design inspires and challenges the athletes, but also the athletes themselves influence the further development of the course design with their performance. This constant exchange keeps creating new designs and great moments.

“This design can unites the functionality of the sport and the story of the host country's culture. Incorporating the Great Wall of China into the build is a great story to showcase and tell to millions of TV spectators, while also serving functionally and aiding the athletes in telling their story to the world through their riding.”

Snowboard slopestyle competition at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Genting Snow Park will begin with women’s snowboard qualifications on 5 February with Australia’s Tess Coady at 1:45pm (AEST), followed by women’s finals on 6 February starting 12:30pm (AEST). 

Men’s Snowboard slopestyle qualifications kicks off on 6 February at 3:30pm (AEST) with finals on the 7 February from 3:00pm (AEST) to close out the snowboard slopestyle programme. Find a detailed Beijing 2022 daily snowboard competition schedule.