The Ripcurl Freeski in Saas Fee is a fest of top skiers throwing themselves around. It may be the first big date of the European New School season, but the riders certainly weren't backward in coming forward.

In the Half-Pipe competition the rider's coyly toyed with the crowd for a couple of warm-up runs before delivering full on Orgasm Air. The "oh my god, Oh My God, OH MY GOD" outbursts aptly demonstrated the satisfaction felt by all as Candide Thovex, Jon Olson and Steele Spence threw down consistently enormous Rodeo 5's & 9's, McTwists, styled-up grabs and lazy Lincolns.

Serious halfpipe action
It was certainly cold enough to take a lot more than just our breath away up on the Saas Fee glacier (brass monkeys and all that), but everyone gathered around the half-pipe was left fully breathless by the amped-up antics. Sure, Ripcurl have invited 30 of the top freeskiers in the world to compete, but to lay it all down so huge this early in the season was testament not just to their talent, but also their attitude. The organisers take some of the credit for this - the atmosphere here is no holds barred Freeski Fun - "Get out there and have a good time doing it!" The riders did just that today.

Thovex and Favre fight it out
In the end it came down to astraight shoot-out between the top two riders of the day, Candide Thovex and Laurent Favre. Candide is an international legend - his 120 foot D-spin over a gap jump in North America (ever since known as Candide's Gap) was a seminal moment in New School Freeski history. But in La Clusaz, his home town, his renown has inspired a generation of young pretenders and Favre is one of the best. He is currently threatening Candide's position as France's top Freestyle skier. 3rd place went to Mattias Wecsteen rounding off a clean sweep for the French.

Favre won with a run that included a Rodeo 540 and huge corked switch nine - awesome stuff. Candide threw his signature inverted corked 720, but just missed with a McTwist 900, that probably would have taken the title. French ripper and new school sensation, Marie Martinod rode away with the women's section, showing a amplitude out the pipe that matched many of the guys - she is one to watch this season. Brit freeski star, Glenn Parsons, came a highly respectable 18th, actually beating New School icon, JF Cusson, in the process.

Party protection
But the question on everyone's lips is: can we go through it all again? It looks like we don't have a choice. Contented, but exhausted we may be tonight, but tomorrow we are on a promise - the Ripcurl Freeski. Though with the Big Air on Wednesday, some of us may be feeling a wee bit tender on Thursday morning. Not that that will have anything to do with the fact that there is a Durex-sponsored party awaiting us tonight!

[Report: Phil Martin]

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