2022 World Cup events ramp up this week

With less than a month to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the World Cup schedule ramps up this week as many athlete return to competition for the first time in 2022.

Aerials World Cup – Le Relais, Canada
5 January. Results website
Rewatch the live stream at www.snow.org.au/live/ 

The Flying Kangaroos returned to competition overnight after a strong start to the 2021/2022 season. Danielle Scott qualified through to the Le Relais World Cup Super Final to place 4th with 79.89 points after a Back-Full-Tuck-Full. She has now jumped up to third place in the overall women's aerials World Cup rankings after winning a gold medal and placing 5th, 8th and 28th in the first four World Cup events in Ruka in December 2021. China's Mengtao Xu and Fanyu Kong currently top the Women's World Cup standings.

Abbey Willcox has placed 15th in Le Relais with 68.35 points, just in front of teammates Laura Peel in 16th (65.21) and Gabi Ash in 17th (62.05).

Wesley Naylor has recorded a career-best World Cup result in the men's competition, placing 24th with 82.53 points. His previous best result was 28th place at the first World Cup in Ruka, which doubled as his World Cup debut.

Moguls World Cup- Tremblant, Canada 
7-8 January. Results website
Stream live from 6am AEDT on Saturday 8 January at www.snow.org.au/live/ 

Jakara Anthony will head into the first World Cup of 2022 with a target on her back as the top ranked female mogul skier in the World Cup standings after standing on the podium at all five events in December 2021. She won individual and dual moguls gold at the most recent World Cup in Alpe d'Huez, France, plus bronze in both events in Idre Fjall, Sweden and silver at the first World Cup in Ruka Finland.

Triple Olympian Britt Cox is working towards qualifying for a fourth Olympics at Beijing 2022, and is well on her way to achieving that goal as she currently sits 8th in the World Cup standings. Sochi Olympian Taylah O'Neill is sitting 23rd and Sophie Ash 28th as they look to secure valuable Beijing 2022 ranking points in Tremblant this weekend.

In the men's, Brodie Summers is currently the top ranked Australian in the World Cup standings in 7th place, after qualifying for three out of five World Cup finals in December. Matt Graham is currently 20th after placing 10th and 16th in the first two World Cup events before he broke his collar bone in a training run in in Idre Fjall. The Winter Olympic silver medallist isn't ruling himself out of Beijing 2022 though, having already had surgery and working on returning to form.

James Matheson and Cooper Woods are currently ranked 26th and 29th respectively in the standings, as all chase Olympic quota places.

Snowboard Cross World Cup - Krasnoyarsk, Russia
7-9 January. Results website
Stream live at www.snow.org.au/live/ 

This weekend will see a double-header for the Australian Snowboard Cross Team with two World Cup events in Russia.

Belle Brockhoff heads into the event ranked third in the women's World Cup standings after two podiums from three individual events in December last year. Brockhoff placed 6th at the Olympic Test Event in Secret Garden, China, before winning silver in Montafon, Austria and most recently, bronze in Cervinia, Italy.

Brockhoff will be joined in the women's SBX event by Josie Baff and Mia Clift who are both on their debut World Cup seasons. Baff is currently 19th in the standings, after recording  a World Cup career best result of 9th at the event in Montafon. Clift is ranked 32nd and placed 22nd in her debut World Cup event on the Olympic track in China.

In the men's World Cup standings, Cameron Bolton is the top ranked Aussie at 15th after most recently placing 4th at the Cervinia event. Teammate Adam Lambert is 18th after placing 5th at the Olympic Test Event.

PyeongChang 2018 silver medallist Jarryd Hughes is currently ranked 24th, with Adam Dickson 28th. Brothers Declan and Kobi Dent have also both made their World Cup debuts this season.

Freestyle Ski and Snowboard, Halfpipe & Slopestyle World Cup & US Grand Prix – Mammoth Mountain, USA
6-8 January. Start List and Results
Finals to be streamed live at www.snow.org.au/live/ 

A highlight event on the Park & Pipe calendar, athletes will compete across the Freestyle Ski and Snowboard, Halfpipe & Slopestyle World Cups on Mammoth Mountain, USA this weekend.

Emily Arthur and Valentino Guseli will line up in the Snowboard Halfpipe event, with Matthew Cox in the Snowboard Slopestyle.

Abi Harrigan and Cameron Waddell will compete in the Ski Slopestyle, with Harrigan also set to contest the Ski Halfpipe.

Snowboard Alpine - Scuol, SUI
8 January. Results Website

Australia's two Snowboard Alpine World Cup athletes, Millie Bongiorno and Harvey Edmanson will continue their season in Scuol, Switzerland this weekend.