FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup Copper Mountain: Preview, schedule and how to watch live

After a thrilling season debut at Secret Garden, People’s Republic of China - the venue that hosted halfpipe competitions at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the FIS Snowboard World Cup returns to Copper Mountain, Colorado for another action-packed exposition of amplitude, style and originality from 18-20 December.

With 82 riders, 38 women and 44 men, set to take part in the competition, there will be no shortage of excitement as snowboarding’s finest shred from wall to wall in a frantic quest to increase their world cup points haul and solidify their standing on the Olympic Quota Allocation List.

As if that isn’t reason enough to tune into the competition, the 2024 U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain will make full use of its location in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, serving up a healthy dose of stunning natural views to complement the fascinating spectacle set to take place at the resort’s iconic halfpipe.

Read on to discover more about the FIS Snowboard World Cup Copper Mountain, including the full schedule, key athletes to follow and how to watch competitions live from the mountain slopes of Colorado.

Team USA athletes look to impress on home turf

Team USA’s Maddie Mastro arrives at the Rocky Mountain resort fresh off her maiden world cup victory at Secret Garden, where she put together a clean and technically proficient run to solidify her standing as one of the most consistent riders on the world cup.

Nevertheless, with success a fickle friend to keep in the halfpipe, she’ll need to keep her foot on the gas to fend off the likes of double Olympic champion Chloe Kim, defending crystal globe recipient Ono Mitsuki and returning veteran Maddy Schaffrick.

There will certainly be an extra layer of intrigue in the women’s competition due to the return of Team USA’s Chloe Kim - an indomitable force in halfpipe competitions at the last two Winter Olympic Games.

The 24-year-old from the coastal city of Torrance, California is set to make her season debut at the halfpipe where she claimed three consecutive world cup victories in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Nonetheless, she remains a somewhat ambiguous threat for a podium finish after limited world cup starts last season, failing to earn a top three finish in two starts.

The unclear nature of her fitness is contrasted by Japan’s Ono Mitsuki who’s yet to finish outside the top five at a world cup competition since finishing ninth at the Winter Olympic Games Beijing 2022.

Japan’s ultra-consistent shredder will hope to improve on a fourth place finish at Secret Garden and return to the familiar embrace of the world cup podium - a mission made all the more difficult by the remarkable comeback of Team USA’s Maddy Schaffrick.

Schaffrick was the talk of the halfpipe at the first competition of the season, returning to the world cup in confident fashion after spending nearly a decade away from the sport’s premiere competition circuit.

She’ll look to replicate her unexpected success in front of an undoubtedly supportive home crowd at Copper Mountain, which will add an enthusiastic element to every run during the 2024 U.S. Grand Prix.

The men’s competition is set to be equally compelling, especially on the heels of a historic season-opening contest that saw four different riders land triple cork tricks in the final.

Japan’s Yuto Totsuka led the innovation charge at Secret Garden, executing one of the most difficult runs in World Cup history to stamp his authority on the discipline.

The 23-year-old arrives in Copper Mountain as the favorite for victory, but nothing will be guaranteed when he drops-in against a field of highly talented athletes - including Beijing 2022 Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano, Australian legend Scotty James and innovator extraordinaire Chaeun Lee.

Hirano will be the biggest wildcard coming into the competition, as he attempts to overcome consistency issues that have plagued him for the last season. Nonetheless, with a win at Copper Mountain to his name only one season ago, he’ll be eager to return to winning form in a familiar setting.

Of course, his task won’t be made any easier by the presence of Australia’s Scotty James, who finished second behind the Japanese rider at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, and notched two world cup victories last season.

With a new trick in his vast arsenal of aerial maneuvers, James will be another rider to keep a close eye on in Copper Mountain, along with Korea’s Chaeun Lee - the first rider to ever land back-to-back triple corks in a halfpipe.

Lee will hope to improve upon his seventh place finish at Secret Garden, employing his trusty triple corks to challenge for a spot on the podium.

While Team USA enters the men’s competition without any major headliners, there will be plenty of younger riders looking to leave a mark on the halfpipe at Copper Mountain.

Schedule of the FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup Copper Mountain

All times local (GMT -7)

18 December

• 09:45 Men’s and Women’s Qualification

20 December

• 11:00 Men’s and Women’s Final

FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup Copper Mountain: How to watch live

Viewers in Asia and Europe can catch all the action live on Eurosport, while viewers in Latin America can tune into both world cups via ESPN. Both world cups will also be streamed live on skiandsnowboard.live in the United States of America