At the season's fifth and second-to-last big air in Moscow, Stefan Gimpl (AUT) proved again to be the style master and man to beat in big air. The 28-year-old Austrian not only took the third consecutive World Cup victory (after Sofia and Graz) but also secured the first crystal globe of the snowboarding season. It's the second World Cup title for Gimpl who earned his first one in 2006. An enthusiastic crowd of 25'000 spectators attended the event on Moscow State University campus. 15-year-old Roope Tonteri (FIN) made it all the way to the big final at his second World Cup appearance, finishing second. Norway's Sindre Iversen rounded out the podium.

The final was a battle of the generations as the young Finn is only half as old as his well-experienced competitor. Tonteri pushied himself to the limit trying a “Cab 12” twice but didn't manage a successful landing either time, so Gimpl collected the honors with a smooth “Backside 5” after he had already sticked his “Cab 9” in the first run of the finals. “It was a great competition. The audience was amazing. My big advantage was the fact that the ramp allowed me to jump very high”, the new World Cup title holder summed up. He also added: “It was a pity that Janne (Korpi, FIN) wasn't able to compete today” as Korpi was the only one who could have beaten Gimpl in the race for the big air World Cup title but was forced to take a rest after he had injured his knee at the last half-pipe contest in Bardonecchia.

FIS news
9.02.2008