FIS does the mindblowing math on snowboard park and pipe air time

US Snowboard Team athlete Chase Blackwell. Photo: courtesy of Chase Blackwell (Facebook)

SWITZERLAND — Now that the season is over, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has crunches some mind-numbing numbers regarding its Snowboard Park & Pipe discipline. They include some big Big Air air time.

One particular standout individual performance came from Australian athlete Valentino Gueseli with a total time spent in the air at FIS competitions estimated** to be 3,282 seconds, or 54.7 minutes.

He won the most FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe World Cup starts in one season (13); first rider to podium in all three FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe World Cup events in one season; first rider to finish top-three on all four FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe World Cup season rankings (big air, halfpipe, slopestyle and overall); most FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe points earned in one season (625 points*); first Australian to win big air crystal globe.

• Finals runs completed: 20
• Qualification runs completed: 28
• Training runs completed (estimate*): 422

*Based off calculation of 12 runs per day training [including WSCs slopestyle before he withdrew due to injury], plus 5 runs per day training qualification and finals days, plus qualification and finals runs

**Based off calculation of 9s/run in halfpipe & slopestyle x 312, 3s/run big air x 158

Other milestones and records recorded by FIS for 2023 include:

• Team USA snowboarder Julia Marino (Connecticut): Second women in World Cup history to win three-straight slopestyle competitions
• Team USA snowboarder Chase Blackwell (Colorado): First World Cup Podium – 3rd place, Mammoth Mountain U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe