The first titles at the LAAX OPEN 2026 presented by Zalando are decided: Eileen Gu (CHN) and Birk Ruud (NOR) claim the slopestyle victories. Both riders repeat their wins from last year, while Ruud celebrates his third consecutive victory at the FIS Freeski World Cup in LAAX.
Eileen Gu dominates the women’s final: In the women’s competition, Eileen Gu takes control early. With a stylish left double cork 1080 blunt in her first run, she moves clearly into the lead with 85.13 points and leaves the rest of the field behind. It marks a very special milestone for Gu: her 20th career World Cup victory and, officially, the all-time record for the most wins in Freeski World Cup history.
“As a woman, holding this record means an incredible amount to me,” Gu says after her victory.Behind her, Marin Hamill (USA) finishes second. Austria’s Lara Wolf improves significantly in her second run and moves up into third place. Olympic champion and home favorite Mathilde Gremaud struggles on the rails in both runs and ends her home World Cup in seventh place.
2024, 2025, 2026 – Birk Ruud writes LAAX history. The LAAX slopestyle course continues to suit Birk Ruud perfectly. The Norwegian impresses the judges with a highly technical and clean first run, including a switch left double cork 1620 blunt. With 85.08 points, he secures the win by the narrowest of margins. “Landing my first run today was a huge relief. I am overwhelmed and very, very thankful,” Ruud says.The men’s final is extremely tight at the top. Matej Svancer (AUT) delivers a spectacular and versatile run to claim second place, while Evan McEachran (CAN) completes the podium in third. LAAX local and crowd favorite Andri Ragettli is loudly cheered by the home crowd but finishes seventh despite improving in his second run. Nils Rhyner, who lives in LAAX, is the second local rider in the field and makes a strong impression with a solid 12th place.
