Big air's Olympic prequel in Pyeongchang

The next Winter Olympics are still 15 months away, but big air snowboarders will get an opportunity to test out the venue this weekend.

This weekend's FIS World Cup event doubles as the first Olympic test event in Pyeongchang, South Korea. With big air making its debut at the Games in 2018, this event has additional significance.

"We aim to use this week as an important learning experience for staff across all our functional areas to ensure that we deliver the best competition for everyone involved next season," Lee Hee-beom, the president and CEO of Pyeongchang 2018, said in a press release.

The lead-up to the event had an inauspicious start on Thursday, as practice runs were cancelled due to an elevator malfunction at the Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre.

Tough start to #BigAir Alpensia - training was cancelled today because they were unable to get the elevator working.https://t.co/SjWZB1JzHB http://pic.twitter.com/QZHbCCaYau

— @CBCOlympics

Mechanical issues notwithstanding, it will be a competitive field in Pyeongchang, with eight of the FIS top 10 snowboarders competing in the men's division. However, top-ranked Marcus Kleveland of Norway is not listed on the qualification start lists; the 17-year-old won the big air event in Milan earlier this month and followed that up with a first-place finish in the Air + Style event in Beijing.

What makes the jump different?

Canada's Mark McMorris appreciates the ability to get the "lay of the land" ahead of big air's inaugural Olympics. McMorris added this week's event will allow him to get a feel for the non-traditional big air jump in South Korea.

This event will consist of a jump in which the depression of a sunken stadium — in this case at a ski jump facility — is used as the landing area.

Mark McMorris hopes to use the upcoming big air event in Pyeongchang as a trial run for the sport's Olympic debut at the same venue. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Workers are building the take (jump), deck (flat area where the jump transitions to the landing) and the landing itself entirely out of snow, as they would at a resort. The landing is also groomed up and down as it would be at a resort.

Most other big air jumps are built entirely out of scaffolding, with the landing, ramp and drop-in constructed from the ground up, like the one at last week's Air + Style event at the Bird's Nest National Stadium in Beijing, where the 2022 Winter Games will be held.

A look at the setup for the big air event in Pyeongchang. While the take is built with the usual scaffolding, the deck and landing are built into the sunken seats of an outdoor stadium. (Adam Burwell)

"Normally the builders are limited by the capacity of the scaffolding," McMorris' manager Adam Burwell said, "in turn making it difficult to get the landing completely smooth.

"It's the most insane setup, not an average scaffolding jump that I compete on around the world," McMorris added. "I'm looking forward to hitting it."

Riders to watch

McMorris, who earned bronze in his return to competition after a broken femur, headlines the six Canadian men at the event. Max Parrot, who did not compete at the first World Cup event, will look to debut his recently honed double backside rodeo 1440, while Sebastien Toutant and Darcy Sharpe are coming off podium finishes in Beijing last weekend.

Three-time #XGames gold medalist Max Parrot just stomped the first double backside rodeo 1440 on record » https://t.co/iypVEksGzX http://pic.twitter.com/DYpfUDAslH

— @XGames

McMorris expects a huge following when big air makes its Olympic debut in 2018, given snowboard slopestyle's popularity at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

"In Sochi, snowboard slopestyle was the most-viewed event next to the men's hockey gold-medal game [between Canada and Sweden]," he said. "I imagine fans will tune into big air and be just as excited.

"It's progressive, cool, there's style, personality. The Olympics need sports like this, bobsledding and skeleton. For [today's] youth and the adults that watch, it's just mind-boggling what we're doing and I think people love it."

The Canadians will face stiff competition from Belgium's Seppe Smits, who finished second in Milan, as well as American Chris Corning.

On the women's side, American Jamie Anderson makes her season debut on the World Cup circuit. The slopestyle gold medallist from Sochi won the big air World Cup event in Quebec last season.

She'll be in tough against Milan winner and compatriot Jessika Jenson, with Canadian Brooke Voight looking to improve on her 13th-place finish.

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Big air's Olympic prequel in Pyeongchang