James Woods prevails over Klaus Finne in Big Air final: Backyard Battle
The third edition of the Backyard Battle contest wrapped up with an exciting Big Air contest on Thursday, 7th April, at Andreas Hatveit’s home in Sudndalen, Norway.
The finale proved to be nothing short of a spectacular battle between two extremely talented professional freestyle skiers. By the end of it, British freeskier James Woods, who had won the rail jam contest just one day before, stood tall after clinching
his second victory of the event.
He accomplished the feat by defeating the defending champion from Norway, Klaus Finne. Another Norwegian, Thomas Dolplads, rounded out the podium after finishing in third place.
After successfully overcoming Norway’s PC Fosse in the quarterfinals and Dolplads in the semifinals, Woods progressed to the final stage of the big air contest. Now at the last stage, he understood that he was up against someone who had also prevailed over
numerous competitors to get a coveted spot in the final. There was absolutely no room for error, as even the slightest of hiccup was very much capable of costing one the battle.
Woods braced himself to face his rival, Finne, in a head-to-head battle with a best-of-five format. As the final showdown begun, Woods did not waste too much time to put his opponent under pressure. He pulled off flawless double cork 1260s in his first two
jumps to attain an early lead.
However, Finne had no intention of letting the British deprive him off the win that easily. While Woods failed to successfully land a switch 1260 in the third jump, Finne got back in the race for the win after pulling off a clean switch cork 9 shifty.
The fourth jump turned out to be a decisive one, as Woods sealed the fate of the contest with a cork seven truck driver. Finne attempted a double cork 10 but failed to land it successfully, extinguishing his chances to clinch the win.
“I am stoked, it feels so great, just brilliant, I came here with no expectations at all,” said an ecstatic Woods in a post-contest interview. “I was just stoked to be invited so to win the big air and the rail jam, I just cannot say enough how stoked I
am!”
Norway’s Dolplads rounded out the podium after besting Ole Mustad in the consolation round.
Commenting on the climax of the Backyard Battle, Hatveit said, “It was a super sick night for sure. Thomas Dolplads, Klaus Finne and Woodsy had the tricks to take it all the way. Klaus had bad luck on his landings all night but Woodsy laid down clean 12s
every time and deservedly won the title, so overall a great night and a super end to the event.”
The final night of the contest was indeed loaded with exciting action and thrilling battles. Woods will surely remember his remarkable performance on the Norwegian soil for a long time to come.
Tags: