Julian Sverresvold and Mia Langridge win the nineteenth edition of the contest, but the top rider in the overall ranking is Dmytro Luchkin from the Grom Men category.
About seventy young snowboarders gathered in the splendid setting of the Italian Alps for the historic Livigno World Rookie Fest 2024, now in its nineteenth edition. Coming from all over the world, including overseas, they showcased their skills and athletic abilities in the beautiful location of the Mottolino Snowpark. The event kicked off on Sunday, January 14 th, with the presentation of the contest dedicated to snowboarders at the Cinelux cinema in the city centre of Livigno. There, the participants had the opportunity to preview the new World Rookie Tour TV Show and were welcomed by Ian Rocca, Marketing Manager at Mottolino SpA. He greeted and praised the incredible level of preparation of the athletes and expressed hopes of seeing them compete in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Livigno.
The following day, in the afternoon, athletes had the opportunity to compete with tricks at the Nitro Rail Jam at night in the Snowpark20 city snowpark, located in the centre of Livigno. Dmytro Luchkin took home the Best Trick award, and snowboarder Mia Langridge is the best female snowboarder! Girl power!
This year, the setup for the slopestyle contest, held at the renowned Mottolino Snowpark, left athletes and coaches in awe, featuring three different lines: L/XL with a rail section, two kickers, a cannon rail, and the M line composed of three kickers and another rail section.
The finals took place on Tuesday, January 16 th, with perfect weather conditions: clear skies and mild temperatures welcomed the riders at altitude. The Women Grom and Rookie categories competed first, followed by the Men Grom and Rookie.
The winner of the World Rookie Fest 2024 was Norwegian Julian Sverrensvold with the following run: Frontside Lipside Sexchange 450 out, FS Blunt 270, FS 1080, Backside Double 1080, 50 – 50 FS 540. Second place went to Lian Garandel (FRA), and third place to Aron Wagner (SUI).
In the Grom Men category, Dmytro Luchkin from Ukraine won for the second consecutive year with a fearless run featuring a Cab 270 in 270 out, Backside 267 in, FS 1080, Backside Triple Cork Stalefish, Fifty-fifty frontside 360, ahead of Samuel Fejgl (CZE) and Leonardo Saraiva (SUI). An impeccable execution that earned him the first place in the overall ranking!
Mia Langridge (GBR) won the Rookie Women category with a Cab 180 Backside 180, Switch Blunt 270, Cab 540, Backside 260, Fifty fifty backside 180. Second place went to Nora Hegge (NOR), and third place to Anette Naevestad (NOR).
In the Grom Women category, Sky Remans (BEL) claimed the top spot on the podium with a run featuring Switch Blunt 270, Switch Board Fakie, Backside 720, Frontside 720, Fifty-fifty indy, winning ahead of Aono Pordie Okaniwa (FRA) and Emine Kinck Grundvold Mathisen (NOR).
All riders on the podium, rookies, groms, males, and females, qualified for the World Rookie Snowboard Finals 2024, which will take place at Kitzsteinhorn Zell am See-Kaprun from March 17th to 22nd.
Finally, the legendary Black Yeti reserved a ticket for the Best Snowboard Team of the event to participate in the international finals of the “Red Bull Hammers with Homies” event, a team contest that will be held in Madonna di Campiglio. The surprises are not over, and in fact, it has been decided to give the ticket to two teams: Norway and France.
This week, we saw the best young snowboarders in action, but it’s not over because these days, another 70 freeskier friends will compete to win a spot in the World Rookie Freeski Finals. Stay connected, today are the qualifications, and tomorrow are the finals.
The future is definitely here!
For those who would like to witness the extraordinary level of these rookies, follow the links below:
Rookie Man Julian Sverrensvold
Grom Man Dmytro Luchkin
Rookie Woman Mia Langridge
Grom Woman Sky Remans
Photogalley Livigno World Rookie Fest 2024
Photo Credits: Teo Trabucchi
Video Credits: Federico Romanello, Mattia Caravello
