Moguls, aerials, ski cross and halfpipe competitions were held for both men and women at the Olympic venue, which will host all freestyle skiing and snowboarding events during the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, with many of the athletes praising the newly-built facilities.
"It's got huge potential,” said Canada’s Mike Riddle afterward finishing third in the men’s halfpipe. “I can't believe how amazing it will be for the Winter Games, with moguls, halfpipe and aerials all in the same spot."
The men’s halfpipe was won by 17-year-old American Torin Yater-Wallace, who clinched gold ahead of compatriot Gus Kenworthy, while Switzerland’s Virginie Faivre won the women’s halfpipe ahead of Canadians Rosalind Groenewoud and Keltie Hansen. Afterwards, Groenewoud revealed how pleased she was to have competed well on the Olympic pipe ahead of next year’s Winter Games.
"It definitely gives me a confidence boost going into next year, knowing that I can perform well on this pipe,” she said. “It gives me a little bit of a nugget but I know that I need to really work hard.”
China dominated the aerials competitions at Rosa Khutor, with Xu Mengtao and Qi Guangpu winning the women’s and men’s events respectively, while Canada’s Mikaël Kingsbury won the men’s moguls, with American Hannah Kearney taking victory in the women’s event. Sweden’s Victor Öhling Norberg and Canadian Kelsey Serwa won the men’s and women’s ski-cross competitions respectively.
Rosa Khutor Extreme Park lies to the west of the Rosa Khutor plateau and is located at an altitude of approximately 1,200 metres above sea level. It features specialised courses for ski and snowboard cross, slopestyle, halfpipe, freestyle aerial and mogul competitions and snowboard parallel slaloms.