Anderson takes third at LAAX Open

By USSA

LAAX, Switzerland – Jamie Anderson (Meyers) scored a third-place podium finish at one of the most prestigious contests of the year — the LAAX Open — which served as a stop on the FIS World Cup Tour for the first time in 2017.

Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) also had a strong showing for the women, finishing just off the podium in fourth. Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.), who is fresh off his first World Cup podium at Kreischberg last week, was fourth for the men.

The podium was Anderson’s third of the year, after a stellar December that featured wins in big air at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain and slopestyle at the Breckenridge Dew Tour.

“I’m really happy,” Anderson said of the finish. “It was a great contest, really progressive.”

Enni Rukajarvi of Finland won the women’s event, while Austria’s Anna Gasser continued her highly successful season with a second-place finish. Also making a strong showing for the American women was Hailey Langland (San Clemente), who finished sixth as the youngest competitor in the field (16).

For Gerard, it was another excellent finish in a year that is proving to be a breakout one for the 16-year-old Coloradan. The strong Canadian men swept the podium—Max Parrot scored his second World Cup win of the season after winning the big air at the Copper Grand Prix, Mark McMorris was second and Tyler Nicholson was third.