Alicia Bonnaud pic by Marcel Lammerhirt

Fifteen-year-old Sébastien Toutant from Canada and 14- year-old Alicia Bonnaud from France won Friday’s junior slopestyle competition, the first event at the ninth annual Burton European Open taking place this week in Laax, Switzerland.

In the younger kids division, 13-year-old Scott James from Australia and 13-year-old Emma Claire Bernard from France took the top spots on the podium.

Sebastien Toutant pic by Marcel Lammerhirt

Sébastien had this to say after the awards ceremony, “I’m really stoked about getting first place, the course and the level of the riding in the competition. I look forward to competing in the men’s slopestyle competition later this week where I hope to make it far enough to compete alongside snowboard champions like Shaun White. Hopefully, I can pick up a few new tricks from the big pros.”

In the boys junior competition, Sébastien stomped a backside lipslide on the first rail, a frontside 180 over the gap to set up for a fakie rock on the mini ramp, a 270 into a front board 270 out on the box, a backside air on the QP, and then a backside 7 mute grab, frontside 5 indy, and Cab 7 through the jumps for his winning run. Canadian Zak Stone got second followed by Finnish rider Petia Piiroinen, younger brother of two-times BEO Champion Peetu Piiroinen, on third place.

In the girls junior division, Alicia took the lead with a front board to boardslide, a nose grab over the gap, rock to fakie on the mini ramp, 50-50 on the box, backside air on the QP and a
nosegrab, frontside 3 and a mute grab over the 3 jumps. Silie Norendal and Kari Opsal completed the podium with second and third rank with solid runs.

More than 100 riders 16 years old and younger competed for top honors at Europe’s premier
snowboard event. The youngest rider competing, Seamus O’Connor from USA, is just ten-years-old and took second place in his age division.

Fourteen European nations as well as Japan, Canada, USA and Australia were represented in the competition, where the younger kids charged hard – many attempting adult-sized tricks like backside rodeos, 900s and back-to-back 720s.

Slopestyle Boys Juniors Results
1. Sébastien Toutant CAN O’Neil 74.5
2. Zak Stone CAN Volcom 71.8
3. Petja Piiroinen FIN Flow 70.5
4. Ben Watts USA Burton 68.3
5. Fredrik Wessel NOR Quiksilver 62.8

Slopestyle Girls Juniors Results
1. Alicia Bonnaud FRA Ride 48.0
2. Silje Norendal NOR Roxy 46.2
3. Kari Opsal Maeland NOR Protest 40.8
4. Mirabelle Thovex FRA --------- 36.5
5. Aimee Fuller GBR Roxy 32.5

Slopestyle Boys Youth Results
1. Scott James AUS Quiksilver 56.0
2. Seamus O’Connor USA Burton 41.8
3. Tim-Kevin Ravnjak SLO Burton 41.7

Slopestyle Girls Youth Results
1. Emma Claire Bernard FRA Roxy 26.5
2. Katarzyna Rusin POL ------- 22.2
3. Chloe Trespeuch FRA ------- 17.0