Published Dec 20, 2025
Gaon Choi delivered the only 90-plus run in the women’s final to defend Copper and open the season with consecutive wins. The 17-year-old closed with a 94.50 to move past Sena Tomita, consolidating her World Cup lead after also topping Secret Garden.
Ryusei Yamada claimed his maiden World Cup victory with a 94.50 second run, leading a Japanese one-two with Yuto Totsuka. It is Yamada’s first career win and underscores Japan’s early-season control of the men’s halfpipe.
Totsuka’s second place extends his all-time Park and Pipe World Cup podium record to 23.
Copper was the second of seven halfpipe stops in the 2025–26 World Cup season; Calgary hosts the next round between 31 December and 3 January.
Women’s podium
- Gaon Choi, South Korea, 94.50.
- Sena Tomita, Japan, 88.75.
- Bea Kim, United States, 75.25.
Men’s podium
- Ryusei Yamada, Japan, 94.50.
- Yuto Totsuka, Japan, 90.50.
- Valentino Guseli, Australia, 84.75.
The women’s final featured seven national associations, with Tomita earning her 11th World Cup podium and Bea Kim returning to the steps after a year away through injury.
The men’s final placed three nations on the podium. After Yamada’s 94.50, Valentino Guseli secured third in his return from injury, while Shuichiro Shigeno missed a Japanese podium sweep by three points.
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Article Sources: https://www.fis-ski.com/snowboard-park-and-pipe/news/2025-26/back-to-back-wins-for-choi-as-yamada-claims-his-first-world-cup-victory
Image Source: FIS/ActionPress/Andrew Wevers
