Ruben Rosenfor’s season premiere at the World Cup did not go as planned. When the luggage did not arrive in the US, the Kiruna rider missed the first day of training and was forced to practice on rental equipment to get a first idea of the course.
Ahead of Thursday’s qualifier, Ruben received help from Burton Sweden, who quickly ensured he could compete on competitive equipment by arranging snowboards and boots on site in Aspen. With only one hour of training before the season’s first World Cup competition, Ruben showed proof of both a strong mentality and high capacity.
– It’s extremely fun to see how Ruben tackles the challenge he still faced. With delayed luggage giving him only an hour of fair practice, putting down two runs is a strong bet. He shows proof of stability and that he is consistent in his riding, which bodes well for the Laax Open here in a week, says Niklas Mattsson, the national captain of Snowboard Team Sweden.
Personal best and strength report for upcoming competitions
The race in Aspen was Ruben’s fourth World Cup start of his career and resulted in a 33rd place finish – his best World Cup result to date. Previously, his top placings have been a 36th place in big air in Edmonton 2022 and a 43rd place in slopestyle in Laax 2023. To now beat his personal best, despite minimal preparation and challenging external circumstances, was a clear receipt of Ruben’s development and level.
– I am satisfied with my contribution here. I had to set both of my runs that were planned according to the preparation I received, says Ruben and continues:
– The riding feels really good and I feel safe to step into Laax and go full throttle so I have a great feeling for next week, where hopefully I will get the luggage in time and can do that competition fairly.
