Moritz Thönen is the current Swiss Champion in slopestyle. This makes him one to watch at the international events as well. We decided to spend the day with him during slopestyle qualifications and got to learn a bit more about this 20 years old from Thun.
As the current national champion in a pre-olympic year, there is always a need to collect points to qualify for Pyeongchang. However, Moritz stresses that he has always really enjoyed the Laax Open and that he would be happy to be here anyway. It’s a great opportunity to measure himself against some of the very best riders in the world — guys like Mark McMorris, Marcus Kleveland and Darcy Sharpe.
Asked about his favorite feature in the course, Moritz mentions the rail section right after the start. As you can see in the pictures, Moritz is a very well-rounded rider who is riding really strong on the kickers as well. This is also what Moritz is looking forward to after the contest season: riding everything with his friends back at his home resort in Grindelwald.
Moritz predicts that two Canadians and a Scandinavian will land on the podium, but if he continues to ride as strong as today, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the finals giving those stars a run for their money.
Good luck for the rest of the Laax Open, Moritz and thanks for your time!