Learning a triple cork is fast-becoming a necessity to win slopestyle and big air competitions this year. Most riders learn the trick in practice and bring it to the big show, but that’s not how it worked for Seppe Smits at this year’s X Games. One of the most skilled and consistent riders around, Seppe not only landed his first triple cork ever during X Game’s Big Air, he went on to land 6 in a row, all during the contest. The next day he went on to grab 3rd in Slopestyle, not a bad weekend.
Congrats on your X Games bronze medal in slopestyle, what did you think of this year’s course?
It was the best slopestyle course I’ve ever ridden in my life. It wasn’t easy to lay down a run since there were 8 features in a row, but everything was just shaped perfectly and it was a lot of fun riding it.
In Big Air, you landed about 6 triple corks in a row, had you ever landed one before?
Nope, actually not. Those were the first ones I have landed in my life. I tried one 2 years ago in Mammoth but I smashed my face in the landing, so it took me a little while to find the confidence to try it again. But I think it was just the right time and the right pressure to try it again that night!
So you basically learned how to triple during the contest? What motivated you to try it then, of all places?
Yes I did! X Games is definitely a special contest with a lot of pressure. I think I was able to transfer that pressure into adrenaline to try the triple.
Are you feeling pretty confident with that trick now? Can we except to see that in a slopestyle run from you now?
I’m for sure feeling less scared to do it now and if the jump is right in a slopestyle I’m sure I’ll give it a try. I actually tried it in the slopestyle at X-Games too the next day but I wasn’t able to land it perfect.
What’s the next contest on your schedule?
The next one will be the Burton European Open in Laax.
Do you think a landing a triple in slope is going to become a requirement for 1st pretty soon? Or is it already like that?
That’s just going depend on the slopestyle course. If the jumps are big enough for a triple I’m sure someone is going try it.
(Seppe posing with slopestyle gold medal winner Mark McMorris. Photos: Moran)
