GAME 12 || Matěj Švancer vs. Kuura Koivisto || SLVSH CUP GRANDVALIRA '25

Grandvalira Sunset Park Peretol and Monster Energy are proud to present Slvsh Cup Grandvalira 2025! GAME 12 and the end of quarterfinals between Matěj Švancer and Kuura Koivisto Follow us on instagram and check the hashtag #SlvshCupGrandvalira for release dates and game info. https://www.instagram.com/theslvsh/ Follow Matej and Kuura https://www.instagram.com/shyhim_/ https://www.instagram.com/kuurakoivisto/ Check out Grandvalira and Sunset Park: https://www.instagram.com/grandvalira/ https://www.instagram.com/sunsetparkperetol/ Unleash your beast: https://www.instagram.com/monsterenergy/ SLVSH MERCH : https://www.abstractmall.com/collections/slvsh Beats by : @msn.wav. https://www.instagram.com/msn.wav/ Make sure to check him out!

Kuura Koivisto

Profile and significance

Kuura Koivisto is a Finnish freeski rider whose blend of technical imagination and calm execution has earned him attention across slopestyle, big air, and edit-driven culture. Born in 2000 and aligned with Armada, he is best known to core fans for pushing trick boundaries—he’s credited as the first skier to land a 2160—and for a style that keeps axes clean and grabs honest even at high rotation counts. On the competitive side, he represents Finland on the World Cup circuit, with season points in both big air and slopestyle, while his presence in creative formats like SLVSH and documentary projects signals a dual track: scorecards and storytelling. That combination makes Koivisto one of the notable European riders shaping how modern freeskiing looks and feels.

His significance extends beyond any single podium. In an era where judging rewards mirrored directions, grab integrity, and readable axes, Koivisto’s skiing checks each box while still carrying a distinctive silhouette. He has become a reference among athletes and fans who value tricks that hold up under slow-motion replay and who want the progression narrative—injury, rebuild, return—told with transparency.



Competitive arc and key venues

Koivisto’s pathway runs through Finland’s club system—Mountain Club Ounasvaara—and into FIS starts across Europe and North America, accumulating World Cup points in both disciplines. Appearances at invitational-adjacent sessions, including SLVSH Cup matchups against heavy hitters, established his contest composure in front of cameras as well as judges. The competitive cadence has been steady rather than explosive: qualify clean, protect grab standards in changing wind or light, and place strategic upgrades late in runs when amplitude and speed align.

Certain venues and ecosystems have mattered. The repetition-friendly parks in Rovaniemi at Ounasvaara helped develop his timing and both-way spin literacy on smaller features, while high-exposure scaffolding and alpine courses around Europe refined his takeoff reads and landing management on bigger jumps. Spring lanes at glacial venues and media-heavy stages—where pressure, orientation, and broadcast angles magnify mistakes—reinforced his preference for tricks that look composed rather than chaotic.



How they ski: what to watch for

Koivisto skis with a tall approach and very late rotation initiation, which keeps tips quiet and shoulders level at the lip. That delay buys time for early grab contact and axis definition—why his spins read clearly even when the degree count is pushing limits. He mirrors directions across a run and treats switch approaches as first-class citizens, not just variety padding. On rails, he favors linkable lines that conserve speed—clean feet on long pads, subtle redirections, and exits that set up the next feature rather than forcing a reset.

The trademark look in the air is silhouette control. Whether he’s dialing a double or flirting with triple families, he pins the grab long enough to change how the trick reads to judges and cameras. For viewers, the cue is economy: minimal arm noise, neutral takeoff, held grabs, and bolts landings that keep momentum for finals-day closers.



Resilience, filming, and influence

Koivisto’s documentary “Dream” follows his comeback after a serious knee injury that cost him a chance at a major championship start. The film frames a practical resilience: narrow the trick library to what matters, polish it relentlessly, and return with a tighter identity rather than simply more degree. That mindset also shows in SLVSH appearances, where pressure shifts from judges to peers and cameras; his ability to choose tricks that are high-value yet repeatable under session fatigue has earned respect inside the scene.

Influence-wise, he is part of a new Finnish wave that blends standout difficulty with an insistence on execution. Younger riders reference his 2160 milestone but also cite the way he holds form—grabs pinned, axes tidy, rotations initiated late—so the trick looks composed rather than frantic. As brand projects and films proliferate, expect Koivisto’s clips to be the kind that garner replays because they teach as much as they impress.



Geography that built the toolkit

Finland’s geography—a mix of compact hills, reliable park builds, and long winter nights—naturally emphasizes repetition over vertical. Training at Ounasvaara and similar parks sharpens micro-skills: edge-angle control before the lip, exact speed reads on short in-runs, and consistent grab timing. Those habits transfer efficiently to the World Cup: when a scaffolding big air demands a single perfect hit, or a slopestyle course strings together rails into high-speed jump lanes, the same timing that was drilled at home scales up under pressure.

Layer in European travel—glacier springs, wind-prone alpine bowls, variable snow—and Koivisto’s toolkit becomes venue-agnostic. The common thread is that his tricks look the same on a media day as they do in a qualifier: calm approaches, readable axes, and landings that preserve speed.



Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Koivisto rides Armada park/big-air platforms set up for predictable pop and wall-to-wall neutrality, with optics and softgoods partners that support long contest weeks and night sessions. For progressing skiers, the gear lesson is straightforward: choose a twin tip with a lively but controlled flex; mount near center to balance switch and natural approaches; pair with a binding package that preserves underfoot flex for rail work but tolerates cross-loaded landings off big hits. Keep tuning consistent so speed reads don’t change between training and finals.

Equally important is workflow. Treat a repeatable home park like a laboratory: rehearse quiet arms, late spin initiation, and long grab holds until they’re second nature. Then escalate degree only as fast as you can keep the silhouette clean. That’s the Koivisto template in a sentence.



Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Kuura Koivisto because he represents the sweet spot in modern freeskiing: real innovation—think the 2160—delivered with poise that makes difficult tricks look almost inevitable. His runs are readable on broadcast and satisfying on replay, and his films add narrative to the technique. Progressing riders get a clear blueprint: build mirrored directions, treat grabs as non-negotiable, delay rotation to protect axis, and escalate only when execution holds. Whether he’s logging World Cup points, trading letters in a SLVSH game, or telling a comeback story on film, Koivisto’s skiing explains itself the moment his skis leave the lip.

Matej Svancer

Profile and significance

Matěj Švancer is a Czech-born, Austrian-representing freestyle skier who has rapidly established himself as one of the most complete and dangerous athletes in slopestyle and big air. Born March 26, 2004 in Prague and based at SC Kaprun in Austria, he burst from junior dominance into elite status in just a few seasons—capturing his first World Cup win in October 2021 at the Big Air in Chur and eventually earning the overall Crystal Globe for the Freeski Park & Pipe category in the 2024-25 season. His mix of amplitude, trick innovation, and execution excellence positions him as a generational athlete and a key figure for media, fans and aspiring skiers alike.



Competitive arc and key venues

Švancer’s rise is steep but structured. After early success in junior events—including gold at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Big Air and dual junior world titles in 2021 in Slopestyle and Big Air—he entered the senior World Cup circuit in 2019 and quickly escalated. He began winning major events in the 2021-22 season with back-to-back Big Air World Cup victories in Chur and Steamboat Springs. He represented Austria at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, placing 8th in slopestyle. In the 2024-25 season he captured his first Slopestyle World Cup victory in Stoneham, Canada, and dominated the Park & Pipe overall ranking after wins in Chur (Big Air), Aspen (Big Air) and Stoneham (Slopestyle). Venues that define him include Chur (Switzerland) for Big Air standardization, Aspen Buttermilk (USA) for contest pressure, Stoneham (Canada) for the rise of North American Slopestyle circuits, and Kaprun (Austria) for his training environment.



How they ski: what to watch for

Švancer skis with a tall, composed take-in, minimal upper-body noise, and an uncanny ability to land high-degree spins with smooth axis control and grab clarity. In Big Air sessions he has pushed trick boundaries, notably landing a nose-butter triple-cork 1980 safety in Steamboat Springs—an execution-driven trick that earned his win and signalled his readiness for elite status. He executes switch and natural spin families both ways, mirrors left/right hits fluidly and constructs runs that balance amplitude with grab integrity rather than relying solely on rotation count. On slopestyle courses he is equally comfortable; he links rails, jumps and features with speed, technique and composure so the final booter feels like a natural continuation rather than a standalone spectacle.



Resilience, filming, and influence

Švancer’s competitive consistency amid rapid progression speaks to resilience: transitioning from junior to elite level without the typical dip, navigating judging evolutions and feature-changes while still raising the bar on trick difficulty and style. He has steadily built a brand via projections (his athlete profile is featured on Red Bull) and sponsors such as Faction (skis) and Red Bull, increasing his influence among emerging riders. His combination of results and style makes him a template for how to ski at the highest level today—where execution and innovation matter almost equally.



Geography that built the toolkit

Though born in Prague, Švancer relocated to Kaprun, Austria, at about age ten, integrating into a high-performance winter sports environment and attending a sports-gymnasium in Saalfelden. That base provided access to groomed jump lines, rail terrain and high-altitude repetition—essential to his trick mechanics. European appearances at Chur and Kreischberg sharpened his adaptation to differing light, snow and wind. North American events in Steamboat Springs and Aspen added contest volume, large scaffold features and media exposure. The blend of early repetition at Kaprun, European technical venues and global contest stages underpins his full-toolkit readiness.



Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Švancer is supported by a gear and partner roster that aligns with his demands: he is listed on the Faction Skis team, riding park/big air models designed for pop and durability, and backed by Red Bull among other sponsors. For progressing skiers, the lesson is to match gear with target features: choose a dedicated park-/big-air ski with predictable pop, mount near center for switch balance, and bind it to absorb high-amplitude landings without chatter. Off-hill, emphasize training terrain with repeatable features, seasonally both in Europe and North America if possible, chase amplitude and build both-way trick literacy—and don’t neglect grab execution just because you can spin high.



Why fans and progressing skiers care

Švancer matters because he is not just winning—he is redefining how modern freeski slopestyle and big air are ridden. Fans can expect signature runs with high-amplitude jumps, inventive grabs and mirrored spin sequences executed with composure under pressure. Progressing skiers should study his run construction, late spin initiation and how he builds up to the final hit with momentum and control. His ascent also highlights a reality: in today’s environment you need all-round competence (rails, jumps, switching directions) plus trick innovation—and Švancer embodies that blend. Whether watching the World Cup livestream or studying footage for technique, he is a reference figure for the next era of freeski performance.

Sunset Park Henrik Harlaut by night

Overview and significance

Sunset Park Henrik Harlaut is Grandvalira’s floodlit night snowpark in the Peretol area of Grau Roig, Andorra—a purpose-built, progression-friendly venue named in collaboration with one of freeskiing’s most influential riders. It’s designed for repetition after dark: dependable lighting, compact laps, and a rotating mix of jibs and jumps that stay consistent when evening temperatures lock in the speed. Within the Pyrenees, it’s a standout because you can finish a full day elsewhere on the mountain and still stack productive park attempts under lights. For the resort-wide context, start with Grandvalira’s snowparks hub and the destination overview on Visit Andorra. Inside our own ecosystem, see skipowd.tv/location/andorra/ and the daytime counterpart at skipowd.tv/location/sunrise-park-xavi/ for planning a two-park routine.

What makes Sunset Park special is the cadence. Cold night air stabilizes lips and in-runs, the floodlights keep sightlines clean, and the footprint is compact enough to turn “one more lap” into twenty. Crews can film clips with a consistent look and feel, run coaching drills without crossing half a mountain, and wrap a day of freeride or slopestyle elsewhere with high-quality repetitions in Peretol.



Terrain, snow, and seasons

The park sits alongside the Peretol pistes in the Grau Roig sector at mid-to-high resort elevation by Pyrenees standards. Typical Andorran winters mix Atlantic and Mediterranean weather, bringing quick refreshes and frequent freeze–thaw swings. Nights are the equalizer. As temperatures drop, groomed lanes and salted takeoffs hold a predictable sheen, and the snow stays fast and shapeable—ideal for timing pop and landing stance. When high pressure takes over, you’ll get classic, firm corduroy on the approach early in the session, softening gradually as the evening wears on.

Operational windows vary by season, but the pattern is consistent: afternoon into night sessions on a posted schedule, with feature count scaling to the snowpack. Expect a more jib-forward vibe early winter when base depth is building, then fuller jump lines as coverage grows through mid-season. Always check the resort’s park status before heading over from another sector to make sure the lights are on and the set is live.



Park infrastructure and events

Sunset Park Henrik Harlaut is built around a clean progression ladder. You’ll typically find a small/medium line with boxes, rails, and rollers for first hits, plus medium tables, hips, and creative steel for advancing riders. The shaping philosophy is repetition first: tidy lips, long forgiving landings, and lines that let you take two or three features in sequence, then reset quickly. Rail gardens rotate regularly so there’s always a new puzzle to solve even if you’re lapping the same lane for an hour.

Event energy is grassroots and rider-led. Expect cash-for-tricks evenings, club meetups, and filming nights rather than stadium-scale contests—exactly the kind of sessions that help you progress without sacrificing flow for show. For bigger features or daytime slopestyle variety, pair a day at El Tarter’s flagship park with Sunset Park at night; for fundamentals, run a Sunrise Park Xavi morning in Grau Roig and return to Peretol after dinner to lock in muscle memory under the lights.



Access, logistics, and on-mountain flow

Base your evening in Grau Roig/Peretol for the shortest approach. If you’re already skiing elsewhere in Grandvalira, plan a mid-afternoon transit so you arrive as features open and lips have set. Driving from Andorra la Vella or Encamp is straightforward; parking and local shuttle details are posted on Grandvalira’s site. Because this is a night venue, think “arena” logistics: layer for static time between laps, bring a pocket scraper for quick speed fixes, and swap to a clear or low-light goggle lens before lights come on.

Flow is simple and efficient. Start with a two- or three-feature circuit in the smaller line to calibrate speed and wax, then move to the medium tables and more technical rails once the in-runs feel automatic. When you need a reset, take one groomer lap on the adjacent piste to re-center your timing, then drop back in. If you’re filming, bank the most technical tricks in the first hour under the lights—when surfaces are crisp—then pivot to creative lines and presses as the snow softens slightly later in the session.



Local culture, safety, and etiquette

Sunset Park is compact and popular, so Park SMART rules are non-negotiable. Inspect first; call your drop loudly enough to be heard; hold a predictable line; and clear landings and knuckles immediately. Give shapers room when ropes are up—they’re preserving speed for everyone. Expect a healthy mix of locals, visiting crews, and coached groups; be patient with teaching lanes and slot your laps so takeoffs don’t bunch up.

Nightlighting helps, but shadows and glare can still hide ruts. Take one speed-check hit on any feature you haven’t ridden under lights before, and detune rail contact points while keeping edges sharp enough for firm corduroy. Inside resort boundaries you’re far from avalanche terrain, yet closures and signage still matter—respect any temporary feature or lane closures when the crew is doing touch-ups or safety changes.



Best time to go and how to plan

Mid-winter is prime. Late January through early March usually delivers the coldest, most repeatable night surfaces and the fullest feature sets. Early season is ideal for building rail mileage on smaller sets; spring brings forgiving dusk laps that are perfect for learning new tricks at lower speeds before the lights click on. The winning routine is a two-park day: daytime slopestyle in El Tarter or progression at Sunrise Park Xavi, dinner and a quick tune, then a two-hour focused session at Sunset Park to lock in what you learned.

Check the Grandvalira snowparks page each afternoon for that night’s operating plan, confirm lift access in Grau Roig/Peretol, and pack for cold-soaked stops between laps. If your crew includes non-park skiers, point them to nearby groomers or timing-friendly meeting spots so you can reconvene easily without leaving the lights.



Why freeskiers care

Because Sunset Park Henrik Harlaut turns evening hours into high-value progression. You get reliable lighting, crisp night surfaces, and fast laps on a compact, well-shaped set—plus the freedom to combine it with Grandvalira’s daytime parks for a full, park-first itinerary. If your goal is to learn fast, film clean, and keep momentum when the sun goes down, this is the Pyrenees venue that makes it happen.