Brookes – who will turn 18 the day after the Laax finals, on Sunday – also leads the Big Air World Cup standings after finishing within the top three at every big air event this season, including back-to-back wins in Beijing and Klagenfurt in December and January respectively. The British teenager was also runner-up at the slopestyle season-opener in Cardrona behind winner Kokomo Murase (JPN).
The 20-year-old Japanese rider’s performances this season have been varied. After her Cardrona victory, Murase finished fourth at Big Air Chur in October, then eighth at the next big air contest in Beijing despite topping qualifications. Murase again topped big air qualifications in Klagenfurt but finished last in the final, and she did…