O’Neill have just released this Hollywood-style trailer for their flagship comp, the O’Neill Evolution, which will be held in Davos, in Switzerland next week. Last year, as the footage in the video shows, Davos got absolutely dumped during Evolution week. Pundits, journos and pros who’d been knocked out early had a whale of a time shredding epic powder. But it did mean that the big air finals were a little bit tricky, with the biggest kicker on the course being put out of commission by the thick blanket of snow. This year however the contest promises to be a good one.

Except… this season is an Olympic qualifying year. While riders would normally jump at the chance to compete in a 6-Star WST Contest like the O’Neill Evolution, those who want to qualify for the five-ringed circus have to get a certain number of FIS points. And with a FIS World Cup taking place at Copper Mountain in the US this weekend, and the FIS World Championships scheduled for Stoneham in Quebec next week, many top riders may not be able to make it.

Needless to say, this is exactly the kind of scheduling clash it was hoped would be avoided when slopestyle was introduced as an Olympic discipline…