By Nick Butler

Evan Strong will be among those looking to take their Sochi 2014 form into the World Cup season ©Getty ImagesReigning Paralympic and world champion Evan Strong of the United States will be among 40 snowboarders competing in the World and Europa Cup debut of banked slalom races starting tomorrow in Landgraaf, The Netherlands.


The competition will be the sport's biggest test since the Sochi 2014 in March and will act as a curtain-raiser for a season set to culminate with the World Championships in the Spanish resort of La Molina in February. 

Banked slalom races will consist of a new format in which riders race head-head after an initial qualification round, while competition will also take place in two separate classification categories for the first time. 

As well as the SB-LL1 category for those with a significant impairment in one leg or a significant combined impairment in both legs, a SB-LL2 classification for athletes with an impairment in one or two legs or with less activity limitation has been introduced.

Strong, who led a US clean sweep on the sport's Paralympic debut in Sochi, will ride in the SB-LL2 event alongside silver and bronze medal winning compatriots, Mike Shea and Keith Gabel.

"My goals for the season are to keep progressing, keep learning," Strong said ahead of the opener. 

"I'm extremely excited that there are more disciplines.

"I'm also really excited that there have been new divisions created for upper-limb [at La Molina 2015] and above-knee amputees."

The World Cup will mark the start of Bibian Mentel Spee's bid for a second Paralympic title in Pyeongchang, when she will be 45 ©AFP/Getty ImagesThe World Cup will mark the start of Bibian Mentel Spee's bid for a second Paralympic title in Pyeongchang, when she will be 45 ©AFP/Getty Images



Strong will not be the only Sochi 2014 champion in Landgraaf as Bibian Mentel-Spee of The Netherlands will also compete on home snow, where her biggest challenge in the women's SB-LL2 event could come from another American, Heidi-Jo Duce.

"I'm really looking forward to the first banked slalom, that's going to be really exciting," the Dutch star admitted.

"It will be interesting to see how the banked slalom and boarder-cross format is going to work out for me.

"I'm fit, I'm feeling good.

"The first competitions are going to be a test - have I done enough?"

Competition will begin with the Europa Cup tomorrow before the World Cup on Thursday (November 20).

A full calendar of events coming up this season can be found here. 

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October 2014: IPC Alpine Skiing announce classification split for lower-limb impaired snowboarders
August 2014: Spanish ski resort La Molina to host 2015 Para-Snowboard World Championships
April 2014: New slalom Para-snowboard event to be pioneered after successful Sochi debut