Birk Ruud's, centre, exceptional second run led him to the win ©FIS

Norway's Birk Ruud took out the men's competition at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Freeski Slopestyle World Cup on the Seiser Alm course in the Dolomites, Italy. 

With the X Games starting in five days and riders attending the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games, it was a new-look field, with few clean runs early on.

But Ruud showed his class in the second run, with a wallride to backside blind swap transfer on the wall to down rail, delivering a winning score of 92.91.

Fabian Boesch of Switzerland finished in second on 89.78, with Stevenson Colby of the United States rounding out the podium on 88.08.

In the women's competition, American Caroline Claire stomped a switch dub 9 on the second jump and oozed style through the rails to register 86.13.

Last out was Norway's Johanne Killi, who ran out of speed on the second jump and could only finish second with a score of 81.30.

In third place was Canada's Elena Gaskell on 79.68.  

The next slopestyle competition takes place in Mammoth, United States, on February 1.