Men's Snowboarding Slopestyle Olympics 2014: Full Qualifier Results and Scores

The Sochi Winter Olympics have begun with a spot of slopestyle snowboarding in the Russian snow.

Four places in the men's final were up for grabs during both qualification heats. These pit challengers with performing flips, grabs and other tricks down a terrain of rails and jumps along the Caucasus Mountains. 

Six judges were on point to dish out the scores, all of which are marked out of 100. Difficulty, creativity and final execution are the main criteria to satisfy, while a little originality also goes a long way.

Let's take a look at the men's qualification scores, per the Winter Olympics' official website.

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Heat Rank	Name	Nation	Best Score
1.	Staale Sandbech*	NOR	94.50
2.	Peetu Piiroinen*	FIN	90.75
3.	Sebastian Toutant*	CAN	87.25
4.	Jamie Nicholls*	GBR	86.75
5.	Charles Guldemond	USA	86.00
6.	Billy Morgan	GBR	85.50
7.	Niklas Mattsson	SWE	82.75
8.	Emil Andre Ulsletten	NOR	79.75
9.	Charles Reid	CAN	75.50
10.	Alexey Sobolev	RUS	63.00
11.	Scotty James	AUS	44.00
12.	Lucien Koch	SUI	32.00
13.	Yuki Kadono	JPN	31.00
14.	Mattias Weissenbacher	AUT	28.75
15.	Torgeir Bergrem	NOR	25.00

Heat 1 Recap

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Staale Sandbech recovered from a disappointing opening run to claim the dominant score of the first heat. The Norwegian fell during his initial attempt—producing a measly score of 45.25—but the medal contender only needed one more opportunity to highlight his potential.

A second-run score of 94.50 sets the pace right now, but Sandbech certainly can't afford to relax. Peetu Piiroinen is ranked No. 1 for this competition and posted two excellent attempts down the Russian course.

The 25-year-old opened with 90.75 and followed this with an 80.00. Such was the power of his first score, Piiroinen wasn't ousted by Canada's Sebastien Toutant or Jamie Nicholls of Great Britain, who both qualified with second runs of 87.25 and 86.75 respectively.

Nicholls can be especially pleased with his effort after bumping Charles Guldemond, who is ranked No. 2, away from the automatic qualification spots, as noted by NBC journalist Skyler Wilder:

Guldemond will now have to improve his game in the semifinals if he is to make the medal contest on Feb. 8.

Heat Rank	Name	Nation	Best Score
1.	Maxence Parrot*	CAN	97.50
2.	Roope Tonteri*	FIN	95.75
3.	Sven Thorgren*	SWE	94.25
4.	Gjermund Braaten*	NOR	91.25
5.	Seppe Smits	BEL	91.00
6.	Clemens Schattschneider	AUT	90.00
7.	Mark McMorris	CAN	89.25
8.	Sage Kotsenburg	USA	86.50
9.	Ryan Stassel	USA	81.00
10.	Jan Scherrer	SUI	74.50
11.	Ville Paumola	FIN	54.75
12.	Janne Korpi	FIN	49.75
13.	Seamus O'Connor	IRL	40.00
14.	Adrian Krainer	AUT	24.25

Heat 2 Recap

Sandbech may have impressed during the opening heat, but the overall performance of Maxence Parrot stole the show by the day's conclusion. He was the first rider to take on the 3rd rail feature, and after successfully doing so, felt the benefit on his score, per Jason Blevins of The Denver Post:

Roope Tonteri previously took top spot with an impressive 95.75, blitzing his first-run mistake of 33.75. He was followed closely by Sven Thorgren, who botched his second landing after posting a nerve-calming opener of 94.25.

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Gjermund Braaten became the second Norwegian to confirm his place in the final with a handy 91.25, building on Sandbech's excellent showing with a confident performance of his own.

American riders didn't enjoy the same success during qualification, with zero gaining an automatic route to the final.

Current slopestyle hotshot Mark McMorris attempted to match the stunning form of Canadian teammate Parrot, but he fell heavily during his first effort. McMorris, regarded by many as a favourite for gold, also failed to qualify with a second score of 89.25—a total that appeared harsh on inspection, as noted by American TV presenter Sal Masekela:

Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald followed with a statement from McMorris discussing the score:

Although this would have been enough to easily advance through Heat 1, he will compete in Feb. 8's semifinal for a place in the medal run.