La Parva, Chile was the site for one of the most action-packed ski contests of the season. The inaugural Swatch Skiers Cup was a world-class event that witnessed epic skiing from Mark Abma, James Heim and more.

Newschoolers was on the scene and breaks down all the action from the Southern Hemi.

Words by Jeff Schmuck
Photos by Jeremy Bernard & Maxim Balakhovskiy

After nearly a week's worth of next level wining, dining and pampering here at the Swatch Skiers Cup in Santiago, Chile, it was finally time to get down to business yesterday with the backcountry slopestyle competition.

The contest, which was the second portion of the inaugural event (following Monday's big mountain frenzy), took place on a rocky, mini-golf filled slope beneath the picturesque and treeless resort of Valle Nevado, which is situated 70 steep and treacherous switchbacks away from Chile's vibrant capital city.

Yesterday's spectacle was set to decide which of the two highly stacked teams (Team Americas, lead by Mark Abma, and Team Europe, lead by Kaj Zackrisson) would win the Skiers Cup, as the 16 competitors were split into two rounds of eight head-to-head heats where the winner of each heat would receive one point for their team, and the team with the most points at the end of the day (which were combined with the points earned in the big mountain competition) would take home the Cup, $20,000 and a year's worth of bragging rights.

Head over to Newschoolers for rest of the recap, winners and photos.