Due to high winds, the qualification round originally scheduled for 11 February 2018 was cancelled. All athletes competed in a two-run final round instead of the typical two-run qualification round and three-run final round.
Due to the high winds on the final day, the snowboarding event was delayed for more than an hour.[3] The strong headwinds continued into the final, causing many falls amongst the competitors.[4][5][6] Of the 25 participants, only five managed to stay on their feet during the first run. No snowboarders recorded two clear runs.[7] Several snowboarders said that the final was irresponsible. According to the FIS, the conditions were "within the norm".[7]
The 2014 Olympic champion Jamie Anderson successfully defended her title. Laurie Blouin won the silver medal, and Enni Rukajärvi, the 2014 silver medalist, the bronze. The gold medal score would have placed 7th in the 2014 Olympics; the silver and bronze medal scores would have failed to qualify in the 2014 Olympics.
The top 30 athletes in the Olympic quota allocation list qualified (for both big air and slopestyle, the rankings were combined). This meant only a maximum of 30 could qualify across both events. A maximum of four athletes per National Olympic Committee (NOC) was allowed. All athletes qualifying must also have placed in the top 30 of a FIS World Cup event or the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2017 during the qualification period (July 1, 2016 to January 21, 2018) and also have a minimum of 50 FIS points to compete. If the host country, South Korea did not qualify, their chosen athlete would displace the last qualified athlete, if all qualification criteria were met.[8]
