Canada's Christopher Robanske led snowboard cross qualification in Pyeongchang ©FIS

Canada's Christopher Robanske posted the fastest qualification time in today's time trial for the International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard Cross World Cup at Bokwang Phoenix Park, an event doubling as an official test event for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Robanske, a 26-year-old from Calgary, finished joint 17th at Sochi 2014 but has improved to fifth in this season's World Cup standings.

He produced a superb time trial down the purpose-built course - designed by his countryman Jeff Ihaksi of White Industries Ltd - in 1min 12.37sec.

That was two hundredths of a second faster than Austria's 2009 world champion Markus Schairer.

Winter X Games bronze medallist Konstantin Schad of Germany lies third in 1:12.62.

The South Korean course is considered
The South Korean course is considered "big and imposing" while also "tricky and technical" ©FIS

France's overall World Cup leader Ken Vuagnoux qualified fourth in 1:13.00 ahead of Austria's Julian Lueftner in 1:13.23.

Men's competition is due to continue on Saturday (February 27) with knock-out action building up to a final at 12pm local time.

The women are scheduled to hold their qualifying competition tomorrow. 

The course has been praised so far for its blend of big and improsing jumps and descents with more technical twists and turns.

This event  follows a successful slopestyle World Cup which concluded at Bokwang Phoenix Park on Sunday (February 21).