18-year-old Freeride World Qualifier competitor Elwyn Roy Freeman died after taking a bad fall at the La Hoya Freeride World Qualifier 2* event in Esquel, Argentina yesterday, September 24th, 2016.

He fell during the competition at La Hoya ski resort and died yesterday afternoon in a hospital in Esquel due to the severe injuries suffered in her fall.  It’s being reported that Elwyn suffered severe chest injuries after colliding with rocks during his fall.

Elwyn was from Trevelin, Argentina, a town only 25 miles from La Hoya ski resort.

La Hoya ski resort is in the town of Esquel, Argentina which is 190 miles south of Bariloche, Argentina.

There have been 3 Freeride World Qualifiers in South America this year:

• Penitentes, Argentina
• Chapelco, Argentina
• La Hoya, Argentina

This is first death in a Freeride World Tour or Freeride World Qualifier that we know of.  However, two female Freeride World Tour competitors have died this year outside of competition.  One was the current snowboard champion.

Freeride World Tour champion Estelle Balet, 21,  died in an avalanche in Switzerland in April 2016 while filming.  

Freeride World Tour competitor Maltilda Rapaport, 30, died in an avalanche in Chile in July 2016 while filming.

“ACCIDENTE EN EL FREERIDE WORLD QUALIFIER
El presente comunicado tiene por objeto brindar nuestras más sentidas condolencias a la familia de Elwyn Roy Freeman, quien falleciera esta tarde en el Hospital de Esquel, a raíz de las lesiones ocasionadas por una caída accidental durante la competencia del circuito Freeride World Qualifier, que tuvo lugar en el cerro.
Acompañamos en este difícil momento a sus familiares y amigos.” – La Hoya ski resort, yesterday

 BASIC TRANSLATION:

Our condolences to the family of Elwyn Roy Freeman, who passed away this afternoon in the Esquel Hospital due to injuries suffered from an accidental fall during the Freeride World Qualifier competition that occurred on the mountain.

LA HOYA, ARGENTINA FREERIDE WORLD TOUR QUALIFIER 2* INFO:

Closing an amazing season in Argentina, La Hoya ski resort is proud to announce LA HOYA – FREERIDE 2 stars FWQ event. At the end of the seasson, and with the spring entering in the South, Patagonia, La Hoya offer the best snow conditions at this time a year. La Hoya’s beautiful scenary shows a playfull terrain, with nice lines and original jumps.

• Elevation: 6,312′ – 5,775′
• Vertical drop: 538′
• Length of slope: 1181′
• Steepness: Max 42°  
• Average snow depth:  31″

La Hoya gives everyone one last chance to score FWQ points in the Andes, while also offering up some fantastic venues and legendary hospitality.

First, the venues. While the safety crew has not announced the final determination yet, the competition is most likely to take place in the Avalancha sector of the mountain. Line choices here are many, with plenty of features, large to small. The area is easily accessible from the resort, and a small hike takes athletes to the starting zone, where they have the opportunity to get immediately into the action, courtesy of a large cornice that runs across the top of the venue. Drop the cornice, head for your choice of cliffed zones and do your best to impress the judges!

A secondary venue, Lasgujas, can also be brought into play. Smaller and more compact than the Avalancha sector, it features several defined chutes guarded by spiny rocks. It’s a great place for powder turns and for fun riding and a good backup if needed.

Finally, there’s the ski area of La Hoya itself. This is a magical place, far south in the Patagonia region of Argentina, and located outside of the town of Esquel, it’s approximately 175 miles south of San Carlos de Bariloche. The region clocks up impressive snowfall, with an average of 9 meters of snow annually, and a season that runs from June through October. Known for amazing off-piste riding, this resort isn’t famous, but will certainly make a great impression to all who visit. If you aren’t going there for the FWQ event this season, put this exotic destination on your calendar for 2017!

La Hoya Ski Resort:

La Hoya is a ski resort at only 12 km from the city of Esquel, in the province of Chubut, Argentina. The exposure of the ski resort lets the slopes to receive little sunlight and which has less effects on the snow. The conditions are best with dry snow and that makes La Hoya one of the bests ski resorts of the country. As the name says, La Hoya is a big amphitheater located behind the path of the sun in the sky, which preserves snow until well into October.