Industry News
After an amazing Freeride World Tour throughout 2019, let’s look back at the events and some of the top moments.
The tour traveled to Hakuba (Japan), Kicking Horse (British Columbia), Fieberbrunn (Austria), Ordino Arcalís (Andorra), and Verbier (Switzerland) in 2019. Each venue rewarded different styles of riding. Yet overall, only the most consistent athletes made it to the podium.
FWT19 World Champions
- Markus Eder (Ski Men)
- Arianna Tricomi (Ski Women)
- Victor De Le Rue (Snowboard Men)
- Marion Haerty (Snowboard Women)
TOP 5 TRICKS
Throughout the 2019 season, several notable athletes threw down the gauntlet with some incredible tricks. Most notably, Craig Murray joined the ranks of Markus Eder, Tanner Hall, and Travis Rice with rotations on large hits.
TOP 5 BACKFLIPS
The backflip has gained a cult status of a benchmark big-mountain competition trick. Hedvig Wessel and Wadeck Gorak set a new standard in their field for the sheer size of their flips.
TOP 5 CLIFFS
Big mountain skiing is defined by creative lines and the features/cliffs that are hit in a run. The FWT in 2019 delivered with massive hucks across all fields. Most notably Kristofer Turdell’s ability to line up consecutive big hits and Mickael Bimboes’ incredible speed over the famous Verbier Hollywood cliff were memorable.
TOP 5 CRASHES
While pushing the boundaries of big mountain skiing, risks are an inherent factor. Sometimes things don’t go to plan and athletes are derailed during their runs. There were some massive crashes and tomahawks in the 2019 FWT, with Craig Murray’s transfer 360 to a rock outcrop being one of the largest. Without risk, there is no reward; athletes are always balancing these factors.
Overall, consistency in creativity and technical skills prevailed throughout the variety of terrain on the FWT. Below are the top three big mountain athletes in each category of the 2019 FWT.
Ski Men:
- Markus Eder
- Kristofer Turdell
- Leo Slemett
Ski Women:
- Arianna Tricomi
- Jacqueline Pollard
- Elizabeth Gerritzen
Snowboard Men:
- Victor De Le Rue
- Davey Baird
- Blake Hamm
Snowboard Women:
- Marion Haerty
- Anna Orlova
- Manuela Mandl
