The Freeride World Tour has just announced who has qualified for the 2013/14 tour. ย
FREERIDE WORLD TOUR PRESS RELEASE:
Lausanne, Switzerland / Salt Lake City, USA โ September 25, 2013ย โ After last yearโs stellar winter and a long hot summer, the athletes of the 2014 Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face are ready to drop into another season on the worldโs premier freeride tour. All of the qualified athletes, including returning veterans, newly arrived Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) riders, and elite wild cards, have confirmed their spots and will now face off at six events. Top-notch live broadcasting at every event means fans of freeride donโt have to miss a single run of FWT 2014.
DOWNLOAD A COMPLETE LIST OF THE CONFIRMED RIDERS HERE.
The Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face 2014 begins one month earlier than in 2013, at Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, during the week before Christmas. This kick-off event on December 18, 2013, represents the first competition of the fully realized FWT. While the successful 2013 tour included top riders from the three previously independent circuits (the Freeskiing and the Freeride World Tours and The North Face Masters of Snowboarding), the 2014 tour features the elite riders who were able to advance from this initial group, holding on to their coveted spot through their results from last year.
Added to the mix is fresh talent from the Freeride World Qualifier. Of the more than 1,300 riders registered under the FWQ global ranking system, only eight ski men, six ski women, six snowboard men, and two snowboard women were rewarded a spot on FWT 2014. In addition, a handful of wild cards ensure the best local riders, such as Kirkwood resident Josh Daiek (USA) and Austriaโs Eva Walkner, who was injured in FWT 13, have their chance to shine when the FWT comes to town.
โThe second unified FWT season comes off the heels of an incredibly successful inaugural season, which brought the global tour concept to fruition,โ said FWT General Manager Americas, Adam Comey. โThe 2014 FWT season will explode with action the first six weeks of the season. Fans can stay tuned to every turn of the competition by following the rich video content and webcasts available online.โ
Thanks to the growth of the sport in the hands of FWT, there is more support than ever from title sponsor SWATCH, presenting partner The North Faceยฎ, and the partner resorts. โIโm super excited for 2014,โ said 2013 menโs ski world champion Drew Tabke (USA). โIn the last year alone the support from our sponsors, the quality of event coverage, and the level of riding have all gone through the roof. And, it looks like this year that trend is going to continue. Itโs a really exciting time to be involved in freeride.โ
FWT 2014 visits the same six resorts as last year, though on an updated schedule. Based on the consistent, reliable snowfall in Revelstoke, the tour begins on December 18, 2013, the earliest date ever. Three events in Europe โ Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Italy; Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France; and Fieberbrunn Kitzbรผheler Alpen, Austria โ follow quickly thereafter. This means that four of the seasonโs six events will be completed by early February 2014, allowing for a three-week break during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The tour roars back to life on March 1, 2014, in Kirkwood, USA, before returning once again to the hallowed slopes of Verbier, Switzerland, for the world finals at the Swatch Verbier Xtreme 2014 by The North Faceยฎ.
More from the riders:ย
Menโs 2013 Overall Snowboard Champion Ralph Backstrom of Squaw Valley, USA โ โIโm excited to see what the cat dragged in from the FWQ; I expect to see some really good new riders joining the competitors from last yearโs FWT. My favorite comp is Revelstoke and I hope the conditions work out for us with an earlier weather window. It seems like we always get lucky in Canada.โ
Womenโs 2013 Overall Snowboard Champion Elodie Mouthon of La Clusaz, France โ โI am so excited about the FWT 2014 beginning again. I hope to hold onto my title and I will do everything for that. I am just a little disappointed that my sister wonโt be any more with us due to her 6th place in the general classification last year.โ
Womenโs 2013 Overall Ski Champion Nadine Wallner of Arlberg, Austria โ โMy recent trip to New Zealand motivated me and was the perfect warm-up to the upcoming season. Iโm looking forward to new faces, riders and joint trips to check out the spots of this world. My goal for this season is to defend the title. Even more important though is to have some good runs, ride some good lines that make me happy, and to build on the experience that I collected last season.โ
Menโs 2013 Region 1 FWQ Snowboard qualifier Johannes Schnitzer of Munich, Germany โ โThe FWQ is fantastic as it gives all riders the opportunity to show their skills, and you can learn a lot about riding and training for contests. Competing in the FWT now, I hop Iโll have a good time and learning a lot from the other riders. Iโll give everything to further push the level of freeride snowboarding.โ
Menโs 2013 Region 2 FWQ Ski qualifier Ian Borgeson of Dillon, USA โ โBeing on the FWT is a dream come true! The FWT offers great exposure for all its athletes. Hopefully it will jump start my career as a skier. Iโm looking forward to visiting places like Revelstoke and Chamonix. These will be some of my first visual inspection only competitions so that will be challenging for sure. It should make me a better skier though. I canโt wait!โ
Menโs 2013 Region 1 FWQ Ski qualifier Raphael Webhofer of Voels, Austria โ โTo ride with the planetโs best skiers at the most exciting places in the world is a dream come true. My personal goal is to qualify for the finals in Verbier and to keep having fun with riding contests.โ
Womenโs 2013 Region 2 FWQ Ski qualifier Hadley Hammer of Jackson Hole, USA โ โIt has been an incredible experience watching the work and dedication I put into the past two seasons culminate into success and a spot on the Freeride World Tour. Iโm excited to see where my results on the upcoming tour will lead my skiing career. I have plenty of goals, but am also looking forward to the unexpected surprises.โ
For further information, please visitย www.freerideworldtour.com
SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR BY THE NORTH FACEยฎ 2014 Competition Calendar
โข Swatch Freeride World Tour Revelstoke by The North Face
Dates: Dec. 18, 2013; Location: Revelstoke, CAN
Disciplines: Menโs and Womenโs Ski and Snowboard
โข Swatch Freeride World Tour Courmayeur Mont Blanc by The North Face
Dates: Jan. 18, 2014; Location: Courmayeur Mont Blanc, ITA
Disciplines: Menโs Ski and Snowboard
โข Swatch Freeride World Tour Chamonix-Mont-Blanc by The North Face
Dates: Jan. 25, 2014; Location: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FRA
Disciplines: Menโs and Womenโs Ski and Snowboard
โข Swatch Freeride World Tour Fieberbrunn Kitzbรผheler Alpen by The North Face
Dates: Feb. 1, 2014; Location: Fieberbrunn Kitzbรผheler Alpen, AUT
Disciplines: Menโs and Womenโs Ski and Snowboard
โข Swatch Freeride World Tour Kirkwood by The North Face
Dates: March 1, 2014; Location: Kirkwood, USAโจDisciplines: Menโs and Womenโs Ski and Snowboard
โข Swatch Xtreme Verbier by The North Faceยฎ
Dates: March 22, 2014; Location: Verbier, SUI
Disciplines: Menโs and Womenโs Ski and Snowboard
Got a dude from Taos aka a four letter word for steep, this is a first represent 505 shredding
Yeah Reine, get some
Get ready for a show!