Industry News
The first ever FIS Freeride World Championships went off yesterday, squeezing almost all of the competitors into a tight weather window on the Basser Negre face at Ordino Arcalis in Andorra. More than a couple of feet of new snow led to a significant weather delay at the start of the event, and hid many of the smaller rocks throughout the steep, technical face, which would plague competitors for most of the event. A thick blanket of fog rolled in near the end of the competition, and the last five female skiers were unable to take their runs.
Mia Jones, the 20-year-old daughter of legendary snowboarder Jeremy Jones, followed up her win at Baqueira Beret and podium in Val Thorens in the Freeride World Tour opener with an impressive high-speed run that earned her the title of World Champion. Though Jones said during the broadcast that she felt her performance on the top part of the course was “loose,” she demonstrated exquisite control during a few technical turns midway down a chute near the top, finishing the run with some textbook shredding of the chutes and drops in the lower half of the course.
Noemie Equy of France and Nuria Castan Baron of Spain rounded out the Female Snowboard podium, with smooth, skilled runs. France’s snowboarding virtuoso Victor de La Rue put together a master class in technical riding, but Switzerland’s Liam Rivera claimed the top spot with a huge backflip on the upper part of the course and a large double air on the lower half.
Kai Jones, Mia Jones’ cousin, led off the Ski Men category with an aggressive run, linking two massive cliffs up for a monster sized double, and setting the tone for the rest of the field. Unfortunately, the recently buried sharks smelled blood in the water, and claimed skis from 10 out of the 24 men on the start list. The rules state that competitors who lose skis are not scored, and must exit the course in a safe manner. Kelly Hilleke showed that he has a slightly different idea of safety than the rest of us, after losing a ski at the very top of the course, with a bold front flip, a couple of 360s, and the only landed double backflip of the day. If only that run was scored. The other double backflip attempt came from Japan’s Koga Hoshino, who paired it with a double ejection. It was clear that every competitor knew that something big was needed to pull off a win at the first Freeride World Championships.
Ben Richards of New Zealand ultimately claimed the title, with a huge cliff drop to start things off, and embellishing Kai Jones’ double with a casual 360. Richards’ win at Ordino Arcalis is his third win of the season in just as many starts. Abel Moga, the last skier in the Men’s field, charted a new path to a gnarly looking untracked cliff band, and linked a few incredibly technical turns, sometimes more on rock than snow, before stomping a technically perfect backflip.
The Ski Women matched the energy of the Ski Men from the start, with Elisabet Marina attempting a huge backflip in the leading run. By this point in the competition, the course was littered with bomb holes and tracks, demanding much more precise take-offs and landings. Molly Armanino let loose a high speed run and found good landings for her airs simply by flying past a lot of the other tracks, and Justine Dufour Lapointe showed remarkable creativity and familiarity with the course, tweaking her take-offs just enough to hit fresh snow down below. Poland’s Zuzanna Witych claimed the championship in her return season from a knee injury, with aggressive airs, big cliff stomps, and precise technical turns.
Jess Hotter nearly landed her backflip off the mid-course wind lip, but sustained an injury during the crash that required her to be airlifted from the course. Right after her run, fog descended on the Basser Negre face, suspending the competition again, until the judges made the decision to cancel the runs of the last five Ski Women.
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The inaugural FIS Freeride World Championships managed to bring freeride competition to a whole new level, with even more energy, athleticism, and creativity than has come to be expected out of every stop on the Freeride World Tour. Many of the athletes that competed in Ordino Arcalis will continue their seasons on the Freeride World Tour, which will resume in Georgia after the Winter Olympics.
Full Podiums
Snowboard Men
Liam Rivera (Switzerland)
Victor de Le Rue (France)
Michael Mawn (USA)
Snowboard Women
Mia Jones (USA)
Noemie Equy (France)
Nuria Castan Baron (Spain)
Ski Men
Ben Richards (New Zealand)
Ugo Troubat (France)
Kai Jones (USA)
Ski Women
Zuzanna Witych (Poland)
Justine Dufour-Lapointe (France)
Molly Armanino (USA)
