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ContestHappening 08/2020 | Wrap up

The sudden end to a mixed ski and contest season

by Tobias Huber 04/02/2020
The final of the FWT in Verbier was of course already canceled 2 weeks ago. The 25th anniversary of the Verbier Xtreme was actually scheduled for these days. The results of the FWT and FWQ were frozen and the current leaders were declared the overall winners. This article summarizes this ranking including the newly qualified from the FWQs.

I don't think I need to write much here about this year's winter in the Alps - the global winter was similarly mixed for the FWT. Little snow in Japan, lots of snow but also lots of wind in Kicking Horse, hardly any snow and very warm temperatures in Andorra meant that the organizers didn't quite meet the expectations of the Freeride Elite contest series. Only the Fieberbrunn stop at the beginning of March allowed the participants to showcase their skills in an appropriate environment.

A few days after the stop in Fieberbrunn, the situation regarding the current pandemic continued to worsen in Tyrol, Switzerland and other Central European countries. The FWT organization therefore decided to bring all riders to Verbier as quickly as possible from Thursday, March 12, in order to hold an early Verbier Xtreme on the following Sunday. After the riders had spread out after the Fieberbrunn stop, most of them came back to Verbier. As we all know, this plan came to nothing as everything was closed in Switzerland from Sunday. Some of the FWT athletes then tested positive for Covid 19 on their return trip to the USA.

Since then, skiing has of course and hopefully temporarily become very unimportant, but perhaps there are still readers who want to continue to deal with it at least at home in front of the screen. For those, we can recommend the video on the 25th anniversary of the Xtreme Verbier, which goes into the history of the event. All generations of contest freeriders are featured again and it becomes clear how long ago the time of the Zackrissons and Ducroz, for example, was and also how much the freeride business has changed since then. To get back to 2020, you can treat yourself to the insight that Drew Tabke gives here regarding his 2020 season from a rider's perspective.

Now, however, it's all about the final results of the season. Many may not even know that winning the overall standings is not rewarded with additional prize money from the FWT. You only get money for the podium places at the stops and the money that could be given to the overall winners is distributed evenly across the entire field as entry fees for the respective stops. This leaves it up to each individual to monetize the title through sponsorship or other contracts, if possible.

Men's skiing

Thanks to his casual freestyle tricks, above all the Switch 540 Misty in Andorra, the new champion among the skiers is Isaac Freeland (USA). As an FWT newcomer, the 24-year-old also wins the "Rookie of The Year Award 2020". As in the previous year, second place went to 2018 World Champion Kristofer Turdell (30, SWE), who finished in the top three for the fourth time in a row. Third place went to Andrew Pollard (25, USA), who finished fourth last season and was honored as "Rookie of The Year 2019". In the gallery you can see the rankings with the riders who have qualified for the FWT 2021. From a German-speaking perspective, Tao Kreibich (AUT) and Konstantin Ottner (GER) are not qualified for next season. However, Konstantin has received an injury-related wildcard for next season. Based on experience, and as no other Austrian has qualified via the FWQ series, Tao could be hoping for a wildcard after his good but never flawless performances.

Women's skiing

Arianna Tricomi (ITA) is the FWT winner for the third time in a row. The 27-year-old Italian injured her ankle after the tour stop in Kicking Horse (Golden, BC). Despite this setback, she did not give up the fight for the title and started successfully and smartly. In the end, her victory in Fieberbrunn demonstrated that she was not given the title as a gift due to the premature termination of the tour. Second place went to Hedvig Wessel (24, NOR), who came fourth last season and impressed above all with her backflips. Third place went to Jaclyn Paaso (USA), the most experienced skier on the tour: the 38-year-old has been competing at the FWT since 2013 and fought her way onto the podium with strong performances in Ordino Arcalís and Fieberbrunn. "Rookie of The Year 2020" is Jessica Hotter (26, NZL), who showed consistent performances and won the contest in Canada.

Women's snowboard

Marion Haerty (FRA) continued her dominance in the women's snowboarding category and won the world championship title for the third time in a row. Thanks to three wins this season, the 28-year-old was already the overall winner after the stop in Fieberbrunn and therefore before the Xtreme was canceled. Only one person has been able to beat her once this season: newcomer Michaela Davis-Meehan (28, AUS) took victory in Ordino Arcalís, finishing second overall. Third place went to Erika Vikander (29, USA), who had finished fourth in each of the last two winters.

Men's snowboard

He started with a wildcard and immediately took overall victory: Nils Mindnich (USA) made a lasting impression on the freeride scene on his FWT debut in 2020. After a second place at the season opener in Japan, the 25-year-old really hit his stride in Fieberbrunn, where he not only won the Austrian stop, but also the Andorra stage, which was made up for on the same day. After that, he only had to start in Verbier to secure overall victory. Second place went to defending champion Victor De Le Rue (30, FRA). Third place went to three-time overall winner Sammy Luebke (30, USA), who has always finished in the top four since his FWT debut in 2013. Thanks to his second place in Fieberbrunn, Gigi Rüf (38, AUT) is the only Austrian to qualify for the next FWT season with sixth place overall

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FWQ results

After all remaining FWQ contests were canceled, the overall rankings were frozen as of March 16, 2020. Only a few 4* contests were able to take place before then, and the hopes of some to score points at the last major contests in Nendaz or Obergurgl did not materialize. The names of the twelve athletes who have collected enough points to take part in the FWT 2021 have now been officially confirmed. The full ranking can be found here.

Ski Men's FWQ

Six skiers join the line-up of established FWT skiers in 2021, the top 3 from each region. Maël Ollivier (FRA) from La Fou d'Allos showed technical runs and strong performances throughout the season, especially at the 4* FWQs in La Rosière and Montafon. Second place went to David Deliv (SWE) from Åre ahead of Jamesa Hampton (NZL) from Mont Olympus. The Kiwi won the 4 * FWQ The North Face Frontier and is now looking forward to competing in the FWT 2021 with his friends Craig Murray (NZL) and Blake Marshall (NZL).

The FWQ winner among the Americans, Ross Tester (USA), has worked his way up the entire freeride pyramid in recent years and was Junior World Champion 2017 in Grandvalira (AND). But he is not the only former junior who is now advancing to the FWT. Cooper Bathgate (CAN), the student of coach and FWT commentator Derek Foose, was also previously successful on the Freeride Junior Tour. Raymond McDermott (USA) from Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, completes the list of young up-and-coming riders on the FWT 2021 as the winner of the 4 * FWQ in Kicking Horse, Golden, BC (CAN).

Women's FWQ

Two skiers have qualified for the FWT 2021, the respective FWQ first-place winners of Region 1 and 2. Zuzanna Witych (POL) is further proof that freeriding knows no borders: she was born far away from the Alps in Lodz and will be taking part in the FWT next season, as will Tracy Chubb (USA), who won the 4 * FWQ in Kicking Horse, Golden, BC (CAN), among others. Claudia Klobasa (AUT) from Vienna narrowly missed out on qualifying despite two podium finishes at 4-star FWQs, coming third overall.

Snowboard Men's FWQ

Two new riders are advancing to the FWT with the winners of each region. After two winters at the American qualifiers, Hugo Serra (FRA) has fulfilled his dream and will be riding the FWT 2021 next season, where he will also meet Michael Mawn (USA), a former halfpipe specialist who can shine anywhere on the mountain with his strong technique. Despite his victory at the 4 * FWQ in Silvretta Montafon and second place at The North Face Frontier, Timm Schröder (GER) from Bad Tölz only managed third place in the final result. He is hoping to qualify next year!

Women's snowboard FWQ

With the first-place finishers from regions 1 and 2, two new riders will be joining the field of female snowboarders next season. Claire McGregor (NZL) lives in Verbier and has dominated the FWQ circus in Region 1 with three victories. Katie Anderson (CAN) narrowly missed out on qualification in 2019 and is now finally allowed to compete at the FWT.

Photo gallery

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

Show original (German)

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