At the moment, the majority of tourists are probably no longer thinking about skiing and the lift operators are regretting the late Easter date. For freeriders, however, it's only a little higher up now, with a few contests still to come and the North American FWQ series not yet over. The Jam Extreme 2&3* events will take place in Andorra next weekend and the first 2* FWQ will be held in Iceland in mid-April. However, the latest dates for contests are in Scandinavia, where the contest season will finally come to an end with the Roldal Freeride Challenge 2* at the end of April and the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships, which have now been promoted to a 3* event and are quite prestigious even without FWQ affiliation. To be precise, they are actually the start of the 2020 season, as the cut-off date for the new season and therefore also for the qualification ranking for the 2020 FWT is April 19, 2019.
ContestHappening 10 2019 | The end of the season and the qualifiers
The end of the FWQ season is approaching and the qualifiers for the FWT 2020 are (almost) confirmed
The contest face as it appeared in the morning before the competition
The contest face as it appeared in the morning before the competition
4* FWQ Open Faces Obergurgl
So everything should have been decided in Obergurgl, at the last 4* event in the Alps. However, the large amounts of fresh snow directly before the day of the contest put paid to this plan: the newly fallen snow did not bond with the existing old snow cover and so the steep face on the Hangerer, opposite the Hohe Mut in the Obergurgl high-altitude ski area, which was criss-crossed by several rock bands, almost completely avalanched.
To hold a contest, which for some participants is about making it into the FWT or a successful end to the season, on such a slope, which is only covered with soft snow in the upper third, the rocky middle section had completely disappeared and there were also avalanche deposits in the run-out, shows great courage on the part of the organizers. Just as courageous and correct was the decision made quickly after 3 starters to cancel the contest after seeing what could have been expected beforehand: The risk of injury was far too high, even for those who simply wanted to ski the slope safely. It was simply not possible to show the performance required for an FWT qualification without taking far too high a risk.
The event video illustrates the problem:
The FWT Rookies for 2020
With the cancellation of the 4* FWQ in Obergurgl and after the last 4* event for this season in North America in Kirkwood, 11 of the 12 riders qualified for the FWT 2020 from both regions have now been confirmed:
Men's skiing
Carl Renvall (CH), who already competed in the Tour in 2017, has qualified again after two years at the FWQs as the leader of the rankings. Another New Zealander is almost certain to qualify: Blake Marshall is as good as qualified for the Tour after 8 FWQ participations in the northern and southern hemisphere, including two 4* podium finishes. Third place in the men's ski category is not yet fixed, as the decision will now be made in Andorra at Jam Extreme 3 next weekend due to the cancellation in Obergurgl. Many an FWQ rider with a good ranking will probably make the trip to Andorra to take advantage of the remaining opportunity, including Tao Kreibich from Montafon, who is currently in third place, to keep his place in the ranking. In Region 2 (Americas), brothers Kevin and Jack Nichols (Vail, USA) have qualified, while freestyle specialist Isaac Freeland (USA) completes the trio.
Women's skiing
Jess Hotter from New Zealand has clearly recommended herself for the FWT after four victories at 4* events; together with Emma Patterson (USA), who achieved two first places and other podium finishes, she is moving up in the women's skiing category for the 2020 FWT season.
Men's snowboarding
Cody Bramwell (SWE) beat off the competition with two victories at 4* events. The brother of 2019 FWT ski competitor Grifen Moller, Blake Moller (USA), managed to hold his own against the American snowboard competition after 13 FWQ participations by winning three 4* events.
Women's snowboard
Michaela Davis-Meehan (AUS) is the first Australian snowboarder on the tour. The 40-year-old Michelle Locke (CAN), already on the tour in 2016, has qualified again for the FWT 2020.
Photo gallery
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hTranslated from German.