ContestHappening 2 2023/24 | FWT Verbier Pro Part 1

Snowboard men

The men's snowboarders opened the competition on an almost untouched powder slope. Victor De Le Rue, the 2019 and 2021 FWT World Champion, secured victory with an impressive run that included a backside 360 and a technical triple drop, earning 93.33 points. American Holden Samuels took second place with a powerful, technical drop, a backside 360 and a backflip, which earned him 91.33 points.

German FWT debutant Timm Schröder showed a confident and fluid run that began with two cliff drops and then progressed to two 360s and a backflip. With 86.67 points, the 25-year-old took third place, the best result for a German snowboarder in FWT history.

"I'm super excited to be able to ride at the FWT for the first time. I was able to perform well and I'm happy with my run," said Timm Schröder. "I'm very happy that I landed everything and that I've come closer to my goal of making the cut and qualifying for the next FWT season."

Ski men

The male skiers once again put on an incredible show, where backflips, flatspins and 360s with huge airtime are now standard.

Max Hitzig from Germany secured his third FWT victory among the men's skiers. One of the favourites for the contest impressed with a controlled run and clean landings, while many of his competitors crashed after jumps. This was mainly due to the very ambitious, perhaps too ambitious freestyle elements of many riders in the field. With 93.67 points, the 21-year-old won ahead of Finn Bilous from New Zealand (89.33 points) and Kristofer Turdell from Sweden (88.33 points).

"I normally prefer less steep slopes, but it was a nice challenge and I enjoyed the run because the snow was very good," said a delighted Max Hitzig. The defending champion Valentin Rainer from Austria started confidently, but crashed after a wide backflip and ended up in 13th place.

If you are interested, I can highly recommend the Extended Highlights .