Andorra

A tragic accident during the preparation meant that a winner who was not on the podium, favorite victories and top placings for the Austrians became a minor matter.

There hasn't been much going on in the contest area in recent weeks. But while the FWT circus is now slowly traveling to Andorra to hold the first European tour stop of the season next weekend, two top-class qualifiers took place last weekend with the 3* FWQ Silvretta Montafon and the 4* FWQ Jasna Adrenalin.

Last Wednesday, the catch-up event for the canceled stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour (FWT) in Chamonix took place in bright sunshine in Andorra. Lorraine Huber (AUT) and Leo Slemett (FRA) won the so-called "Swatch Freeride World Tour Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Staged in Vallnord-Arcalís" on skis and Marion Haerty (FRA) and Christoffer Granbom (SWE) on snowboard. FWT newcomer Manuela Mandl took third place. The 2*FJT Silvretta Montafon also took place on Sunday!

Last Friday, the Freeride World Tour stop was held in Vallnord-Arcalís. This was followed by events from the FWQ and FJT series in Austria at the weekend.

Despite all the ISPO hustle and bustle, contests still took place last weekend. So that our readers don't miss anything, here is a brief overview of the events of the last few days, including results and videos.

A short conversation at the start of the tour with German skiers Bene and Felix.

The Freeride World Tour season opener should have actually taken place last weekend, January 28-29, 2017, in Chamonix. However, due to the poor snow conditions (see picture of the competition slope), the organizers decided to postpone the start of the season until Wednesday (2 February).

Little has changed since the last article, especially in terms of the snow situation. A few more event dates have subsequently been added and the Freeride World Tour has extended contracts with ski resorts.

The third tour stop of the Freeride World Tour in Saalbach-Hinterglemm/Leogang/Fieberbrunn is just around the corner. The riders will once again be battling for the judges' points to make the cut for the FWT stop in Alaska. To provide you with a little more background information, Benjamin Eggert spoke to Head Judge Berti Denervaud at the FWT stop in Andorra about safety issues and judging.

This ski tour is located in the north-west of Andorra, Pyrenees and is a classic among local ski tourers, as the summit is one of the highest in the region. The summit should only be attempted in safe conditions. Safe hairpin bends are a must, and crampons are recommended in icy conditions.

Immediately after the Freeride Junior World Championships, the Skiers Cup Big Mountain Competition was held on the same face. So it was certainly interesting for the young freeriders to compete indirectly with the invited freeski pros from Europe and America. Compared to some of the juniors, their performances were not all that different, understandably somewhat adapted to the conditions. Nevertheless, most of them made the best of the conditions - a show worth seeing. It was clear to see, especially in the first run, that the riders had been riding in good conditions in North America over the past few weeks and that almost none of them were tempted to perform bigger tricks or riskier lines in the spring conditions that currently prevail almost everywhere in Europe. At the end of the first day, it was Collomb-Patton's Team Europe that took the lead with 9:7 points, leaving Sage Cattabriga-Alosa's Americans behind.

The Freeride Junior World Championships were postponed from Thursday 28.01. to Saturday 30.01.16 due to poor snow conditions. Our reporter Christiane, who unfortunately couldn't be on site until Saturday, briefly describes her impressions and interesting background information from Thursday before going into the results of Saturday's contest. This is followed by a short interview with German junior skier Leo Birker and a spot check of the mountains in Andorra.