Travis Rice

For the first time, the 2* and 4* FWQ events in Hakuba were international freeride competitions on Asian soil. For PowderGuide, rider reporter Michael Strauss reports on his experiences at the contest and at JaPOW!

The contest season has begun. Six competitions have already taken place in the past week: Hakuba, Verbier and Kappl kicked things off. While it was difficult to find a suitable weather and time window in Hakuba due to the constant snowfall, the snow cover in the Alps is still thin, but apparently it is already good enough for contests. Hopefully also for the planned start of the FWT in Chamonix next weekend!

The first contests are coming up, with Japan and Tyrol kicking things off. As the start of the FWT season is still two weeks away, let's take a quick look at the In&Outs of the FWT starting field.

THE FOURTH PHASE is the third major film by and with Travis Rice - after "that's it that's all" from 2008 and "the art of flight" from 2011 - which have contributed greatly to Travis Rice's general, cross-industry fame.

Tired of railriding and big kicker action? Then DEEPER is your movie!

Fortunately, the journey is not always the destination. After all, 40+ hours of traveling in planes, trains and terminals can be quite exhausting in the long run. The only question that remains is, is it worth the effort to go powdering in faraway New Zealand in the European summer?