At the ninth edition of the popular Morgins Freesession on February 15, 2014, the Swiss riders also received a score for the Swiss Freeride Championships ranking for the first time. Due to air masses that were far too warm for the time of year, the snow quality was very reminiscent of off-piste riding in spring, which some riders clearly demonstrated. But take a look for yourself! Rider reporter Niko Göz was once again at the start for PowderGuide...
The initial situation
Various weather factors also forced the organizers to change the initially planned program for this contest: Firstly, the qualifying runs were cancelled and secondly, the Swiss Freeride Championship did not take place separately. Everything came down to one run on the beautiful Tovassière massif.
However, the conditions were characterized by a foehn storm with rain up to higher altitudes, which meant that there was hardly any sign of the snow that had previously fallen in the "Portes du Soleil", as the Swiss-French ski area between Dents du Midi and Lake Geneva is also known. In addition, the slightly diffuse visibility made it difficult to assess how soft the snow really was.
The action
There was quite a lot going on! In total, there were around 150 riders from around 15 nations, including around 70 skiers, 30 snowboarders, 40 ski girls and 10 snowboarders. The contest face, also known in the region as the "Montagne de l'hiver" (mountain of winter), normally offers many very interesting lines. And this year too, numerous riders impressed with their creative choice of lines. Despite the foehn storm, the snow quality was much softer than expected and the slope was barely tracked.
The three Swiss snowboarders Florian Fournier (1st) and Tibor Sesti (2nd) from Nendaz triumphed ahead of John Fournier from Geneva (3rd), having previously performed technically demanding runs with relatively high cliff drops. 1st place for the skiers went to Raphael Vouillamor. Flo Jaufred (2nd) and Sylvain Rachetta (3rd) were also able to celebrate podium places. Nathalie Segal from Australia, whose sister had just finished fourth in the ski slopestyle in Sotchi, won the women's event. According to eyewitnesses, she skied a more beautiful and harder line than many of the men. Tania Trummer from Sion also made it onto the podium at the Swiss Freeride Championship. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to follow all the results and they haven't been published yet. If you're interested, just check here again in the next few days.
Conclusion
Once again, a really nice and well-organized contest, where you also get a nice T-shirt and delicious freshly grilled food and drinks after the contest. In addition to riding in the vast Portes du Soleil, there is also a good alternative program with a party and nice conversations. Always recommended!
All other results and more pics can be found here. Aloha 4 now... PowPow Niko
