In the men's event, Germany's Konstantin Ottner secured his ticket with a sensational run and victory in the contest, as did third-placed New Zealander Hank Bilous and Wadeck Gorak, who finished sixth. Frenchwoman Juliette Willmann won the women's ski event. Among the snowboarders, Ludovic Guillot-Diat from France also made it into the World Tour. Austria's freeride world champion Manuela Mandl crowned her perfect season with her third victory in a row on the Hangerer.
Whoever shines on the contest face in Obergurgl can also hold their own in the Freeride World Tour: Once again, the contest in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl was the deciding factor in the battle for entry into the 2019 Freeride World Tour and it was effectively the small final, analogous to the big final last week in Verbier. The fact that today's contest was also the last chance for a ticket to the FWT was palpable at the last 4-star contest of the season. On one of the most difficult faces of the entire FWQ and FWT series - the Hangerer, made famous by Fabi Lentsch's run a few years ago - most of the riders used their last calls and showed runs at the highest level. The conditions were anything but easy, as the warm temperatures of the previous days meant that technical skills and risk management were particularly important. Although the snow conditions were extremely good this year, the face, which was not exactly easy to navigate, had very changeable snow conditions.
You can watch the livestream of the contest here. You can get a good impression of what it takes to qualify for the FWT these days.
