The decision for the cut has been made: After the fourth stop of the FWT 2019 in Ordino-Arcalís, the participants of the final at the Bec des Rosses in Verbier (SUI) as well as the re-qualifiers for the FWT 2020 have been determined. The competition originally scheduled for last weekend was initially postponed due to the snow conditions. As the Pyrenees are not exactly blessed with snow at the moment, the idea was to hold the contest in soft, firn conditions. Unfortunately, wind prevented/delayed the firn-up, so the organizers decided not to take any risks and postponed the contest. As it was the last competition before the cut for Verbier/the coming season, many participants had to put all their eggs in one basket to continue taking part - dangerous or hard conditions would be bad conditions for this and they probably wanted to avoid a contest like the one in Fieberbrunn two years ago, where several participants ended up in hospital.
The second attempt was successful: The fourth FWT tour stop in Andorra could finally be held on Thursday after light snowfall. At Quince Metros, the female and male skiers and snowboarders were able to choose between two starts at 2,570 and 2,530 meters; the finish was at 2,180 meters. The north-east facing slope with an average gradient of 43 degrees offered the participants slightly fewer options than usual when choosing their lines. In acceptable snow conditions, many skiers managed to finish with a similar line, making for an interesting and safe competition.
From a German-speaking perspective, Manuela Mandl (AUT) and Gigi Rüf (AUT) will be in Verbier and therefore also at the FWT 2020, as will Markus Eder and Arianna Tricomi as the current leaders. However, Fabio Studer and Thomas Feurstein from Vorarlberg will have to say goodbye to the FWT circus.
