On January 7, 2013, the eagerly awaited FREERIDE WORLD TOUR 2013 will finally get underway! The first event of the now united and world's most important big mountain tour will take place in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. This contest can be followed live from anywhere in the world via the live webcast on www.freerideworldtour.com! Revelstoke Mountain Resort and the "Mac Daddy" slope on Mackenzie Peak are the ideal setting for the kick-off event of the FWT 2013. The summit, which can be reached from the highest lift in the ski area in around 30-40 minutes on foot, has a spectacular contest face on its eastern flank that has everything you could wish for from a freeride competition slope overseas. The conditions in the "alpine", as the area above the tree line is simply called in North America, are almost record-breaking for this time of year: "The snow conditions at Revelstoke Mountain Resort are developing magnificently. So far, over five meters of snow have already fallen. This means we can expect the best possible scenario and we seem to be in for a first-class winter in North America," says Bryan Barlow, Competition Director FWT Americas.
Even among the participants, the anticipation for the FWT 2013 is growing. "I'm really looking forward to the new season with lots of new riders and great events. The tour will be bigger than ever before. Especially the kickoff in Revelstoke will be great. The mountain there is simply perfect for freeride competitions. I'm happy to be taking part and will definitely enjoy the show," says the defending FWT skier champion, Reine Barkered from Sweden. A qualifying competition like last year is not necessary this year, the participating riders are guaranteed a run on the "Mac Daddy" - a few new names come to mind when looking at the starting list: With Fabio Studer, Nicolas Vugnier and Markus Eder, three young European riders with a freestyle background will be competing in the Tour for the first time. It will also be interesting to see how the North American "block" with the riders from the former Freeskiing World Tour will fare against the European scene from the Freeride World Tour, as the judging of both tours has had different focuses in the past.
"Revelstoke Mountain Resort is thrilled that the Freeride World Tour is back here and now even bigger," said Sarah Windsor, Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. "The world's best athletes will be able to show off their skills at the Mackenzie. We are honored to be the only ski resort in Canada and one of only two resorts in North America to host a stop on the FWT." It can be assumed that the organizers in Revelstoke will ensure that the event runs smoothly in order to establish itself as the opening event of the tour in the future.
The competition calendar of the Freeride World Tour 2013:
1st stop: Freeride World Tour Revelstoke 2013
Date: January 07; Location: Revelstoke, British Columbia (CAN)
Disciplines: Ski & Snowboard, Women & Men 2. Stop: Freeride World Tour Courmayeur, Mont Blanc 2013
Date: January 19; Venue: Courmayeur, Mont-Blanc (ITA)
Disciplines: Ski & Snowboard, Men 3. Stop: Freeride World Tour Chamonix, Mont Blanc 2013
Date: January 26; Venue: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (FRA)
Disciplines: Ski & Snowboard, Women & Men 4th Stop: Freeride World Tour Kirkwood 2013
Date: February 27. February; Location: Kirkwood (USA)
Disciplines: Ski & Snowboard, Women & Men 5th stop: Freeride World Tour Fieberbrunn Pillerseetal 2013
Date: March 9; Location: Fieberbrunn PillerseeTal (AUT)
Disciplines: ski & snowboard, women & men 6th stop: Verbier Xtreme 2013
Date: March 23; Location: Verbier (SUI)
Disciplines: ski & snowboard, women & men