After three stops in Switzerland, Canada, and Georgia the Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance heads to Fieberbrunn, Austria, for the first event of the FWT Finals, a location that has been a tour mainstay since 2011. The remaining top-ranked riders will take on the ever-intimidating Wildseeloder, a mountain that needs little introduction in freeride circles, owing to its impressive – if not daunting – pitch, long vertical drop, and seemingly endless selection of gnarly lines.
Riders in all categories will enjoy a two-run format, with only the highest-scoring line counted. This gives them two chances to lay down a perfect run, promising to push the level even higher, a concept difficult to grasp given the insane skiing and snowboarding this season. Early weather models are forecasting snow next week, which should provide a fresh canvas for riders to hold nothing back.
World titles are on the line next week, so who will perform under added pressure? The big question in the Snowboard Men’s category is if anyone can stop Victor de Le Rue, who has three wins from three events and could take the title in Fieberbrunn. It’s a huge ask, but maybe the experience of Jonathan Penfield or the raw talent of rookie Timm Schröder – currently in second and third, respectively – can challenge Victor. Núria Castán Barón leads the way in the Snowboard Women’s category, enjoying an incredible season with two wins, but Anna Martinez isn’t far behind after podium finishes in every event – including a win in Canada – and is surely eyeing another huge performance in Austria.
Positions are a little tighter between the skiers and, with less than 3,000 points separating first and fifth place, the title is definitely up for grabs in the Ski Women’s category. Manon Loschi has nudged ahead in her first year on tour, but Hedvig Wessel is hot on her heels and eager to add a crown to her treble of runner-up finishes. Max Hitzig is a hard man to beat in the Ski Men’s, with two wins this year – and a throwaway third – and currently leads the field. Marcus Goguen's near-perfect run in Georgia rocketed the young Canadian up the rankings to second, while one can never count out two-time World Champion Kristofer Turdell, who is in third place.
The Fieberbrunn Pro– like all FWT events – will be broadcast LIVE at www.freerideworldtour.com
The Freeride World Tour (FWT) is the premier big mountain freeskiing and snowboarding tour in the world, featuring the sport’s top athletes competing in the world’s best mountain resorts. Created in 2008, the FWT became even more global in 2012 following the union of the North American-based Freeskiing World Tour, The North Face Masters of Snowboarding, and the European-based Swatch Freeride World Tour.
FWT Management SA, based in Verbier-Switzerland, has been organizing world-class sports events in mountain resorts and regions since 1996. Founder of “Verbier Xtreme”, an iconic event in freeride skiing & snowboarding, FWT Management SA, has taken in 2008 this stand-alone event to create several series of international freeride competitions totaling over 200 events around the globe for professional, amateur, and junior riders and 6,000 licensed riders.
FWT Management SA is the organizer of the following Series: Freeride World Tour (FWT), Challenger, Qualifier, and Junior events taking place in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania.
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