FWT22 Fieberbrunn, Austria Competition Confirmed!

Fieberbrunn has been a mainstay destination for the Freeride World Tour nearly since the tour’s inception, playing host to an event every year since 2010. Fieberbrunn’s legendary venue, the Wildseeloder, is one of the most entertaining in the world, with a mix of steep, exposed alpine terrain, plus jumps and drops perfectly suited to freestyle. Thanks to the expansive terrain available in a single place, it is also the only venue on the tour where organizers may choose to implement a best-of-two judging format, with riders taking not one, but two runs during a single day of competition. 

Although it has been a below-average winter for snowfall across much of Europe, the Wildseeloder’s height and orientation consistently provides contestable conditions for competition. The shadier looker’s left side of the venue preserves cold powdery snow, while the looker’s right is open to the sun, and often holds soft, spring-like snow that can serve extremely well for freeride—if the riders choose their line correctly.

The four athletes currently leading each category have substantial leads in the rankings as they go into the final leg of the tour. (View full rankings here.) But the two FWT Finals events award greater ranking points than the initial events (by a factor 1.25x), which leaves the door open for riders to gain ground and take the top spot from the current leaders before the tour is complete. 

For Ski Men, Maxime Chabloz (SUI) has been the breakout star of the year, with two victories placing him in the rankings lead. Young rookie Max Palm (SWE) set the freeride world on fire  with his searing performances and double backflips in the early events and is currently in 2nd place overall, but he has unfortunately withdrawn from the remainder of the tour due to a nagging injury sustained during his crash at stop #2 in Ordino Arcalis, Andorra. In 3rd place is Andrew Pollard (USA), and though he trails Chabloz by more than 5,000 points, it remains entirely possible that his experience, consistency and smooth style could deliver the results needed to propel him to the top. The Ski Women continue to raise the bar, with Jess Hotter’s (NZL) impressive performances putting her at the top of the ranking. She’s followed closely by two North American skiers, Lily Bradley (USA) and Olivia McNeill (CAN). The Snowboard Women have impressed as well, and tour veteran Erika Vikander (USA) currently leads the rankings, but Tiphanie Perrotin (FRA) and former World Champion Manuela Mandl (AUT) are close on her heels. The Snowboard Women will be joined by event wildcard Celia Petrig (SUI), an extremely strong freestyle rider. Camille Armand (FRA) stands atop the Snowboard Men rankings, with a very strong lead. One of the biggest shocks of the season was multiple-time world champion Victor De Le Rue (FRA) failing to gain qualification to the FWT Finals. As one of De Le Rue’s closest riding partners, Armand has the skill and motivation to keep the world champion trophy within his circle of riding partners. But nothing is guaranteed—especially in Freeride—and the four other Snowboard Men are fully capable of catching him in the final two events of the season.

See the live event broadcast for Monday’s competition in Austria at www.freerideworldtour.com. It is expected to begin at 7.45 am  local time—be sure to check your local time zone (and beware of the daylight savings time change in certain locations this weekend) Looking for an interactive option? Fun Bet is a virtual platform where fans from around the world can play against each other, betting on which athletes will win each stop of the tour. And as always, be sure to follow along on social media for up-to-the-minute updates on tour happenings and exclusive content.