freeride world tour death

Two Freeride World Tour Athletes Were Killed This Spring; Here’s How Tour Officials are Handling It

Freeride World Tour General Manager, Julien Hess. Photo: Freerideworldtour.com

This spring, the Freeride World Tour and its community experienced an extremely tragic, and terribly unprecedented, string of events.

In April, two-time Freeride World Tour Champion Estelle Balet was killed when an avalanche swept the 21-year-old snowboarder off a steep slope above Orsières, a Swiss municipality at the foot of Mount Blanc on the border of Switzerland and France. She was apparently filming with a crew. Then, last month, Swedish freeride skier Matilda Rapaport was killed in Chile near the Farrellones ski area, about 36 kilometers from Santiago, while on a commercial shoot. At 30, she finished 2016 ranked fourth in the world.

With little precedence, how do world tour officials handle such a situation? It would be like the WSL losing Carissa Moore and Lakey Peterson in surfing, or the UCI watching downhill mountain bikers Rachel Atherton and Manon Carpenter perish in the offseason.

Estelle Balet, mid competition line. Photo: Freerideworldtour.com

There’s no denying that big mountain freeskiing is one of the gnarliest disciplines in the world, and the FWT pits a field of the best male and female skiers and snowboarders on the planet in the big mountain realm where these athletes choose stylish lines in terrain featuring spine tingling drop-offs into impossibly steep transitions. The five-stop tour is extraordinary, really, especially for fans like me. But each season athletes seem to tip-toe closer to the line of invincibility. And this year they found it with the deaths of Balet and Rapaport. “We always need to be working harder than before to increase the security message in order to try and avoid accidents,” says Julien Hess, the FWT’s general manager, who openly admitted there’s only so much that tour officials can do to curtail athletes in the offseason. When they’re on tour it’s a different story. “Riders on their own will push the limits to find new lines (in regards) to sponsors and requests. Really, the only pressure (from our end is) to act professional.”

But Hess feels that because the FWT is at the forefront of extreme riding, security is an important message to send to athletes and the audience. “It’s been indeed tragic and has affected a lot of the community,” says Hess, “We’ll never get used to this and unfortunately it’s linked to the activity we do.”

Hess says the FWT takes responsibility, and is intent on working harder with its athletes on safety: “We have a role in the prevention, and in also reaching a more mainstream and broader audience in regards to this issue,” he added.

Matilda Rapaport, charging. Photo: Freerideworldtour.com

To its extreme credit, the FWT provides outreach in a variety of ways. On the tour they have a team of resources assembled from guides and doctors to forecasters and safety crews that monitor athletes and the snow terrain to ensure that the conditions are safe enough for competitions to proceed. Event sites are strategically chosen because of trends like snowfall probability, snowpack, variety of lines and avalanche history. The FWT also began a collaboration with the International Snow Training Academy (ISTA) last January.

The ISTA, launched by Swiss freeride skier Dominique Perret, trains ski and snowboard athletes in snow science and safety. “(We’re) focused on prevention, what to do and how not to get there,” says Perret, “how to stay on the safe side in a fun place…if we want to keep our freedom and safety we need education.” The FWT trickles this message down to the development levels, as the entity has been reaching out to ski schools since 2012. And it’s a definite point of emphasis this year.

“Like every sport there is an evolution, athletes get more competitive, want steeper slopes, and to push the limit,” says Hess, “It’s a natural way of human behavior and it’s the same with every sport.”

As the FWT cannot control athletes outside of the contest zone, it emphasizes control within it. The judging criterion requires that points actually be deducted if riders aren’t in full control. “We do this to help them limit the risk and to not do stupid things which may end in a crash,” says Hess. In short, these aggressive athletes are likely safer while on tour than off it.

This has obviously been a tragic off-season for Hess and the FWT family but the Tour is still in a good place. Hess says the brand is in the midst of growth and they hope to be in Asia by 2018. “It’s key that life continues and that we move forward,” he says. “We need to keep working harder than before to try and avoid accidents to maintain and improve the overall quality of the sport.”

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The Best Lines—and Crashes—from This Year’s Freeride World Tour 

A season marked by tricky conditions and progressive riding wrapped up last week in Verbier

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The Freeride World Tour wrapped up last week with Xtreme, its finale, held in Verbier, Switzerland. Skiers and snowboarders competed in unforgiving conditions on the legendary Bec des Rosses face, a steep, technical, and exposed slope with ample opportunity for showmanship. Swiss rookie Maxime Chabloz and Kiwi Jess Hotter took home the series titles for skiing, and American Blake Moller and French rider Tiphanie Perrotin won the overall in snowboarding.

Throughout the season, the tour was marked by poor snow conditions at many of the venues, as well as a windstorm that forced competitors off the face of Kicking Horse, British Columbia, on February 12 and onto a different slope. But the riders didn’t hesitate to send mind-bending, consequential, high-speed lines.

From the first clean double backflip to perfectly pinned cliff drops and a few inevitable crashes, the tour was an exciting test of progressive, creative riding. Below, our six favorite moments of the season:

Max Palm’s Double Backflip in Baqueira Beret, Spain

The Swiss skier blew minds with his first lap on the circuit this year, putting down a clean double backflip (a competition first) at Baqueira Beret, a new Freeride World Tour venue, to take the win—on a wildcard entry, to boot. While Palm had to bow out midseason due to injuries, we’re looking forward to seeing more from the 19-year-old.

Spanish Rookie Abel Moga’s Front Flip on the Bec Des Rosses

Moga stormed onto the scene with a second-place finish at the season’s first stop in Baqueira Beret, after threading an impossible line through a complicated—and massive—cliff band . He carried that crowd-pleasing energy through the season. After putting down an already-impressive line at the finals, he went for an improbable front flip off his last feature. He crashed, but the crowd went wild anyway.

Jess Hotter’s Comeback

Kiwi skier Jess Hotter took a year off from the tour last year and returned for an overall win and consistently aggressive, creative riding. She left it all on the mountain several times, with two of the more notable crashes of the season, including a high-speed tomahawk at Fieberbrunn in Austria that involved her avalanche gear flying out of her pack.

Blake Moller’s “Chill” Winning Run in Ordino-Arcalis, Andorra

Coloradan snowboarder Blake Moller, 21, took home the overall title, thanks to smooth style, creative line choice, and his ability to thread committing lines through technical terrain. He’s also notable for his deeply relaxed attitude. In an interview with the event’s commentators, he described his 360 as “the chillest part of it,” and when asked what he was thinking while mid-backflip, said he was “just chilling upside down, hoping to not land on the rock.”

Manuela Mandl’s Affirmations—and Cliff Drops

At the beginning of this video of her winning run in Verbier , you can catch Austrian snowboarder Manuela Mandl telling herself, “Enjoy, baby.” The GoPro perspective brings home just how technical—and scary—her line down Bec des Rosses was, making her mantra all the more charming.

Maxime Chabloz’s Entire Season

In nearly every run, Swiss skier and overall winner Maxime Chabloz laced together technical features with huge tricks at an insane pace. He’d land a Cork 7 and, instead of dumping speed, bounce right into a massive backflip. Chabloz is also a professional kiteboarder, and we’re curious (and excited) to see what this well-rounded athlete does next.

Honorable Mentions:

Utah skier Andrew Pollard’s impossibly smooth, effortless skiing at every stop.

California rookie Lily Bradley’s playful, park-inflected style .

Spanish legend Aymar Navarro’s send-at-all-costs line choice.

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Freeride in Verbier: why this Swiss resort is a hit with serious skiers

It may be one of Switzerland’s swishest resorts, but it’s the pistes — and off-piste — that make this Valais mountain resort a place for serious skiers. 

A gale is blowing, snow slamming horizontally against the windows as skiers mill around clutching steaming coffee, waiting for a weather window. But these aren’t just any skiers, they’re the best in the world at freeriding (skiing over ungroomed terrain), gathered in Verbier for the final of the Freeride World Tour (FWT) on one of the world’s most challenging faces.  

The infamous Bec des Rosses, on which the FWT final started life in 1996 as Verbier Xtreme, comes with a warning on the Fatmap app for backcountry skiers, hikers and bikers: ‘In case of a fall, the skier faces certain death.’  

Despite the resort being synonymous with glitz and glamour, it’s the presence of this imposing peak, along with others equally as intimidating, that maintain Verbier’s reputation as a magnet for serious skiers and freeriders. FWT founder and local snowboarder Nicholas Hale-Woods says: “Verbier wants to, and will, keep that freeride vibe — it’s what made it great.”

Although I’m not FWT level, I do like skiing steep, deep, long descents, so I’ve returned to Verbier virtually every year since 1993. While infrastructure has improved, the vibe hasn’t changed: the streets are still filled with skiers clad in mountaineering kit, and alongside expensive sushi restaurants are burger bars and such longstanding landmarks as Pub Mont Fort and Fer à Cheval, where no-nonsense meals cost about the same as at a UK pub.

The vertical drop is worth the trip alone — notably for off-pisters. It’s a thigh-burning 1,830 metres from the top of Mont Fort to the village, making the lift-accessed off-piste here some of the best in Europe. If you don’t hire a guide (a must, off-piste), Verbier also has some unique avalanche-patrolled ‘itinerary’ runs that offer the same thrill of off-piste adventure but with less risk. Mont Gelé has incredible views of the Grand Combin and Mont Blanc massif; Vallon D’Arby takes you over to La Tzoumaz — and my own personal favourite, Tortin, is a massive, north-facing, often mogul-studded descent from the top of the Lac des Vaux chairlift to Chassoure, with sections of up to 50 degrees in pitch that can test even the best.  

( What it's like to visit the Swiss mountains in winter )

While the pistes might appear to favour expert skiers, a long-planned lift link from Verbier to Savoleyres will make access to the adjoining resorts of La Tzoumaz, Nendaz and Veysonnaz more accessible for all levels, and will be covered by the region’s 4 Vallées lift passes, which remain competitively priced.  

Staying here doesn’t have to be seriously expensive, either. While there are top-end options (think W Verbier, 67 Pall Mall Verbier or Richard Branson’s chalet, The Lodge), there’s affordable accommodation, too — including 14 B & Bs, 17 one- to three-star hotels and a hostel in Le Châble. And the businesses driving tourism in Verbier seem determined to keep the resort true to its hardcore skiing roots — the Swedish owners of new three-star Shed Hotel have eschewed the traditional Swiss-chalet style in favour of contemporary, Scandi design and an unfussy vibe to appeal to a young freeride audience.  

Meanwhile, at the luxury end of the market, Verbier is known for pushing boundaries. Adventurer Tom Avery founded luxury chalet company Ski Verbier Exclusive in 2009 after working in the resort as a driver and ski guide. In his time off, Tom has set world records in the North and South Pole as well as achieving the fastest crossing of Greenland and maintains that Verbier fostered his adventurous spirit. “Yes, there’s a lot of wealth and success here but compared to other resorts of the same profile, it’s far more discreet,” he says. “Few of our guests ski off piste, and you don’t need to spend a night in Cabane Mont Fort or go heliskiing on the Grand Combin — Verbier’s dramatic, high-alpine peaks are there the moment you open the curtains.”  

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Freeride World Tour Announces Big Changes, Including 2022 Wild Card Entries

The freeride world tour is on for 2022, and this year’s competitions are shaping up to be bangerang..

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Great news for fans of big mountain skiing: The Freeride World Tour is on for 2022, and this year’s competitions are shaping up to be bangerang.

Last season, the freeskiing competition that traditionally has the best freeride skiers and snowboarders traveling the world to compete in big mountain skiing hit multiple major roadblocks caused by the pandemic. The first two scheduled stops of the 2021 Tour in Hakuba, Japan and Kicking Horse, B.C. had to be cancelled, as those countries were still shuttered to international athletes; then crazy weather like a Saharan sandstorm and unseasonably warm temps caused multiple schedule changes for the two remaining competitions.

While the FWT was, miraculously, able to pull off the 2021 Verbier Championship competition, FWT fans can agree that last year’s Tour left us wanting for more.

And this year, we’re bound to get it (unless, of course, Covid gets in the way again). The FWT has a few exciting changes in store for us in 2022, including a new European venue and updated competition format. But the biggest headline might be the announcement that American pro skier Lexi DuPont will be joining this year’s Tour as a Wildcard athlete.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 Freeride World Tour.

FWT Athlete Roster

Due to the pandemic and long-term injuries, we didn’t get to see some of our favorite skiers compete on the Tour last season, but we’re happy to announce that the 2022 roster highlights a stacked field of talent. That includes defending champions Kristofer Turdell from Sweden and Switzerland’s Elisabeth Gerritzen, who stole the show last season with crazy cliff drops, ridiculous backflips, and just all-around consistent and aspirational skiing.

Turdell, who now has two FWT Champion titles to his name, may have a leg up on the rest of the men’s ski field, but he’s also got a target on his back, and this season’s rookie and Wildcard athletes are sure to give him a run for his money.

On the rookie side, 13 new skiers and riders join the Tour after qualifying for the honors last season. That includes Americans Grifen Moller, Jack Nichols, Lily Bradley, and Michael Mawn. As for the Wildcard selections—that may be the biggest news. Fance’s Léo Slemett and Kiwi Craig Murray, two of the biggest names in freeriding, return to the men’s competition, while Americans Lexi DuPont and Jacqueline Pollard join New Zealand’s Jess Hotter and three-time FWT Champ Ariana Tricomi from Italy on the women’s side.

Watch: The biggest backflips and spins of the 2021 Freeride World Tour

DuPont, who first made a name for herself by competing on the FWT nearly a decade ago, has gone on to become one of the biggest names in big mountain skiing. The K2 and Eddie Bauer athlete has been a staple in ski movies ever since, including in Warren Miller films .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by LEXI DUPONT (@lexidupont)

“When I received the invitation to be the ‘Wildcard’ for the Freeride World Tour 2022, my heart jumped into my throat,” says DuPont. “I was humbled, honored, and a little nauseous all at the same time. I guess you could call me a Wildcard Rookie because it has been so long since I have been in the starting gate.”

That may be, but we have no doubt that DuPont will bring the same level of skill and energy that she brings to skiing for the camera to the 2022 FWT competitions.

New Tour Stop and Updated Format

The FWT traditionally hosts five competitions throughout the Tour, with stops in Japan, Canada, and Europe culminating in a finale at the Verbier XTremes in Switzerland. But with Japan still on lockdown due to the pandemic, the FWT will replace that opening competition with a new stop in Baqueira Beret, Spain.

Located in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees, Baqueira Beret is a world-class resort with extensive expert terrain. It’s also home to veteran FWT competitor Aymar Navarro.

“If you had told me 10 years ago it was possible for a skier from Spain to podium at the Xtreme Verbier, I would have said you were crazy,” Navarro says. “And now there’s going to be a FWT competition at my home mountain, Baqueira Beret!”

From Baqueira Beret, the Tour will move on to a second stop in the Pyrenees at Ordino Arcalis, Andorra, before skipping across the Atlantic for the traditional stop in Kicking Horse, B.C. If all goes according to plan, athletes will then return to Europe for the traditional stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria before throwing down in Verbier, Switzerland.

But for the 2022 Tour, only a handful of competitors will be allowed to move on from Kicking Horse to Fieberbrunn, as the FWT has decided to move its qualifying cut from the fourth stop of the tour to the third competition.

In this new format, only 26 of the best riders (12 men and 5 women from the ski event, and 5 men and 4 women from the snowboard event) will qualify for the final two stops of the tour. Fieberbrunn and Verbier will now both serve as Finals events, where the top riders will receive increased points toward their overall Tour ranking—a total of 12,500 points for the winner, instead of the 10,000 points awarded to the top rider at the previous three competitions.

2022 Freeride World Tour Schedule

The pandemic isn’t over, and while the situation seems to have stabilized in parts of the world, it’s safe to say this schedule is subject to change depending on ongoing health concerns and travel restrictions. And of course, there’s always weather and snow conditions to contend with. But if all goes according to plan, we’ll be watching the top skiers and riders in the world duke it out on some amazing faces this winter.

• Jan. 22-28: Baqueira Beret, Spain
• Jan. 30-Feb. 5: Ordino Arcalis, Andorra
• Feb. 12-17: Kicking Horse, B.C., Canada (Finals Qualification Cut)
• March 15-20: Saalbach Fieberbrunn, Austria (Finals Event)
• March 26-Apr. 3: Verbier, Switzerland (Finals Event)

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Freeride World Tour 2023 Calendar – The World’s Best Freeriders Return to The Big Stage

Mountainwatch | Press Release

Pully, Switzerland, October 5 : The Freeride World Tour is proud to announce the calendar for 2023, featuring awe-inspiring freeride destinations around the globe. The world’s best athletes return for the 16th version of this iconic series, ready to push the limits of what’s possible in the high mountains in their quest for the sport’s ultimate prize.

This year’s schedule boasts five stops in five different countries, with two finals events and a two-run format in Fieberbrunn, where riders’ top score will count towards their result. To up the pressure even more, and to reward those with the nerves – and legs – of steel, 12,500 points for first place (instead of 10,000) will again be up for grabs in the FWT finals events. Who can tame Verbier’s Bec des Rosses and Fieberbrunn’s Wildseeloder to maximise their chance of being crowned the champ? Time will tell.

Until then, let’s check out the world-class venues on offer for FWT23:

Kicking Horse Golden BC, Canada: January 13-18, 2023

Known for its champagne powder and long, steep runs, it’s no wonder Kicking Horse attracts riders from all over the globe. The world’s best will have to shake off any early-season nerves and be on point from the very first turn, as these mountains dish up some classic freeride terrain that is unforgiving for the unprepared.

Baqueira Beret, Spain: January 28 – February 2, 2023

After leaving the scenic Rocky Mountains, the Tour heads across the pond for the European leg. Baqueira Beret will again play host, following the success of last year’s inaugural event at this epic venue. Consistent snowfall and varied terrain make this world-class resort an ideal test for freeride fanatics.

Ordino Arcalís, Andorra: February 4-9, 2023

The third stop of FWT23 heads to Ordino Arcalís, where athletes will have one last chance to rack up the points before the cut. This venue has become a permanent fixture on tour, and for a good reason, with playful terrain offering opportunities for creative freeride lines.

THE CUT will be after stop three to set up the FWT Finals. Athletes can qualify using results from two out of the first three events.

Fieberbrunn, Austria: March 11-17, 2023

The first finals event heads to Fieberbrunn, where athletes must navigate the glorious – yet intimidating – Wildseeloder. This mountain is a true test for even the most seasoned pro, and athletes will surely put it all on the line to ensure they have the best shot at the crown.

Xtreme Verbier Switzerland: March 25 – April 2, 2023

  The Grand Finale returns to the undisputed home of freeride, the Bec des Rosses at Verbier, Switzerland. Unrideable to most mere mortals, athletes not only tame this beast year after year, but turn it into their playground, consistently combining new line variations with death-defying stunts.

All events will be broadcast live at  www.freerideworldtour.com  so you don’t miss any action.

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2021 Freeride World Tour calendar

• FWT Ordino Arcalís, Andorra – February 20–26
• FWT Fieberbrunn, Austria – March 6–12
• FWT Xtreme Verbier, Switzerland – March 20–28

Catch up with all the action from the Freeride World …

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Linkin park reunite 7 years after chester bennington's death, with new music.

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Linkin Park is back with a new lineup and debuting their first new music since the 2017 death of lead singer Chester Bennington.

File video above: Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington dies at 41

On Thursday, the band kicked off a livestream showcasing new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who join returning members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix and Joe Hahn. Shinoda and Armstrong will share vocal duties. The new lineup dropped a single, "The Emptiness Machine," and announced a new album, "From Zero." It releases Nov. 15.

The rock-rap band was one of the most commercially successful acts of the 2000s, aided by Bennington's vocals. At 41, he died by suicide shortly after the release of the group's last album, "One More Light." In the years since, Linkin Park has dropped a number of re-releases, including 20th-anniversary editions of "Hybrid Theory," "Meteora" and, this year, the career-spanning greatest hits collection, "Papercuts."

"Before Linkin Park, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we're currently undertaking," Shinoda said in a statement announcing the upcoming release.

Armstrong comes from alt-rock band Dead Sara and Brittain is a songwriter and producer who has worked with Papa Roach, One OK Rock and All Time Low, among others. He replaces original drummer Rob Bourdon, who "has decided to step away," a band representative told The Associated Press.

"The more we worked with Emily and Colin, the more we enjoyed their world-class talents, their company, and the things we created," Shinoda said. "We feel really empowered with this new lineup and the vibrant and energized new music we've made together. We're weaving together the sonic touchpoints we've been known for and still exploring new ones."

The band also announced the "From Zero World Tour," featuring five arena shows in Los Angeles; New York; Hamburg, Germany; London and Seoul this month, and a sixth in November in Bogotá, Colombia.

1. From Zero (Intro)

2. The Emptiness Machine

3. Cut The Bridge

4. Heavy Is The Crown

5. Over Each Other

6. Casualty

7. Overflow

8. Two Faced

11. Good Things Go

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23-25 Feb, 2018

Freeride World Tour Kicking Horse Golden BC 2018

03-09 Feb, 2018

Freeride World Tour Hakuba Japan 2018

20 Jan, 2018

Swatch Xtreme Verbier 2017

01-09 Apr, 2017

Swatch Freeride World Tour Haines Alaska 2017

18 Mar, 2017

Swatch Freeride World Tour Fieberbrunn 2017

06-11 Mar, 2017

Swatch Freeride World Tour Chamonix-Mont-Blanc 2017 staged in Vallnord-Arcalís, Andorra

09 Feb, 2017

Swatch Freeride World Tour Vallnord-Arcalís Andorra 2017

Swatch xtreme verbier 2016.

02-10 Apr, 2016

Swatch Freeride World Tour Haines Alaska 2016

21 Mar, 2016

Swatch Freeride World Tour Fieberbrunn Kitzbüheler Alpen 2016

06-10 Mar, 2016

Swatch Freeride World Tour Chamonix Mont-Blanc 2016

05-07 Feb, 2016

Swatch Freeride World Tour Vallnord Arcalís Andorra 2016

22-23 Jan, 2016

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