FREERIDE WORLD TOUR ORDINO ARCALIS RECAP

The 2022 Freeride World Tour (FWT) continued the blazing pace set by last week’s event in Baqueira Beret, Spain with the second stop this weekend in Ordino Arcalís, Andorra. The competition ended with new riders standing atop all four podiums, which means the race for the world title remains wide open.

Sunday’s event took place on a never-before-used venue, Pic De Les Planes, showcasing the extensive terrain available around Ordino Arcalís. Despite warm and dry conditions across much of Europe, a solid snowpack and sunny weather allowed for successful back-to-back events in the Pyrenees, with gorgeous sunny days and spring-like conditions.

Starting the day was Ski Men, and the category saw a mix of explosive performances as well as uncharacteristic falls from tour legends. FWT rookie Maxime Chabloz (SUI) took the victory with a run featuring fast skiing, a massive gap jump, a huge backflip and yet another big 360. Rounding out the podium were two American skiers, Ross Tester (USA) and Andrew Pollard (USA).

I chose a creative line where not many others had gone, and my backflip was bigger than I planned, but it still worked out perfectly. I am very happy with my first victory on the Freeride World Tour—I'm going to give it my all in Canada and hopefully win another one!” –Maxime Chabloz

Ski Men Results

1) Maxime Chabloz
2) Ross Tester
3) Andrew Pollard
4) Aymar Navarro
5) Leo Slemett
6) Jamesa Hampton
7) Carl Regnér Eriksson
8) Jack Nichols
9) Valentin Rainer
10) Blake Marshall
11) Isaac Freeland
12) Grifen Moller
13) Abel Moga
14) Kristofer Turdell
15) Kevin Nichols
16) Wadeck Gorak
17) Reine Barkered
18) Cooper Bathgate
19) Maël Ollivier
20) Craig Murray
21) Max Palm
22) Joan Aracil

Ski Women followed in a similarly dramatic mix of crashes and triumphs. Making her triumphant return to the top of the podium was Jess Hotter (NZL). Hotter linked several large airs with flawless skiing to take the event win. Coming back from a tough crash in Spain last week, 2021 World Champion Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI) placed 2nd, while 3rd place went to tour rookie Lily Bradley (USA).

“Today was all about adjusting my line to the changing conditions, and I’m so happy with how it worked out!  My goal this year is just to have fun, and I’m really excited for Kicking Horse, I love it there.“ –Jess Hotter

Ski Women Results

1) Jessica Hotter
2) Elisabeth Gerritzen
3) Lily Bradley
4) Hedvig Wessel
5) Sybille Blanjean
6) Lexi Dupont
7) Zuzanna Witych
8) Olivia McNeill
9) Tracy Chubb
10) Juliette Willmann
11) Jacqueline Pollard

In Snowboard Men, Blake Moller (USA) took the win with a well-rounded run featuring stylish grabs, spins and a massive backflip to finish. Defending world champion Victor De Le Rue (FRA) took 2nd, with Camille Armand (FRA) in 3rd. 

“It feels so cool to get this win. I watched Victor go before me, and he’s one of the greatest of all time, so I knew I had to go hard. Really though, every single snowboarder threw down, and that makes me really stoked.” –Blake Moller

Snowboard Men Results

1) Blake Moller
2) Victor De Le Rue
3) Camille Armand
4) Cody Bramwell
5) Mathieu Martineau
6) Michael Mawn
7) Ludovic Guillot-Diat
8) Manuel Diaz

Wrapping up the day was Snowboard Women. Despite the most challenging conditions of the day, the women still put down impressive runs, with yet another tour rookie taking the top spot. Tiphanie Perrotin’s (FRA) winning run showcased her well-rounded abilities and was capped by a huge final air. 2018 world champion Manuela Mandl (AUT) placed 2nd, who was closely followed by Erika Vikander (USA) in 3rd. 

“It is very warm up there, the snow has changed a lot compared to this morning, so I decided to change my run a bit. I spotted something a bit bigger and I gave it my best shot and it went well. I’m so stoked!” –Tiphanie Perrotin

Snowboard Women Results

1) Tiphanie Perrotin
2) Manuela Mandl
3) Erika Vikander
4) Núria Castan Baron
5) Katie Anderson
6) Claire McGregor

With the first and second stops in the books, FWT is ready to head to North America. Next up is the third stop at Kicking Horse in Golden, B.C. on February 12th - 17th, which will be the riders’ last chance to lock in results before The Cut, with top-ranked riders moving through to the FWT Finals in Fieberbrunn, Austria on March 15th - 20th and Verbier, Switzerland on March 26th - April 3rd.

For current tour rankings, more in-depth coverage including the current tour rankings, be sure to visit www.freerideworldtour.com.