FREERIDE WORLD TOUR 2021 TRAILER & CALENDAR
After a sweltering summer, it’s always hard to imagine the snowflakes pilling up into the deep, dreamy powder we all enjoy. But get ready folks, as winter is indeed on the way, and the Freeride World Tour (FWT) is eager to announce a five-stop tour for 2021, along with some exciting changes in the championship format.
The venues on offer are natural freeride playgrounds, giving the athletes the best platform to throw down their skills in the fight for the world title. And without further delay, here is the FWT21 calendar:
1) Hakuba, Japan – January 23-30, 2021
2) Kicking Horse in Golden B.C., Canada – February 8-13, 2021
3) Ordino Arcalis, Andorra – February 22-27, 2021
4) Fieberbrunn, Austria – March 6-12, 2021
5) Verbier Xtreme, Switzerland – March 20-28, 2021
The Bec des Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland. Photo by Dom Daher
In addition, to make the competition more exciting for both athletes and viewers alike, the FWT has revamped the championship format. This year will see four pivotal changes:
1) Athlete qualification will occur at the third stop (instead of the fourth), making the Ordino Arcalís Andorra ‘crunch time’ for the athletes. The same numbers still go through as 2020 (best 2 results out of 3 events counts): 13 ski men, 6 ski women, 6 snowboard men, 4 snowboard women – totalling 29 riders.
2) Two runs in Austria. After a successful test last year with snowboard men, riders this year will get two runs in Fieberbrunn and keep their single best score.
3) The FWT Finals in Fieberbrunn and Verbier will be rolled out after the cut, where for the last two events, the points will be weighted 1.5. This means the winner will take 15,000 points, compared to 10,000 for the first three stops.
4) World Champions will now be crowned for their best three results out of five.
Andrew Pollard in Hakuba, Japan. Photo by Jeremy Bernard
These exciting changes will ensure the world’s top freeriders get the best opportunity to compete for the world title and continue to push the progression of the sport into new realms.
As health and safety is always the priority for FWT organizers, they are actively working in conjunction with local authorities to make sure each competition is compliant with current regulations.
Hakuba, Japan. Photo by Jeremy Bernard
Competition broadcasts will be available on freerideworldtour.com. Until then, stay tuned and follow the FWT’s social media channels (@freerideworldtour) for all the latest news as the countdown to winter begins.