The SWATCH Freeride World Tour is set to merge with the Freeskiing World Tour and North Face Masters of Snowboarding for a unified six stop, global tour in 2013. The tour, dubbed the SWATCH Freeride World Tour by THE NORTH FACE, features both freeskiing and snowboarding at each event. The tours confirmed locations include Revelstoke (BRITISH COLUMBIA), Kirkwood (CALIFORNIA), Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (FRANCE), Fieberbrunn PillerseeTal (AUSTRIA), an additional European location, with the finals being at Verbier, Switzerland.
Reine Barkered’s 1st Place Run in Verbier 2012
There will be around 50 qualifiers around the world that will provide riders a chance to qualify for the next years world tour (2014), with initial stops in New Zealand and Chile in August of this year.
Ralph Backstrom says about the merger, “I couldn’t be more stoked to hear that the The North Face Masters of Snowboarding and FWT will be combined for next season. I look forward to seeing some more North Americans at the European stops, some more Euros in North America, and an increased talent pool.”
The schedule for the 2013 World Tour is set to begin on January 7, 2013:
1. Dates: January 7 – 12
Location: Revelstoke (CAN)
Disciplines: Men’s and Women’s Ski and Snowboard
2. Dates: January 26 – February 1
Location: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (FRA)
Disciplines: Men’s and Women’s Ski and Snowboard
3. Dates: February 27 – March 3
Location: Kirkwood (USA)
Disciplines: Men’s and Women’s Ski and Snowboard
4. Dates: March 9 – 15
Location: Fieberbrunn Pillerseetal (AUT)
Disciplines: Men’s and Women’s Ski and Snowboard
5. Tour Stop number 5 in Europe – Location/Date To Be Confirmed
6. Swatch Verbier Xtreme 2013 by The North Face (Final Comp)
Dates: March 23 – 31
Location: Verbier (SUI)
Disciplines: Men’s and Women’s Ski and Snowboard
Backstrom at Chamonix for last year’s tour
this is stupid. how is anyone supposed to make a name for themselves without travelling tens of thousands of miles. And i guess the CB extremes are done? and snowbird too?
i was wondering if those, and jackson are going to be some of the 50 qualifiers now? i’m not stoked on this. at all.
WTF?? Bullshit!!
I know, they only have one stop in each USA and Canada an we got the dopest skiing arond.
Haha good one. Revelstoke is ok if you can get a helli or cat but Kirkwood? not so much if you compare to the Alps.
It’s sick that were gonna have basically a super bowl of big mountain freestyle (plus the mainstream networks will presumably still have cold rush and supernatural), but it’s definitely going to change those 3 events from amateur accessible to top tier pros only. Good and bad, depending on what you want to see
Plus the bird just lost 2 of the most fun days of the year
It seems like they should add more events, and make each event less important.
From the outside, it looks like they are trying to put together a dew tour-esque series of events without the Gatorade Free Flow tour, which has double the stops of the dew tour and the chance for ams to try to make a name for themselves. They need either more stops or an entire open series that qualifies you for the big Verbier final, similar to the Dew. As it is its less events, fewer resorts, and the end of some classic events.
I think its a good move. Less top tier events but the best of the best. There will be enough 4 star events still in the US so ya, you will have to step up and prove yourself if your gonna make it….Taos has the best comp of the year in the US and I hope they run another qualifier at Moonlight Basin…I think they were letting to many people into the events in the US last year from the qualifying rounds at the major comps…I say earn it at the 4 star comps…
Thats fine, IF they have enough 4 start comps to earn it at.
if youre good, you only need one shot. if youre a trustafari, you can still travel all over and tell local girls to watch you on the tour next year and piss away daddys money…this is a good thing for big mtn skiing. good skiers move up, mediocre skiers dont. wham!
**Also, the 2013 FWQ schedule will be released mid-September, which will feature stops at Snowbird, Taos, Moonlight Basin, Jay Peak, Magic Mountain, Sugarbush, Aspen, Mad River, Red Mountain, and others to be determined.
i`m just looking for the 2013 FWQ Schedule but I can´T find it enywhere on the web, also not on the official web site.
Do you know anythink about the schedule, where could I find it. Wanna know, when the Big Mountain Hochfügen in the Austrian Alps is.
Really wan´t to get there.
Thx,
Janette
i think this just made it WAY harder for up and comers to try and make a name for themsleves. who’s got the money to travel thousands of miles anyway? we’re losing the soul of this sport. the ski bums who tavel from stop to stop can’t do this anymore. classic events at CB and snowbird are done!
Awesome move. Fact is 90% of the amateurs in the open events that MSI runs have no business competing with legit top guys and are straight up boring to watch ski. It’s cool these amateurs get a shot, but because our events have been open to all our sport looks silly in comparison to surfing where only the best of the best get to go on tour. Now at least we’ll have a big-time premier event for all the top guys out there, then I’m sure CB, Snowbird, etc. will get some sort of tour/feeder events setup and all the unknowns can throw down there while the big boys do their own thing.