It was a terrific Day 1 in Revelstoke, BC for the Swatch Freeride and Freeskiing World Tour combined event. Snow conditions were epic and the light was good enough for the event organizers and judges to get all 69 competitors down the North Bowl venue with time to spare. The fireworks for the day were even bigger than expected as the men and women both stepped up to bigger lines than in years passed. Some landings went better than other with multi-time winner Henrick Winsted having one of the scarier crashes of the day. He was able to self arrest in a head first position just short of a nasty 60+ foot rocky tumble. Another amazing self arrest was performed by former Kirkwood Freeskiing Champion Matty Richard. Glad you guys were able to shut it down and go home safe.
When it was all said and done for the day the results put Canadian Kye Petersen in 1st after he flashed a very serious double at about 4 times the speed of anyone else who attempted it, he also tossed in 2 360’s lower down for good measure. Former Little Cottonwood shredder and 2011 FWT champion Drew Tabke ended the day in second after sending a similar double in a slightly slower and much larger manner. The above pictured Oakley White-Allen slid into third place with a unique line and his signature greasy/powerful style.
Ashley Maxfield toped the women’s field skiing a burly pillow line similar to the top scoring mens run on this venue from last year. Revelstoke Local Nicole Derksen is close behind in second after smoothly skiing her tech line. Last years tour champ and Snowbird local Angel Collinson finished third today and is only .6 points out of first. Good luck to all the ladies and gents on the heli accessed “Mac Daddy” face on Sunday!
Fans were out in force to cheer on their friends and their heros. There were about 100-200 devoted competitors and locals on hand to watch the best freeskiers and freeriders in the world go head to head. If you are a fan tune in tomorrow to see the Snowboarding portion of the event on www.thenorthfacemasters.com. The Finals for the Freeskiing/Freeriding will be held on Sunday Jan 8th and you can tune in on www.freeskiingworldtour.com.
Photos: Jacqueline Knutson
“The level of skiing today was even higher than anticipated,” remarked Event Director Bryan Barlow. “Conditions were perfect. Soft landings and good snow allowed competitors to ski lines that have rarely or never been skied before.”
Here are what the final scores looked like:
