50 riders, 4 categories, 3 continents and 5 stops….and now we have the FWT 2019 schedule. Kicks off in Hakuba, Japan on January 16th where we will hopefully see wildcard competitors Tanner Hall and Xavier’s little brother Victor De Le Rue (Travis Rice was a wildcard in Japan 2018 WATCH HERE). Here’s the official statement from FWT:
“Winter is most certainly on its way with the announcement of The Freeride World Tour 2019 calendar. As autumn begins to quickly spread through the high mountains, the moment to announce the FWT19 calendar has finally arrived. In 2019, FWT athletes will return to five of the most challenging and pristine freeride venues the globe has to offer
50 of the world’s best freeriders in four categories – ski men, ski women, snowboard men, and snowboard women – will face-off in big mountain arenas spanning across three continents for their chance to be Freeride World Champion. Following the fourth stop in Vallnord-Arcalís, Andorra only riders holding enough points will have the opportunity to compete in the final stop in Verbier, Switzerland in March.
With an incredible lineup of riders already confirmed – from hungry rookies, hard charging veterans and legendary wild cards such as Tanner Hall (USA) and Victor De Le Rue (FRA) – the FWT19 is shaping up to be an epic show.”
FWT19 calendar:
1) HAKUBA, JAPAN – THE WINTER BEGINS
JANUARY 19-26, 2019
2) KICKING HORSE GOLDEN BC, CANADA – TIME TO GET ROWDY
FEBRUARY 02-08, 2019
3) FIEBERBRUNN, AUSTRIA – HOLD THE LINE
FEBRUARY 22-28, 2019
4) VALLNORD-ARCALÍS, ANDORRA – CRUNCH TIME
MARCH 02-08, 2019
5) VERBIER, SWITZERLAND – THE GRANDE FINALE
MARCH 23 – 31, 2019
***Here’s the a bit more about Tanner’s wildcard status***
One of the most influential skiers of all time will get a chance to throw down against the world’s top freeriders during the 2019 FWT!
Tanner Hall (34), one of the world’s most decorated veterans of freestyle and freeride, will be granted a season wild card to compete alongside the planet’s top freeriders on the five stop international tour in 2019.
Originating from Kalispell, Montana, USA, with a career spanning nearly two decades, Hall is often credited with being one of the original prodigies of the freeski movement; pushing the limit with never-before-seen tricks and progressive lines that earned him admiration and accolades across ski disciplines. Tanner came into the spotlight at a young age, with victories in freestyle skiing competitions that paved his way to groundbreaking movie segments and numerous X-games medals in slopestyle and halfpipe.
images from The Freeride World Tour & Tanner Hall IG