“With winter on the horizon that can only mean one thing; the return of the Freeride World Tour! The world’s best freeriders will be back charging hard for the world title in a brand-new format with the announcement of the Freeride World Tour (FWT) 2021 calendar.”
XTREMEly happy to report the FWT21 is all set to kickoff in Japan on January 23rd with a few tweaks to the format including riders getting to keep the best single score after two runs in Fieberbrunn, Austria. FWT wants to make clear that health and safety is always the priority for organizers and they will be actively working in conjunction with local authorities to make sure each competition is compliant with current regulations. Bit early to get super pumped but knowing the most exciting competition in big mountain snow sports is on the horizon brings a smile and nod from a slow simmer of stoke. Hell yeah!
HAKUBA, JAPAN | 23-30 January
Hakuba marks the real start of winter as the Freeride World Tour makes its first stop in Japan! The deep conditions and exciting terrain will give the riders the best possible start to the competition season.
KICKING HORSE GOLDEN BC, CANADA | 8-13 February
Next up, it’s time to get rowdy at Kicking Horse Golden BC, Canada. The playful terrain packed full of natural features is ideal for riders looking to get creative by including freestyle elements in their lines!
ORDINO ARCALÍS, ANDORRA | 22-27 February
The third stop on the FWT21 will be Ordino Arcalis, Andorra. The new competition format means that this will be crunch time for the athletes to put down runs that will earn them a place at the final two stops! The unpredictable and sometimes, tricky conditions means that the riders will have to be able to adapt quickly to be able to hold the line to advance to the new finals format!
FIEBERBRUNN, AUSTRIA | 6-12 March
Another first for the Tour will be seeing all athletes get two runs down at Fieberbrunn with their best score counting towards their points total. AND the points for the final two events will be worth 1.5, e.g winner will receive 15,000 points rather than 10,000 points. The Tour will hit Fieberbrunn, Austria. Who will be committed enough to conquer the Austrian Alps and go onto the all important showdown at the Xtreme Verbier?
XTREME VERBIER, SWITZERLAND | 20-28 March
The illustrious and Grand Finale that is the Xtreme Verbier, Switzerland where the FWT champion will be crowned for their top 3 results out of five from the whole Tour! With it all to play for at the final event, who will conquer the incredibly steep Bec des Rosses and be crowned the 2021 FWT Champion!?
NEW CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT
In addition, to make the competition more exciting for both athletes and viewers alike, the FWT has revamped the championship format. 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. 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.
images from FWT FB
