Red Bull athletes Kristofer Turdell and Arianna Tricomi talk skiing on the Freeride World Tour and you can watch the finals live here.
Sport in all its forms has faced its biggest challenge in decades. Some disciplines have taken a critical hit but amid the chaos, fans and athletes are adapting.
In winter sports, closed ski resorts, no chair lifts and limited access to the mountains are causing touring equipment to sell out. Ski and snowboard touring gear sales were up 48% and 146% respectively in November 2020.
Welcome to the backcountry.
At the elite level, the biggest names in skiing and snowboarding are putting on groundbreaking performances in new-look backcountry freestyle competitions. Where traditional contests would focus on the steepness of the face, line choice and fluidity, new contests are now focusing on rider creativity and line selection. The tougher the better in the judges eyes.
Travis Rice’s Natural Selection Tour is the perfect example of a new trailblazing competition style.
First held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the contest saw the biggest names in the sport including Mark McMorris and Anna Gasser pitted against each other in daunting naturally enhanced features. The Red Bull TV broadcast included groundbreaking drone shot angles of each ride, bringing viewers a new and improved perspective of the sport.
Fans are now turning their attention to the Freeride World Tour (FWT) which celebrates its 25th anniversary. A fitting milestone for a competition that has seen the sport grow from an underdog discipline to a winter sports staple. Athletes will compete in Andorra and Austria before heading to Verbier (Switzerland) for the famed Bec des Rosses grand finale. Watch it live on Red Bull TV, live Tuesday March 23rd 8 AM CET (Central European Time). For those of you not local, thats 3 AM Eastern or midnight Pacific time here in the states.
Watch Live on Red Bull TV
This new freeriding craze follows the natural evolution of the sport. Access to traditional skiing and snowboarding at resorts is becoming increasingly more expensive, so riders have overcome and evolved. Additionally, fans and athletes are more environmentally conscious leading them to learn more about the region they ski or snowboard in allowing them to connect more with the mountain.
“In a lot of ways, being back to skiing a contest with these other riders has allowed me to feel normal again,” said two time defending overall FWT tour ski champion Arianna Tricomi. “Not having a contest for a while makes you appreciate the community around the contest, the good times, not the competition.”
For skier Kristofer Turdell, 2018 overall FWT those good times, the connection to the mountain and the freedom the sport creates drew him away from alpine racing and into the world of all mountain freeriding.
“Until I was sixteen years old, I was an alpine racer that found myself skiing in the park on the days off,” said Turdell. “When training was over, it was freeing to go ski for fun and not for a contest. Eventually I grew tired of the race community and racing itself, and so I took a break. I missed the connection to nature and that is what big mountain and freeriding offered me. A lot of people think that freeriders are constantly out doing extreme stuff all the time, but most days it is just traditional skiing but in a bigger environment.”
Freeriding is not for everyone. You cannot show up and expect to find success. But, if you take them to prepare yourself, being a part of this ski or snowboard community is worldwide.
“I know where my limit is in terms of my preparation and ski ability,” said Turdell. “From snow safety, to ski technique and more, I tend to stay below my ability level and not get close to that line of out of control and put myself in a dangerous environment. You cannot willingly risk yourself for a greater challenge if you are not prepared for it.”
For many freeriders, the connection to the mountain is one aspect that draws them to the sport but many will tell you that the ability to create the ski or snowboard line in that moment is their version of art.
“Being able to create lines that nobody else has skied creates a freedom that is unmatched,” Turdell. “Even if someone else has skied that area before, the conditions always change so each line is never the exact same. That is the secret for me and why I enjoy it so much. Every day is a new day and you are constantly challenged.”
The challenge is amped up in a contest because you are not able to ski or snowboard the contest area until day of event.
“I love the preparation,” said Turdell. “I brought my love of the inspection days that I had in my racing career to my preparation now. Studying and taking the time to understand everything about the course gives you the best chance at success when you get to finally ski the line you have been studying from afar. There is no such thing as being over prepared.”