Freeskiing World Tour: it's on!

[Gone Skiing]

1st place not quite as nailbiting as 2nd place charging through the chocolate chips, but those massive airs over exposure deserve lots of respect. I'm really enjoying watching these clips. Along with sporting way burlier venues, the Euro tour certainly does a better job of editing/displaying their footage.

Not trying to take anything away from that run, but those airs didn't look to be over much exposure. Both big hits had about a country mile of runout before anything else got in his way. All in all I'd say Reine's run would have blown that one out of the water with the IFSA 5 category judging system - scarier, more hits, more rocks, and much flowier top to bottom.

[JAPatriot]

Wtf?? The 1st place wasn't even special... Two big airs with the majority of the skiing done through a big open bowl. The 2nd place was one of the nuttiest things I've ever seen done on skis... The two don't even compare

[gimpy]

wow, those euro comps are totally fucking insane. whole 'nother level. seems like the skiers get down to the bottom and they are exhausted after sending 2,500' + at full speed. and the bec des rosses or whatever its called is downright scary. i am blown away. anyone got a clip of people skiing that thing???

congrats alto

[klauss]

wow, those euro comps are totally fucking insane. whole 'nother level. seems like the skiers get down to the bottom and they are exhausted after sending 2,500' + at full speed. and the bec des rosses or whatever its called is downright scary. i am blown away. anyone got a clip of people skiing that thing???

congrats alto

Well, I think it's the venue and the bird filming them that's a whole nother level...Not that you said it was the skiers

[mountain_man]

here's a liitle of what was going on this weekend with the Freeride World Tour...huge venue

2nd place run a liitle hairball

fucken oath!

[Gone Skiing]

Snowbird runs from this weekend


Trying to line things up to do the whole tour including SA next year . Skiing is a hell of a drug...

[montanaskier]

dude that was burly...nice job buddy.

[klauss]

^ Rad. 2nd run especially

[under the radar]

Really cool watching day 2 footage. Nice job at the bottom, that is a lot of rock!

[MJbumper1121]

^^^ Badass!!

[brutah]

DREW TABKE IS THE BEST SKIER ON THE MOUNTAIN!!!

[Super G]

Congrats to the Smith Ski Athletes for owning this event. They took 1st in the ladies comp, 1-6 in the men's, and the overall titles for both men and women. Amazing performances all over the place
http://www.smithoptics.com/lounge/Ne...+Championships

[powder11]

The start list for Verbier looks pretty solid. Hopefully someone pusses out and the flyin' hawain gets a shot at becs!

http://www.freerideworldtour.com/riders-154.html

[kush1]

The start list for Verbier looks pretty solid. Hopefully someone pusses out and the flyin' hawain gets a shot at becs!

http://www.freerideworldtour.com/riders-154.html

Looks like Drew got the Wild Card spot...

Tom, way to kill it this year man... Hopefully next year I can do a few instead of being stuck behind the computer the whole time!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

wow, those euro comps are totally fucking insane. whole 'nother level. seems like the skiers get down to the bottom and they are exhausted after sending 2,500' + at full speed. and the bec des rosses or whatever its called is downright scary. i am blown away. anyone got a clip of people skiing that thing???

congrats alto

The Verb Xtreme has been held on the Bec for something like that past 10 years or so. maybe more? Such a gnarly venue. Such a gnarly comp. Every year I really look forward to the comp videos that inevitably come out. Just go over to YouTube and start searching for Bec de Rosse Verbier Extreme or something and you'll find a ton of stuff.

this however is one of my fav vids from the comp. Kaj from 2009. Rappel into the line. Junk sugar snow on super steeps. Big airs above exposure. Love this vid:

[str8line]

Not sure about this, but I'm pretty sure we've seen a number of scores over 45 before. I think Garbiel scored over 45 at Kirkwood at least once, and Chicherit has posted rediculous numbers as well.

The highest score I can remember came from Whistler back in the day when the events were on ESPN. I was probably in high school, but I vaguely remember watching McConkey scoring 48+ on his final run in Diamond bowl. Sick, exposed billy goat line and knowing Shane, there was probably a flip in there somewhere. If I remember correctly Gordy Peifer won the comp.

Anybody else remember this one?

Edit: I found the results. The field was pretty stacked, with huge names from that time. Gordy posted a 46 on his final run and McConkey 48. I don't know if the scoring system was the same back then or not. Here's a link to the story. http://classic.mountainzone.com/ski/...ler/index.html

Results: Canadian Freeskiing Championships

Whistler/Blackcomb, BC, Canada
January 4-8, 1998

Thursday, January 8
Final Standings
(Name, Homebase, R3 Results, Total Score)

WOMEN
1. Alison Gannett, Crested Butte, CO, 41, 121
2. Wendy Fisher, Crested Butte, CO, 38, 113
3. Wendy Brookbank, Whistler, BC, 32, 100
4. A.J. Cargill, Jackson Hole, WY, 26, 96
5. Chris Hutchenson, Aspen, CO, 29, 95

MEN
1. Gordy Peifer, Salt Lake City, UT, 46, 142
2. Rex Wehrman, Durango, CO, 44, 135
3. Brant Moles, Park City, UT, 36, 132
4. Shane McConkey, Squaw Valley, CA, 48, 130
5. Jeff Holden, Whistler, BC, 43, 127
6. Pete Sowar, Crested Butte, CO, 38, 121
7. Rick Greener, Sandy, UT, 41, 120
8. Hugo Harrison, Whistler, BC, 36, 119
9. Seth Morrison, Crested Butte, CO, 4133, 114
10. Shawn Nesbit, Whistler, BC, 35, 113
11. Dave Gauley, Whistler, BC, 32, 113
12. Richie Schley, Whistler, BC, 29, 111
13. Tyler Williams, Aspen, CO, 29, 108
14. Jon Johnston, Crested Butte, CO, 27, 105
15. Jason Prigge, Jackson Hole, WY, 43, 103

Geez, good memory Johnny. I wouldn't have remembered, but now that you mentioned it I had a 49 for one of my runs. A 47 for the other.

[str8line]

Snowbird runs from this weekend


Trying to line things up to do the whole tour including SA next year . Skiing is a hell of a drug...

Nice. Especially the move over the final cliff area. Sick skiing to land, hard right control turn then change direction back to the left before airing it out. The little meeting with the tree up top was almost disastrous in a compound fracture kind of way though.

[powder11]

Looks like Drew got the Wild Card spot...

I'm not familar with the format, does that mean he's in? FKNA if he is! Can't wait to see the becs footage.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I'm not familar with the format, does that mean he's in? FKNA if he is! Can't wait to see the becs footage.

It does. He's in.

[Gone Skiing]

Sick! Get some Tabke!

[monkeywrenchMoose]

this however is one of my fav vids from the comp. Kaj from 2009. Rappel into the line. Junk sugar snow on super steeps. Big airs above exposure. Love this vid:

That was absolutely insane. Kaj is a monster. Thanks for posting that.

[Hicks]

Particulary liked this one for exposure - quite the act just holding that together.

Sverre Lillequist

[Utahrd]

2011 Snowbird FWT footage and interviews that y'all ain't scene yet:

http://backcountrybeacon.com/2011/03...-freeski-comp/

[Meathelmet]

That was absolutely insane. Kaj is a monster. Thanks for posting that.

Indeed. The body rap just to start to ski a line...in a comp...

Hopefully we get the smiling swede back for the next season!

[str8line]

I got to witness Alto, Sage's and Drew Stocklein's final runs on Saturday. I either missed the other final runs because I had a camp going on or couldn't hear the p.a. system to know who was coming down. Based on what I saw of just the final run I would have put Alto barely ahead of Sage for first, and D.S. third. They were all impressive runs but Alto skied the fastest, with super solid technique allowing him to rip the shit out of his whole run. His airs were also the biggest especially in terms of features with some kick. He was fully boosting. The light was flat and the snow was wet and a little punchy which made his ultra-aggressive skiing even more impressive. Sage was just typical Sage, flat out amazing. His airs were stylin top to bottom, he went super big over every one, throwin tricks in flat light and skied pretty damn fast with great fluidity. He had a higher score than D.T. It was a treat to see such great skiing from a couple of maggots!

Regarding Euro vs. N. American events, I don't think it's a, "whole nother level" at all. The terrain in Europe is steeper overall, but the skiing on either continent is comparable. I have absolutely no doubt that Drew is a good enough skier to win the Verbier event as are several other N. Americans. The talent pool of competitors in Europe is probably a little deeper, but part of that is because just about every top Euro freeskier competes, which can't be said about N. America's best big mountain riders.