Freeride World Tour - 2019

**Gnar_Shralp406** · 03-08-2019, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by Leavenworth Skier

Watched the Andorra event last night. The judging was wack, women’s scores perhaps even more confusing than men’s. The venue was too small. If they needed another day to prep a bigger venue, they should have.

I personally have not enjoyed the fwt nearly as much this year as years past. I feel like some of the other previous venues like Chamonix were more interesting and that athletes used to be rewarded for bigger risk taking and fall line skiing with maybe a trick thrown in.

Now the rewards seem to come from noodling around the low angle zones and traversing cross venue to link every little roller together with a small trick.

I think it would be cool (perhaps logistically impossible) to have each location event be 2 days of skiing to give the athletes a chance to get more consistent score. Perhaps even 1 day could be purposefully on a BC freestyle type venue and the second a big mountain style venue and have the judging standards according to the venue type.

I think if they’d do that, there would be far more interesting things happening on both the freestyle and freeride fronts. Perhaps even on freestyle event have some more manicured takeoffs like redbull line catcher, so athletes could go for bigger tricks more safely and easily.

Then take the 2 scores from each venue event and average them.

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Man, a series of Line Catcher events would be awesome.

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**Dantheman** · 03-08-2019, 10:07 PM

Top three for me would have been Turdell, Pollard, and Navarro. I don't understand Slemmet's score at all.

**Atrain505** · 03-09-2019, 12:22 AM

Slemmet winning that over Turdell is the worst judging of the year by far.
Turdell was the obvious winner by a long shot at that event. Not even a close 2nd. Mind blowing to me.
I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it, even though I know its a business and they'll never do it...live broadcast should be unofficial results. Video review for official results later that day/evening.
One or two spots has always mattered for the guys on the bubble and makes a huge difference in their career, and sometimes it even matters for the winner, which is absurd. Could cost Turdell the overall title.
I'd really like the judges to explain their rationale on those two scores, don't think they can do it.
Fun watch as always. Berkeley, best of luck to him. He is insanely talented.

**gaijin** · 03-09-2019, 12:44 AM

Originally Posted by Dantheman

Top three for me would have been Turdell, Pollard, and Navarro. I don't understand Slemmet's score at all.

^^^THIS.

**powdork** · 03-09-2019, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by roQer

Some guys currently on the list for Verbier won’t probably show up there for different reasons, i.e. injuries, filming projects or whatever. It’s happening every year. The chances for Berkeley to start on the Bec are still pretty high.

especially if they know he's there chomping at the bit

**Lindahl** · 03-09-2019, 01:47 AM

I would also lean towards Turdell. Sorry Thing 2 didn’t make the cut, but I still think there’s hope to see him in Verbier? +1 to getting him on skis with stiffer tails, though staying forward more and taking knees to chest would have helped? - hard to remember that when you mostly land in deeper snow (at least in my experience). That last cliff is wierd though with a pop to massive drop.

The ski women ripped during this comp. Super exciting and what a show they put on. So happy to see this, especially given today. Definitely up there with the boys.

Venue reminded me of the old freeskiing world tour. Especially Kirkwood.

**powdork** · 03-09-2019, 01:47 AM

Originally Posted by Dantheman

Top three for me would have been Turdell, Pollard, and Navarro. I don't understand Slemmet's score at all.

agreed

**bobinch** · 03-09-2019, 01:57 AM

Only saw the the FWT highlights clip but the Turdell run looked special. Credit to Leo coming back from injury and getting the win. Should make for a great finish in Verbier. My money’s on Turdell, Eder and Leo for the podium. Go the Euros! https://www.instagram.com/p/BuwYy5UI...d=e014i3dkufqd

**teamdirt** · 03-09-2019, 02:35 AM

Lol- who is the head judge? Rasta guy doesn’t seem to have the creditials. Judging by the interviews. but really if he is in charge and is the person that ultimately decides the line score his resume sucks, his vision is influenced by tricks, he doesnt see the whole venue and his judgment questions the whole tour!!!!

They have lost all credible judges over the last few years.....

Hugo- quit....

FYI- the skiing at Andorra simulated a junior qualifer comp. Sad...Only because there was no more the pros could do on the same terrain better. I would have loved to see the final result for jr's against pros on the same venue to prove how lame it was for the Pros.....

Oh yeah- take my argument with a grain of salt- ive had a few bevy's and I know how you maggots get!!

**Jupski** · 03-09-2019, 05:29 AM

FWT has peaked and is now in a decline. Great riders are underscored and butter 360s off five foot airs are the new hot shit. Maybe someday freeride will be rowdy aggro sending again.

**2ski2fish4ever** · 03-09-2019, 06:35 AM

great to see so many trained judges posting on this thread,carry on

**gaijin** · 03-09-2019, 06:35 AM

^^^ sad because it feels true. This is the least impressive tour I've ever seen. Hopefully the Bec changes my mind. It was only a few years ago that I said: "That was the best comp I've ever seen." That was somewhere in 2015-2017.

It kept getting better and better until Heitz began rag-dolling at 100mph and Rodney began throwing 100 backflips or airing into walls. It went from rad to "These guys should not be on the tour with their 50% crash rate."

... and now we have butters as the pendulum swings to the other end of the spectrum.

All that said... Let's not forget about snowpack and event management. Every year is different. That's no disrespect to the athletes, or the organizers. We are definitely seeing a healthy contingent of athletes this year.

**ill-advised strategy** · 03-09-2019, 08:40 AM

Couple thoughts....

I love this tour. If I could change anything I’d split it all up like world cup alpine, mens/ womens /ski /snowboard could all go to different places that best suit them.

I honestly miss seeing comps on skied-out inbounds terrain...it was always incredible to me to see those guys charging in day to day inbounds conditions.

The autoplay on my youtube came up with this...

It’s amazing how far we’ve come.

Can we trade Tanner in for Candide?

This process of whittling the sport into narrower and narrower ideas of what will win reminds me of the evolution of competitive mogul skiing, and MMA, and the bench-clearing-brawl-era in hockey...there was kind of a zenith where things were pretty organized and the skill level was really high but things were also still kind of ragged and sketchy, where the viewing was most interesting because at any event anything could happen....but at the same time “anything”, by definition, includes things like horrendous injuries or unpredictable eccentric competitors somehow doing something offensive (Shane McConkey poaching the course naked), and the same unpredictability that draws us as spectators (and competitors) is also something any sanctioning body is almost always going to manage away from. It seems like a hard trend to deal with....flirting with mayhem while trying not to have anyone seriously injured at your event.

**teamdirt** · 03-09-2019, 11:15 AM

Does anyone here watch the men's snowboard? 90% of them hit the same line and try to trick it better then the other guy ...The guy who wins shreds a different line then all the other guys. I guess that makes it easier to judge. The skiers should all just hit the same line and it would be easier to judge. Hell put gates on it that you need stay within.

One thing for sure is Tanner's skiing really sucks. He's by far the guy that shouldn't be on the tour.

**Dantheman** · 03-09-2019, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by teamdirt

One thing for sure is Tanner's skiing really sucks. He's by far the guy that shouldn't be on the tour.

That 3 at Kicking Horse was pretty bad ass. But otherwise, yeah, I bet most of the juniors field could out ski him.

**Angle Parking** · 03-10-2019, 09:50 AM

**powdork** · 03-10-2019, 10:40 AM

Wrangell the Chute is supposed to drop on the IFSA youtube channel sometime today
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyX...LHNGViABQUoBHA

**Angle Parking** · 03-10-2019, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by teamdirt

One thing for sure is Tanner's skiing really sucks. He's by far the guy that shouldn't be on the tour.

He seems to have gotten more and more tentative throughout the season. I'm kinda scared for him at Verbier. His foray on the FWT is turning into the very opposite of Candide's celebrity turn a while back. Thovex, was in a sense, legitimized, Hall is being exposed.

**TAFKALVS** · 03-10-2019, 11:13 AM

What’s the chance Tanner backs out of the Bec at the last minute?

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**Angle Parking** · 03-10-2019, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Leavenworth Skier

What’s the chance Tanner backs out of the Bec at the last minute?

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Not sure, but it might be in his best interest. Despite his recent bails, he clearly has freestyle skills but it's his skiing in between the hits that is troubling. He looks like a child. A scared, slow, child for that matter.

Turdel on the other hand. Wow!!!. That dude is so good. Reviewing his body of work over the past seasons is jaw dropping. He is always on, always smooth. Really pulling for him to pull off the repeat.

**TahoeJ** · 03-10-2019, 01:20 PM

I think if it was perfect powder conditions Hall would be able to hang because that's what he's accustomed to skiing, but otherwise he's a bit out of his element.

Check out Turdell's POV from this last event: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1naU8H6h0/ - I didn't realize how spicy that initial drop in was.

**powdork** · 03-10-2019, 01:26 PM

i like the way the helicopter is right there in the back flip. pretty sure i would stare at it and stop rotating.

I also want to ski somewhere that has grass cliffs

**Angle Parking** · 03-10-2019, 01:36 PM

In the performance check feature, Turdel says that he was actually trying to land on the patch of grass on the initial drop TahoeJ referred to. 'I wanted to land on this spot of grass because I knew I would be carrying too much speed.' WTF!!!!!