Freeride World Tour - 2019

[jamesboarder]

I don't really get the hate for tanner. There is zero incentive for him to ski the last comp. Financial and time costs of going to Europe to then have to ski some high risk line from only a visual inspection that may or may not score well due to inconsistent judging. He's already requalified and can't win the overall comp. My preference would be to stay in Tahoe too - which does have great conditions right now and he does have filming commitments.

I'm not gonna read too much into his bringing new tricks people have never seen on the tour quote. It's an interview where he's trying to hype the tour and get people watching, which is exactly why he was bought in as a wildcard. What do you expect him to say? "Nah I won't be going big, just gonna do a few safe runs with nothing new".

Fact is he finished 7th (pre-verbier). That's a solid season for anyone let alone for a "rookie". With that in mind the idea that he can't ski big mountain is a bit of a joke.

I do believe tanner bought in some new viewers so maybe from a business point of view it makes sense, but personally I would prefer no wild cards. Let the guys killing themselves in the qualifiers get all the spots, they deserve it.

Also I don't understand why they don't just let everyone ski Verbier? Do they really need a cut? I would even consider offering auto requalification to the verbier winner.

[McDee]

Turdell, Eder and Bimboes for the podium.

I don't think anyone should requalify for the next season if they don't complete all competitions, without a valid reason. And no, filming or other engagements are not valid, it'd have to be extenuating circumstances like injury etc. If you sign up, you sign up for all.

[bobinch]

Was just standing next to the guy who organizes it in the Cable car and asked him about T Hall. Seems it really increased the profile of the FWT in the US. Although he also looked a bit gutted that he didn’t show up in Verbier...

[gaijin]

As Reine (kinda?) said in the past: "You haven't won until you've won The Bec."

Competitive free riding is its own sport. I was cheering for Tanner to bridge this genre with his own genre. I'm bummed he didn't.

Whether a rider's style is freestyle focused, or big mountain focused, I think we can all agree that the genre of competitive free riding is showing up on comp day. Being able to throw down one line on one day at the moment you're told to drop in is exactly what this sport is all about.

Crews spend entire seasons studying snowpack and prepping venues for comp day. There isn't an environment on the planet that offers more support (helicopters, safety crew) to throw down your absolute sickest shit on comp day than being a member of the tour.

"I'm too busy filming." Then you're not a competitive free rider. Understood.

I can't wait to tune in tomorrow. It's the highlight of my season. Super stoked Reine will be there for a perfect day of filming runs that get archived, people watch, and throw back to year after year.

[bobinch]

The legends are out!



Raclette, the food of champions

[Angle Parking]

Looking at THall's body of work for the season is telling. His skiing progressively got worse throughout the 4 stops. He was good in Hakuba. I even liked his skiing between the airs at this stop. He did this cool stomp on a wind lip wave feature etc.. He looked like he was comfortable and playful. The Kicking Horse stop was really 1 cool move off that drop and not much else. Short venue I know, but he entered the chute very tentatively and unlike Turdel, Eder, Tabke, the dude just doesn't look all that good on his skis. Things got more and more tentative in Feiberbrunn and beyond. Andora; he looked downright slow and scared.

The phrase 'movie star in hero snow' was bandied about earlier. Was this the case with THall? Did the progressively variable conditions throughout this years 4 events expose him as a 'movie star in hero snow'? Did he psych himself out. Ofpiste mentioned that his son told him the Andorra conditions were seriously terrifying at first. Did he get scared and psych himself out? Who knows but you can't argue with the facts and as far as I am concerned the facts (or video as the case may be) suggest that he was getting worse and worse, more and more scared, more and more tentative, and none of that bodes well for Verbier.

To the point about bringing eyes to the FWT; hard to argue that this did not happen. Look at the passion and vitriol the thread is generating. This thing is going to get moved to pollyass pretty soon. Hard to imagine this not ending up as the longest FWT thread ever.

[Angle Parking]

Hoping for a Turdell victory.

[muted]

never really gave the guy a thought before this, but this move is now his legacy

He's one of the best, influential skiers ever. Nobody is going to remember or care by next season that he skipped this, and you think it's his legacy, after all he's done for skiing? Not that many people even follow the FWT.

[simple]

Has anyone used the term pipe jockey lately? Like Prince Shawn White only full time 420?

Lol just some dark humor. Stoked to watch the event.

[TahoeJ]

How does he have more to lose than the young guy (not necessarily mine) who's spent almost that much time getting there and doesn't have a pot to piss in, then gets displaced by a guy rich, entitled dude who can't even be bothered to show up for the final event?

The FWT - I'm sure - is grateful to him for bringing viewership, but how does that benefit anyone but him and them?

Do you seriously need this to be explained? Increased viewership and exposure = happy sponsors = larger operating budget. Benefits everyone on the tour. It's not rocket science.

Whose payroll are you on?

I'm on my own payroll, motherfucker. Calm down. (I'm being tongue in cheek with that, don't get your panties in a bunch). And yeah, a lot of those Numinous lines were pulled off on the first attempt... you can tell because there aren't any other tracks. You act like there's no pressure filming lines when time is money.

In general, you're seriously disrespecting Hall's contributions to the sport and coming off whiny as hell. I'm not even a Thall fan - his thing has never been my cup of tea - but I'm not so blinded as to not acknowledge what he's done.

Did you ever consider he knew that by pulling out that it would be easy for Reine to fill his spot as the first alternate? No one is missing out on anything because of him. Sure, he did potentially take someone else's spot on tour this season, but that's on the tour and how they choose to operate, not him.

[Boissal]

For fucks sake, one could argue that none of this "tricking over exposure off a 70 foot cliff" would have happened without thall. He is one of the few people who has significantly progressed the sport and helped create freeskiing as we know it. He has been tricking off large, natural features for years. He has acknowledged the one run format is a challenge and that's understandable when your career has been spent filming and competing in park. Were you this upset when Candide crushed the tour? Or is it that thall finished in the middle of the pack and didn't blow everyone away? I feel thall and kye were both judged fairly but that's just my opinion as a hack skier.

That's the whole point though, Candide got in, hit all the FWT stops, took 3rd at Verbier, and you honestly can't say he hasn't progressed the sport or helped create freeskiing at least as much as THall did. He's been head and shoulder over the rest of the pack for a decade (including THall). Candide was also coming from the world of mini-golfling lines in great snow and shredding the park. Everyone thought he'd be over his head in FWT terrain and his 1st run included inverted airs over exposure. Dude didn't run his mouth and over delivered. THall was about as loud as his stance is wide before the tour but his only significant hit was a big 3 that should have been a double back? Guess we have to take his word for it uh? Good thing his giganticly oversized pants can accommodate the tail he now has to tuck between his legs. His long track record of being a classless fool was just lengthened by this disrespectful bail. He's a legendary one trick pony, no doubt about that, we're not talking about revising his legacy. But unlike Candide he wasted his wildcard and robbed others of an opportunity. Fuck that noise.

[muted]

I wouldn't say this is running your mouth "I can't even say I'm going there to win or I'm going there to show the world something crazy. But I know I can ski big mountains very well. I know I can throw really nice tricks off of shit that you don't even need to put one shovel load on. And if I can combine those two, I think that could make a good run."

I think what killed him was not skiing big mountains very well in average conditions, so he didn't "combine those two". In average conditions he builds booters and sessions those instead of skiing hardpack. High speed recklessness in sub-optimal conditions is not his background.

[total_immortal]

That's the whole point though, Candide got in, hit all the FWT stops, took 3rd at Verbier, and you honestly can't say he hasn't progressed the sport or helped create freeskiing at least as much as THall did. He's been head and shoulder over the rest of the pack for a decade (including THall). Candide was also coming from the world of mini-golfling lines in great snow and shredding the park. Everyone thought he'd be over his head in FWT terrain and his 1st run included inverted airs over exposure. Dude didn't run his mouth and over delivered. THall was about as loud as his stance is wide before the tour but his only significant hit was a big 3 that should have been a double back? Guess we have to take his word for it uh? Good thing his giganticly oversized pants can accommodate the tail he now has to tuck between his legs. His long track record of being a classless fool was just lengthened by this disrespectful bail. He's a legendary one trick pony, no doubt about that, we're not talking about revising his legacy. But unlike Candide he wasted his wildcard and robbed others of an opportunity. Fuck that noise.

So you expect all wild cards to win in order to not 'rob others'? That doesn't even make sense. I agree he wasn't the best rider in the tour this year, but he was judged fairly and I don't think his scores were inflated. I would understand all the hate towards him if that was the case, but I don't think it is. Oft seems to be bothered that thall got a wildcard in the first place and I was just pointing out that Candide also got a wildcard and no one seemed to care because he crushed it, and it's pretty hypocritical to say Candide deserved to be on the FWT and thall didn't. I understand not everyone likes his style but that doesn't discount his contribution to the sport and if you watch any of thall's segments he usually crushes some big mountain lines in AK so I think he is capable to compete on the FWT even if Turdell can ski circles around him (likely because Turdell has been doing these types of comps for a while).

Also, plenty of athletes in the past have skipped Verbier when their results wouldn't matter and they are already qualified for the next season. As someone else said, professionally it makes more sense for thall to make money filming, rather than spend a lot of money to ski one run that won't change anything. It seems people just hate thall and would rather rag on him than think about it from his perspective and realize he is the same as everyone else, maybe just a little more cocky than most.

[Dantheman]

And yeah, a lot of those Numinous lines were pulled off on the first attempt... you can tell because there aren't any other tracks. You act like there's no pressure filming lines when time is money.

Seriously. Just about every big mountain line you see in a movie is an on-sight. Get a look at it on the flight/hike up, maybe study a polaroid at the top for a bit, then you have one take to rip the piss out of it while hopefully remembering how you need to negotiate all the blind moves and you judged the size of the airs correctly. That's what puts all those guys on another level.

[zede]

That's the whole point though, Candide got in, hit all the FWT stops, took 3rd at Verbier, and you honestly can't say he hasn't progressed the sport or helped create freeskiing at least as much as THall did. He's been head and shoulder over the rest of the pack for a decade (including THall). Candide was also coming from the world of mini-golfling lines in great snow and shredding the park. Everyone thought he'd be over his head in FWT terrain and his 1st run included inverted airs over exposure. Dude didn't run his mouth and over delivered. THall was about as loud as his stance is wide before the tour but his only significant hit was a big 3 that should have been a double back? Guess we have to take his word for it uh? Good thing his giganticly oversized pants can accommodate the tail he now has to tuck between his legs. His long track record of being a classless fool was just lengthened by this disrespectful bail. He's a legendary one trick pony, no doubt about that, we're not talking about revising his legacy. But unlike Candide he wasted his wildcard and robbed others of an opportunity. Fuck that noise.

I'm not sure what's the point compairing CT and TH. While both skied moguls at the beginning (seems almost mandatory to reach the top amirite?) before to become "renowned" freestlyle skiers, only candide actually switched to a "broader" skiing, and competed at the top level of freeride.
TH lost all his technique skiing pow only, skiing straight only to hit a big well shaped jump. Maybe if he moved to new zealand and started skiing shit snow condition with sam ibex, his technique would improve and his balls would grow (andorra also works great for shit snow conditions).

Inviting TH to join the FWT was probably just some kind of PR stunt, I don't know if they are lacking audience and if they achieved their goal, but I don't think it helped Tanner's popularity.

Tanner is on the FWT almost ten years after Candide (while they are almost the same age), I don't understand how someone could think he would be well performing

[toast2266]

I liked having THall on the tour, if nothing else because it highlighted how much better a lot of the skiers on the FWT are than some of the well known film stars. Or at least the FWT guys are better at making the best of so-so conditions and charging gnar regardless of the snow.

That, of course, doesn't change the fact that I view THall as a semi-douche tweaker.

[muted]

Seriously. Just about every big mountain line you see in a movie is an on-sight. Get a look at it on the flight/hike up, maybe study a polaroid at the top for a bit, then you have one take to rip the piss out of it while hopefully remembering how you need to negotiate all the blind moves and you judged the size of the airs correctly. That's what puts all those guys on another level.

While I agree 100%, sometimes it's not true. Mainly in areas near Pemberton, people are skiing the same line for the 10-15th time (and the line has been in dozens of movies). Somehow viewers don't recognize the penis rock on Ogre for the 20th time in 20 years, ha, for example.

this is a random side comment above, and yes most lines are blind, and skiers should be given props on hard it is do that. And to take it to the next level, when things are not how they scoped, the have the ability to (sometimes) go with the flow, not panic, and still look like they planned it all the whole time.

Ok, carry on.

[yeahman]

Interesting discussion, made me curious so I spent a couple hours watching all 4 of Tanner's runs, as well as many of the other competitors. The idea that he was out of his league compared to the other skiers is being overstated IMO. He does sometimes lack the speed (first year on the tour it could probably be expected) but to me his tricks are often more stylish and smooth looking than those of the faster skiers.

That said, I do believe he should have finished what he started, regardless of whether it was convenient. That's a basic tenet of life for me, so I'm disappointed about that.

[Boissal]

So you expect all wild cards to win in order to not 'rob others'? That doesn't even make sense. I agree he wasn't the best rider in the tour this year, but he was judged fairly and I don't think his scores were inflated. I would understand all the hate towards him if that was the case, but I don't think it is. Oft seems to be bothered that thall got a wildcard in the first place and I was just pointing out that Candide also got a wildcard and no one seemed to care because he crushed it, and it's pretty hypocritical to say Candide deserved to be on the FWT and thall didn't. I understand not everyone likes his style but that doesn't discount his contribution to the sport and if you watch any of thall's segments he usually crushes some big mountain lines in AK so I think he is capable to compete on the FWT even if Turdell can ski circles around him (likely because Turdell has been doing these types of comps for a while).

Also, plenty of athletes in the past have skipped Verbier when their results wouldn't matter and they are already qualified for the next season. As someone else said, professionally it makes more sense for thall to make money filming, rather than spend a lot of money to ski one run that won't change anything. It seems people just hate thall and would rather rag on him than think about it from his perspective and realize he is the same as everyone else, maybe just a little more cocky than most.

No, I don't expect them to win. It would be nice for them to at least show up though...

Tanner said he approached the FWT organizers to express interest then sprayed that "skiing is not about 360s, backflips, and 720s, anymore. And if those big-mountain skiers aren't watching how the tricks are evolving in the park, then they've got a big surprise coming next year. I have respect for both disciplines, and I think this is the coolest tour in skiing. But I hope I can bring a little flavor from the park side and have some of the big mountain skiers say, 'Holy shit, we never even thought of that.' "

He got his wildcard and completely failed to deliver any of the above. He laid down his best run in the tamest venue and ironically enough it included a 360 and a backflip. As far as I can tell that wasn't enough to blow any of the big mountain skiers' minds. He then proceeded to fall down the rankings (9 - 14 - 14) and look less and less engaged with each stop, skiing more and more hesitantly as the venues got gnarlier. No mind blowing stuff in sight. He still had Verbier to silence critics who feel that he is not on the same level as the rest of the field. The overall is obviously out of his reach at this point but he could have entered the small club of people who have put down a badass run on the Bec. We'll never know, he decided to go film instead. Do you see why that would rub people the wrong way, regardless of what he has accomplished in the past? Imagine we've been bros for 10 years and I've always been solid. Then I randomly shit in your lunch. You're going to defend me because of our past history? Didn't think so.

Bottomline: he came in hot, made some grand statements about his skillset and how it could refresh the game, and failed to deliver. Now he's packing his toys and going home. It's his choice, he's running a business and has to look for his bottomline. It's classless as fuck is all I'm saying. I really hope he doesn't come back next season, he can continue to build his legacy, which I don't think is in question here.

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

He started Armada. Been a pro forever. Battled for Xgames gold for years. And you guys want him to risk his neck in garbage snow in Andorra? Seriously why would he? He’s not some kid trying to make a name for himself, hoping he can one day make a career out of this.

[californiagrown]

TH lost all his technique skiing pow only, skiing straight only to hit a big well shaped jump. Maybe if he moved to new zealand and started skiing shit snow condition with sam ibex, his technique would improve and his balls would grow (andorra also works great for shit snow conditions).

I don't think folks quite understand Thalls injury history, and why he chooses to pretty much only ski pow and slush spring snow....

Lots of people talking about how there are a ton of kids out there busting their ass for FWT dreams of glory and whatnot... im sorry, but bumbing around (likely as part of a freeride team) for a handful of years pales in comparison to the decades long hustle and grind that Thall has been on. If you want to talk about work put in, and deserving, you might want to look at people who have put in more than 10 years....

[JayPowHound]

Without engaging in the rest of the argument, I'm curious about the increase in viewership from TH' s presence on Tour. Is that fact, or just an assumption? I haven't seen any real numbers, does the FWT release that info? How many more viewers were there really this year? Does anyone know?

[adrenalated]

And you guys want him to risk his neck in garbage snow in Andorra?

No, he wanted to. He asked to join the tour.
Source: https://freeskier.com/stories/tanner...ide-world-tour

[yeahman]

Without engaging in the rest of the argument, I'm curious about the increase in viewership from TH' s presence on Tour. Is that fact, or just an assumption? I haven't seen any real numbers, does the FWT release that info? How many more viewers were there really this year? Does anyone know?

This is very unscientific but here's a comparison of the YouTube views for the 2018 and 2019 events on the FreerideWorldTourTV channel.

Andorra 52,448 (2018) vs. 64,531 (2019)
Kicking Horse 18,406 (2018) vs. 95,858 (2019)
Fieberbrunn 66,088 (2018) vs. 72,748 (2019)
Hakuba 50,155 (2018) vs. 134,530 (2019)

Pretty significant increase year over year, especially considering the 2018 videos have been up for an extra year.

[TahoeJ]

Some of (probably most of) that Hakuba bump is likely due to Travis Rice, FWIW. But yeah, names attract eyeballs for sure.

I don’t think anyone disagrees that Rice came in and did it right (if only for one event) and that THall didn’t. But the pearl clutching is a bit much.