RESULTS: FWT22 Stop 3 – Kicking Horse

When nature throws a wrench in your plans, improvise and have an even bigger party. At least that’s what happened in Kicking Horse this weekend at the third stop of the 2022 Freeride World Tour. In the days right before the event window, a nasty weather pattern came through with high winds that stripped the original Ozone competition venue of skiable snow – so organizers and athletes had to scramble to move the venue to T1 South. This change required an impressive all-night effort from organizers to move the entire competition and production infrastructures to the other side of the resort. Despite challenging conditions on the face, riders put on an absolute show, with the crowd watching from below erupting in cheers all day long. This competition marked the last chance for riders to qualify for the two-stop FWT Finals in Europe.

As the intense action of the competition concluded, riders experienced some of the most emotional moments of the season, with the new overall ranking determining The Cut. The top 25 riders (11 ski men, six ski women, five snowboard men, three snowboard women) are now qualified to the FWT Finals, while those who placed below the qualification line were relegated to the FWQ Finals. Perhaps most surprising amongst the riders not advancing to FWT Finals was two-time world champion Victor De Le Rue (FRA). Despite a second place finish in Ordino Arcalís, poor results in the other two events were insufficient to secure qualification for the defending champion.

The day began with Snowboard Women, with Erika Vikander (USA) grabbing her second event victory of the 2022 season. Vikander put down a solid run, linking several airs with her signature stylish riding. She was followed by Katie Anderson (CAN), whose high-speed, powerful style made quick work of the challenging face. Former World Champion Manuela Mandl (AUT) rounded out the podium in third place, with an impressively technical entry from start #2.

Next up were the Snowboard Men, with Camille Armand (FRA) taking the win. Armand has been on the podium at all three events of 2022; he previously placed third in Ordino Arcalís and second place in Baqueira Beret. In second place was FWT veteran Ludovic Guillot-Diat (FRA), who rode a unique line down the rider’s right side of the venue. Cody Bramwell (GBR) finished in third place with a run that featured a massive 360 at the top and full-speed riding down the center of the face.

Ski Women again put on an incredible show, and tour rookie Lily Bradley (USA) emerging victorious. Bradley looked unaffected by the tough conditions as she put down a smooth run with a technical entrance and several fluidly-linked airs. Following up her victory in Ordino Arcalís with another solid result was Jess Hotter (NZL), who took second place with a characteristically hard-charging run. Third place went to the young Canadian Olivia McNeill (CAN).

Finally, the Ski Men were up with some high-stakes competition. Defending World Champion Kristofer Turdell (SWE) needed a strong result and he did not disappoint, with a balanced run showing his smooth style, big-mountain prowess and freestyle ability that awarded him third place. Max Palm (SWE) was able to bounce back from a brutal crash in Ordino Arcalís to put down another incredible run for second place. Max’s event-winning double backflip in Baqueira Beret was the first time that trick had been successfully landed in FWT history, and he pulled it off again for another podium finish in Canada. But stealing the show for his second victory in a row was tour rookie Maxime Chabloz (SUI), who put down a freestyle-heavy run featuring two 360s, a cork 720 and a huge backflip to take the win.

For full results, check the FWT results page here.