It has been a weird year. Nobody denies that fact. Nevertheless, the Freeride World Tour has managed to keep their heads up high and battled every single obstacle coming their way to be able to let the riders do what they love the most; going all in.
The usual business of a year on tour consists of six competitions spanning three continents. This year, the FWT has managed to pull off four contests on one continent. Every one of them complied with local restrictions, and no competition was canceled due to poor control of the situation.
A historical year that has proven that the spirit of freeriding will live on and prosper no matter what. But that's not all; the actual competitions confirm that the level of riding, in all categories, is nowhere near stagnation. In fact, it is not excessive to say that competitive freeriding has never been better.
Speaking of all-time highs, Marion Hearty must have felt just that a wee bit more than others in 2021. Four competitions, four wins, one overall crown. It is an astonishing feat, and perhaps an agonizing fact for the female Snowboarder: it will never get better than this.
But on the other hand, perhaps next year she can go ahead and win six out of six, instead of four out of four.
The women are leveling up - big time.
Perhaps the most exciting thing on tour to watch has been the immense pressure between the two most dominant skiers on tour for 2021: Hedvig Wessel and Elisabeth Gerritzen. And it would all come down to two solid runs and twenty very tiny points in the overall ranking to crown one of them the champion.
I'm awful at math, and honestly, I didn't think an overall win was possible today. I'm baffled.
Elisabeth Gerritzen did not only take her first overall title, but she also became the first woman to ever win on the Bec des Rosses twice.
We were fools to think that 2019 was the year the FWT turned into freestyle skiing.
Ross Tester, Blake Marshall, Isac Freeland. They have all shown just how much more the freestyle aspect of skiing has to offer on a Big Mountain Venue. Don't believe us? Just watch Blake Marshall's Bio 720 on the Bec des Rosses. Or any of Ross Testers runs. Or just count the laid-out backflips and 360's carried out from the Snowboarders.
A big thank you to the Swedes for laying it out there.
From David Deliv's massive backflips, to Carl Regnér's incomparable style, to the signature Sound-wall-crushing with Reine Barkered. The Swedes have proven to live up to every expectation this year, and the future is looking bright.
Speaking of expectations: One Swede came into this season with the bar set higher than anybody else: Kristofer Turdell, whose goal was to win on the Bec des Rosses. And if there's one thing we know about the Mountain Birch, it's that he lives up to the buzz around him. He won his first-ever competition on the Bec des Rosses and claimed another Freeride World Tour crown. His second overall win, but most importantly, his first-ever victory on the Bec des Rosses.
Watch how Kristofer Turdell paved his way to the top in his fourth episode of 'Road to verbier' here!
Ever since my first competition, this has been my dream, to win at the Bec des Rosses.
So, what does this mean for 2022?
If there is one thing we know by now, then it's the fact that we never know what's going to happen. However, we can rest assured that the Freeride World Tour will live on, and that if they can make it happen during these circumstances, we can all lean back, breathe deep, and comfort ourselves with the thought that the World Tour will be back in 2022, and that things can only get better. Or worse, but made better, with consideration to current measurements. *
* = mantra for 2022
So, what now?
Now, it's time for the riders on tour to finally get to rest, to recharge, and to refine their skills for 2022. Thank you for a great year!
Learn more about Kristofer's road to Verbier: Check out his project below.
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