It's Crunch Time for FWT19
All systems are a go for the spring competition in Andorra.
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Editor’s Note: After scheduling the FWT19 competition on March 2, the event was postponed again due to weather. The competition is set to start on March 7, 2019, at 8:30 A.M. CET (12:30 A.M. MST)
The penultimate stop of the Freeride World Tour (FWT) 2019 season is scheduled to take place on March . 7, 2019 at 8:30 A.M. CET (12:30 A.M. MST). The venue at Ordino Arcalìs, a ski resort in the tiny country of Andorra, is known for both big mountain features and ample rollers that provide riders with freestyle opportunities throughout.
The Ordino Arcalìs stop is especially important as it determines who will ski in the finals in Verbier later this month, and who will head home early. For season favorites who are already guaranteed their Verbier slot, the Andorra comp is an opportunity to collect more points in hopes of taking home the FWT19 Overall Title.
As far as the men’s comp goes, this season has been all about Markus Eder, who won in Hakuba and Fieberbrunn, and was second in Kicking Horse. The Italian only needs to finish in the top six in Andorra to clench the Overall Title for FWT19. But, as the Italian is known for always going big, it’s unlikely he’ll play it safe. If he falls, it opens the door for FWT18 Overall Champ Kristofer Turdell of Sweden to make a comeback and defend his title.
Learn from Eder: How to Win the Freeride World Tour
On the women’s side, the competition has been shaken up this year by backflips and rookies. FWT18 Overall Champion Arianna Tricomi of Italy started the season off strong with a win in Hakuba, but FWT19 rookie and Utah-native Jacqueline Pollard stole the show with a win in Kicking Horse. Meanwhile, Norwegian wild ward Hedvig Wessel has been stomping backflips all over the globe, including one that propelled her to the top of the podium at Fieberbrunn last week.
Tricomi stomped the first ever 360 in women’s competition last year at Ordino Arcalìs, and it’s safe to assume that she’ll try to win at this venue again. But with such a stacked field of competition, it’s not going to be easy.
The next stop of FWT19 is scheduled to take place in Ordino Arcalìs, Andorra on March 7, 2019 at 8:30 A.M. CET (12:30 A.M. MST). Keep your eyes on the FWT website for more info about the event, and keep up-to-date with all of the FWT19 action on SKImag.com’s FWT page, as well as SKI Magazine’s Facebook and Twitter channels.The event will live stream on FWT’s YouTube channel.