Hotter Cooks Takes the Win at FWT20 Kicking Horse
Not a single skier crashed in the women’s Freeride World Tour ski competition in Canada.
On a great day for women’s skiing at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, B.C. last week, the second stop of the 2020 Freeride World Tour (FWT20) saw New Zealand’s Jess Hotter take the top spot. She skied a fast, fluid line in a different zone than the majority of the female skiers, showing off a nuber of airs and sweeping fall line turns between features. Despite landing on a small tree in the middle of her run, she skied cleanly away to pull off the win.
Two-time defending Freeride World Tour Overall Champion Arianna Tricomi, of Italy, ended up in second place, opening her line up with a signature 360 and solid, controlled skiing from top to bottom. Switzerland’s Elisabeth Gerritzen rounded out the podium by demonstrating her freeride prowess during a very fast, fluid run that was a level above the other riders who skied in the same zone. It’s the second time this season Tricomi and Gerritzen have been in second and third place, respectively, and her two second-place finishes mean that Tricomi is the current overall leader for the ski women category.
“I think my run went really well. It was unbelievably fun!” Hotter said after coming through the finish gate. “The snow was amazing and I’m just really, really stoked how I managed to stomp the bottom here! I did exactly what I was planning. I’m really happy I didn’t get lost ‘cause I had to deal with that in the past. It was super nice. Everybody smashed it today. Everybody has been riding so well. It was amazing!”
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Alta, Utah resident Jacqueline Pollard, who won the Kicking Horse event last season, just missed the podium in fourth place. Wearing bib number one and the first of the ski women through the start gate, her score seemed somewhat conservative, but the finish will help her climb the overall rankings going forward to the next three stops in Europe.
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Norway’s Hedvig Wessel, who won in Hakuba, Japan earlier this season, had a fast run but looked less fluid than usual and included fewer airs compared to the rest of the field. Despite her clean skiing, however, she ended up in last place for FWT20 Kicking Horse, a testament to the high level of skiing across the board in the FWT20 Ski Women category.
More from FWT20 Kicking Horse
Men’s Competition: Turdell Reigns Supreme
FWT20 Kicking Horse: Full Event Broadcast
The next stop for the FWT20 will be in Ordino Arcalís, Andorra with a weather window from February 28 to March 4. All three of the FWT20 European stops will be broadcast live on the Freeride World Tour’s YouTube channel.
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