CATHERINE MURPHY
Our ski expert takes to the slopes with the Freeride World Tour, a popular event that takes extreme skiers on a competitive global tour
WE ARE delighted to announce that Catherine Murphy won the Travel Extra Ski Journalist Of The Year 2023 last week, making it her tenth win in the category.
WE huddled together in the Black Tap restaurant, sheltering from winds and poor visibility on the slopes above Verbier.
Around us, Freeride World Tour finalists including Liam Rivera, Molly Armanino and Justine Dufour-Lapointe waited for news of a weather window which would allow them to compete in the final stage of the 2023 event.
Despite the best efforts of FWT founder Nicholas HaleWoods and his safety team, that window never opened up and the competition was postponed. In an event where riders ‘send it large’ in inhospitable high-altitude terrain, safety always comes first.
For the skiers and snowboarders psyched up to ride a 55-degree ‘no fall zone’ at the top of Verbier’s infamous Bec des Rosses face, the wait for that elusive weather window was tense and challenging — one of the biggest challenges they face on the tour.
That test has also found its way into the start of the FWT 24, with the first two stops at Baqueira Beret in Catalunya and Ordino Arcalis in Andorra cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions.
The Baqueira Beret stage switched to Verbier’s Petit Bec face and the competition continues from February 1420 in Kicking Horse, Canada.
From there, competitors will move on to compete in Georgia (March 1-7) where a cut will be made ahead of the final stages in Fieberbrunn (Austria, March 12-18) and the Yeti Xtreme Verbier (March 23-31).
The phrase ‘send it large’ refers to riders skiing or boarding fiercely and performing big freestyle jumps as they go, displaying the kind of technical skill and style that the rest of us can only ever dream of or admire in films.
The FWT has also been sending it large recently. While the tour inspires free ride ski and board fans each year, there’s also a big grassroots scene going on, with 6,000 athletes licensed to compete around the globe in events like the FWT Junior, Qualifiers and the FWT Challenger.
Ireland’s Matt Geraghty made it to the qualifiers a couple of years ago, hopefully inspiring other talented Irish competitors to follow.
In December 2022, the FWT was acquired by FIS, the International Ski & Snowboard Federation, whose plan is to align all snowsport disciplines. Since FIS is recognised by the International Olympic Committee, the FWT is expected to become an Olympic sport by 2030, following ski mountaineering, which will feature in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Becoming the new kid on the Olympics block is a massive game-changer for an extreme ski competition that took its vibe and ethos from surfing, and which originally consisted of amateur competitors travelling the globe on a shoestring alongside competition judges.
While some fear that the FWT will lose its spirit within the FIS structure, HaleWoods, the man who started it all, insists it will not. He will remain at the helm of the tour for some years to come.
Swedish competitor and multi FWT champion Reine Barkered has already seen the event change. The longest-running competitor on the tour, he retired in 2023 at the age of 41.
‘The tour always had — and still has — a friendly atmosphere,’ he says. ‘But before, it was just us and the judges. Now, the riders are younger and there’s much more pres
on them. In previous years, we had to wait for the scores, now the scores come in right away. The format change means that pressure builds during competition day, which makes it more interesting but more stressful for the riders.’
Lake Tahoe skier Molly Armanino, who subsequently came second in the 2023 FWT, talked to me in Verbier about the biggest thrills and challenges of the event. A passionate climate activist when she’s not on tour, she loves the different elements.
‘I wanted to learn to ski big lines and the FWT is a really good way to do it,’ she says. ‘It’s such a technical sport and there are so many different elements — mountaineering, ski touring, freestyle and freeride — that I love. Coping with uncertainty is part of the FWT and one of the biggest challenges for me is deciding which line [route down the mountain] to pick on competition day. Riders like Andrew Pollard always seem to know their line but that decision is my biggest challenge.’
In each competition, riders are judged according to a number of criteria including control, fluidity, style, techsure nique, jumps and overall performance. On the day before a competition, they go up the mountain to scope their lines, using binoculars to pick which one they will ride.
On the morning of a competition, a forerunner skis the face to determine whether it’s safe for the event to go ahead and drones are also now used to provide valuable weather and terrain information from the face. Thousands of freeride/off-piste fans gather on the slopes at each stop on the tour to enjoy the technical prowess, tactics and big jumps from competitors.
In Verbier, the main street turns into a mini-festival with athlete signings, snowsport forums and after-parties.
As part of the Yeti Xtreme last March, we had the chance to test skis from an environmentally-friendly Swiss brand called Simply with Yoann Chapel from First Track Lab.
Produced from 100 per cent renewable materials sourced almost entirely in Europe, the brand produces only on demand, meaning there is no over-production or overstocking. The FWT provides an opportunity for skiers like me to learn about green brands like this when we’re not on the slopes shouting for our favourite FWT riders.
TRAVEL FACTS
Catherine stayed at the Flaminia apartments, perfect for FWT fans who want to see the Yeti Xtreme final in late March. Prices are around €435 per person based on six sharing a self-catered apartment for seven nights. Flights with Aer Lingus from Dublin to Geneva cost from €110, aerlingus.com. Rail ticket from Geneva Airport to Le Chable via Martigny costs from €39 (with the final stage from Le Chable to Verbier by gondola or bus). For more information, go to freerideworldtour.com or verbier.com.