The North Face

Apr 05 | First Freeride World Championship for Juniors LIVE Saturday and Sunday

By The North Face

The First ever Junior Freeride World Championships presented by The North Face kicks off tomorrow 

The best juniors from Europe will join their North American friends to compete at the Junior Freeride World Championships by The North Face tomorrow at Snowbird in Ski Resort in Utah. Freeride Junior events were organized in Europe in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, FRA (January 26), Fieberbrunn-Pillerseetal, AUT (March 9) and Verbier, SUI (March 23).

In addition to excellent on-site viewing, a live webcast of the event will be available HERE on Saturday April 5th and Sunday April 6th.

 

Mar 20 | SWATCH XTREME VERBIER 2013 BY THE NORTH FACE® RESCHEDULED TO FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2013!

By The North Face

Due to a storm predicted to hit the Verbier St Bernard region on Saturday, the SWATCH XTREME VERBIER 2013 BY THE NORTH FACE® has been rescheduled to take place one day earlier than announced on Friday, March 22. The final confirmation of the new schedule, including exact competition and live feed timing will be announced on Wednesday morning on www.freerideworldtour.com.

Verbier and the fabled “Bec des Rosses” is considered the pinnacle of freeride competitions. The contest was originally scheduled for Saturday, but with a southwest front coming in predicted to stay over the next week, organizers today decided to advance the competition to Friday, March 22.

Due to the extreme nature of the terrain, only the best 12 male skiers, six male snowboarders, five female skiers and four female snowboarders from the 2013 FWT are qualified for the finals on the steeps of Bec des Rosses. In addition, a few exciting wild cards will join the roster including three-time world snowboard champion Xavier de Le Rue (FRA) and five-time Xtreme winner Steve Klassen (USA) in the male snowboard division, as well as Stefan Haeusl (AUT), Aurélien Ducroz (FRA), Samuel Anthamatten (SUI) and Seb Michaud (FRA) in the male skiers. In the snowboard category, upcoming talent and local rider Estelle Ballet (SUI) will also take part in the competition on her home mountain. Crystal Wright (USA) and Lorraine Huber (AUT), actual leader of the FWQ ranking also got the chance to ski the Bec in the female ski category.

Webcast available below starting Friday morning!

 

Feb 26 | Free Ride World Tour Hits Kirkwood Tomorrow

By The North Face

Make sure to tune in LIVE on Wednesday February 27th at 9am PST!

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The fourth stop of the SWATCH Freeride World Tour by The North Face 2013 (FWT) continues its season of exciting global big mountain freeride competition stateside at Kirkwood, California, USA on Feb. 27, 2013. The competition can be witnessed from anywhere in the world via live webcast available the day of competition on www.freerideworldtour.com. The first possible day of competition is schedule for Feb. 27 with a weather window extending to March 3.

"It comes as no surprise that Kirkwood has been having a very snowy first half of the season. Conditions are setting up the mountain to have prime coverage needed for this event," observed FWT Americas Competition Director Bryan Barlow.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort's big mountain venue, The Cirque, is the ideal location for the fourth stop of the 2013 FWT. The Cirque is comprised of exposed, steep and raw terrain, which is permanently closed to the general public, allowing for a unique and exciting North American freeride venue.

"With unmatched inbounds terrain and some of the deepest snow in the country, Kirkwood is an appropriate choice as the only U.S. stop for the Freeride World Tour," said Casey Blann, Kirkwood's general manager. "This event really solidifies our position as one of the premier big mountains in the country, and I personally can't wait to see these athletes tackle The Cirque."

On its fourth stop for the season, competition amongst the deeply talented international athlete field is heating up. The tour started with a roster of 36 prequalified male skiers, 14 male snowboarders, 14 female skiers and seven female snowboarders. The 2013 FWT features five stops for male skiers and snowboarders, and four stops for female skiers and snowboarders before a cut will be made for the SWATCH Xtreme Verbier in Switzerland. After the fifth stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria, the top three results out of five events for men and the top three results out of four events for women will be used to qualify riders for Verbier and the 2014 FWT.

Tahoe area local and 2012 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour Champion Josh Daiek is looking forward to competing at his home mountain this season. 

"I'm simply stoked for the competition to be at Kirkwood!" said Daiek. "It has some of the most fun terrain and is one of the best competition venues in the world."

Jan 11 | The Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face LIVE

By The North Face

The Swatch Freeride World Tour presented by The North Face kicks off today at Revelstoke BC!

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Jan 10 | REVELSTOKE LAUNCHES TOMORROW FOR THE SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR BY THE NORTH FACE

By The North Face

The waiting is almost over, after four days of constant snow, Revelstoke's Mac Daddy is finally ready for the 2013 Freeride World Tour. The magnitude, technicality and steepness of this legendary venue demands the best freeriding athletes can deliver. 

Tune in Friday January 11th at 9am PST to watch the live webcast available here at www.neverstopexploring.comand www.freerideworldtour.com. Friday’s competition day will start with the men’s snowboarding, and then men’s freeskiing runs.  The competition day will continue with women’s snowboarding and finally women’s freeskiing.

 

 

Jan 10 | The SWATCH Freeride World Tour by The North Face 2013

By The North Face

After four days of very snowy British Columbia, Canada weather, the SWATCH Freeride World Tour by The North Face 2013 (FWT) officially announces the competition day on Mackenzie Peak’s “Mac Daddy” face Friday, January 11, 2013. 

The exciting first stop of the global big mountain freeriding competition can be witnessed from anywhere in the world via the live webcast available here at www.neverstopexploring.com and www.freerideworldtour.com. Friday’s competition day will start at 9:00am PST and will begin with the men’s snowboarding, and then men’s freeskiing runs.  The competition day will continue with women’s snowboarding and finally women’s freeskiing.

"We anticipated Revelstoke would likely provide snowy weather and prepared ourselves for the storms and challenges they bring to the competition. After recent heavy snowfall, this year in particular is setting up to be some of the best conditions we have ever experienced on the FWT,” stated FWT Americas Competition Director Bryan Barlow. “Going to the end of our weather window is not a surprise, but is going to be well worth the wait for this first competition of the 2013 Freeride World Tour.”

Revelstoke Mountain Resort has received nearly three feet of snow in the past seven days and the snow continues to fall.  A cold, dry, high-pressure system has been forecasted for the Revelstoke area starting today (Thurs. Jan. 10), which will make for optimal safe snow conditions and ideal visibility for the day of competition.

The excitement for the first stop of the 2013 FWT is also felt among the athletes.

“I’m really looking forward to this season. With lots of new riders and great events, I’m sure it will be bigger than ever. The kick-off in Revelstoke is going to be great. A mountain like that is the perfect place for a freeride competition. I’m just glad to be a part of it and no matter what, I’m going to enjoy the show,” remarked defending FWT 2012 Men’s Freesking Champion, Reine Barkered of Sweden.

In its first year of a truly globalized competition structure, The Freeride World Tour is designed to allow the world’s best big mountain freeride athletes to advance their competition careers and achievements. Revelstoke Mountain Resort and the “Mac Daddy” are ideal locations for the first stop of the 2013 FWT with remote, steep, and exposed backcountry terrain, allowing for an exciting and unique North American freeriding venue.

The Freeride World Tour is the premier big mountain Freeskiing and snowboarding tour in the world, featuring the sport’s top athletes competing on the biggest mountain resort venues. Riders compete one at a time and receive an overall score from a judging panel based on numerous categories including line difficulty, control, fluidity, technique and style. The event features natural terrain features found on the most exciting format possible. A start gate is positioned at the summit with a finish gate at the bottom. The best complete runs win. The sport is similar in context to big-wave surfing with skiers and snowboarders choosing impossible-looking lines through cornices and cliff-faces and couloirs. Competition runs are enhanced with progressive big jumps and mach-speed turns at an aggressive pace.

• Videos available on FreerideWorldTour.com and YouTube.

• Athlete start list available at: freerideworldtour.com/news-detail/items/competition-at-revelstoke-officially-announced-for-friday-january-11-2013.html

Follow The Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/freerideworldtour and on Twitter at: www.Twitter.com/FreerideWTour (#FWT13).

The SWATCH Freeride World Tour by The North Face continues its competition schedule in Courmayeur-Mont-Blanc, Italy on January 19^th (Men's Ski and Snowboard), Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France on January 26^th (Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard), Kirkwood, California, USA on February 27^th (Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard), Fieberbrunn Pillerseetal, Austria on March 9^th (Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard), and concludes in Verbier, Switzerland on March 23^rd (Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard).

Revelstoke Mountain Resort is a four-season destination resort located in the Columbia Mountains of British Columbia just minutes from the town of Revelstoke. Revelstoke is located 200 kilometers (124 miles) north east of Kelowna and 413 kilometers (257 miles) west of Calgary. RMR is North America’s most significant resort development in over a quarter century.