Aurélien Ducroz : Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2011 by Swatch winner and 2011 Freeride World Champion
Aurélien Ducroz : Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2011 by Swatch winner and 2011 Freeride World Champion
On Sunday 20th of March, in Verbier the world’s best freeriders put on a great show as they tested their skills against freeriding’s most legendary face, the Bec des Rosses. This event determined who would ride away with the title of 2011 Freeride World Champion. In front of 7000 cheering spectators, men and women skiers and snowboarders attacked the steep 600-meter face in a technical battle that challenged the complete skills of every rider.
On a gorgeous day with a fresh blanket of cold snow and bluebird skies, riders competing on the Bec des Rosses skied their best lines in an effort to join the elite few who have been able to call themselves Freeride World Champion. Prior to the event, organizers closed the top looker’s right of the face due to security reasons. However, several riders used creative line choices to find their way through the labyrinth of rocks, some to access the main cliff that was the key to winning today’s event.
Out of the five men skiers who were still in contention for the men’s overall ski title, it was our athlete Aurélien Ducroz (FRA) who skied the best line of the day with an outstanding run including two massive cliff drops and fast, confident riding on this challenging face. His performance was good enough to win him not only the top spot on the “Xtreme” podium but also the 2011 Freeride World Champion title. Samuel Anthamatten (SUI) is runner-up World Champion and Jérémy Prévost (FRA) takes third place overall, both in their first season on the Freeride World Tour.
“Everything went perfect for me today. I was really surprised nobody went on my line and thought to myself, ‘You guys gave me a big present!’ I jumped two big cliffs; the second was even bigger than last year. I love the Bec des Rosses because it requires very technical skiing and I’m so happy to win here. I’ve been waiting for this title. Now I can go with a light heart into my sailing season.”
On a gorgeous day with a fresh blanket of cold snow and bluebird skies, riders competing on the Bec des Rosses skied their best lines in an effort to join the elite few who have been able to call themselves Freeride World Champion. Prior to the event, organizers closed the top looker’s right of the face due to security reasons. However, several riders used creative line choices to find their way through the labyrinth of rocks, some to access the main cliff that was the key to winning today’s event.
Out of the five men skiers who were still in contention for the men’s overall ski title, it was our athlete Aurélien Ducroz (FRA) who skied the best line of the day with an outstanding run including two massive cliff drops and fast, confident riding on this challenging face. His performance was good enough to win him not only the top spot on the “Xtreme” podium but also the 2011 Freeride World Champion title. Samuel Anthamatten (SUI) is runner-up World Champion and Jérémy Prévost (FRA) takes third place overall, both in their first season on the Freeride World Tour.
“Everything went perfect for me today. I was really surprised nobody went on my line and thought to myself, ‘You guys gave me a big present!’ I jumped two big cliffs; the second was even bigger than last year. I love the Bec des Rosses because it requires very technical skiing and I’m so happy to win here. I’ve been waiting for this title. Now I can go with a light heart into my sailing season.”
