Since its inception in 1996 the “Xtreme” has been considered the most prestigious event in the freeride world. For the “grande finale” of the Freeride World Tour the elite of freeride will tackle the mythical North Face of the Bec des Rosses, a dauntingly steep and frighteningly jagged 500m rock-face. In places, the Bec des Rosses presents 55 degrees of slope. In an upright position one can almost lean on the face with one’s elbow. With steep and narrow couloirs, high rock cliffs, changing sn...

Since its inception in 1996 the “Xtreme” has been considered the most prestigious event in the freeride world. For the “grande finale” of the Freeride World Tour the elite of freeride will tackle the mythical North Face of the Bec des Rosses, a dauntingly steep and frighteningly jagged 500m rock-face. In places, the Bec des Rosses presents 55 degrees of slope. In an upright position one can almost lean on the face with one’s elbow. With steep and narrow couloirs, high rock cliffs, changing sn...

“I couldn’t sleep very well last night as I wasn’t really sure of my line, and I felt a lot of pressure this morning. But I went up early and got a good vision of the course. I looked for good snow and a line I could enjoy. I spotted some nice Alaska-like spines with great snow! I chose not to do some tricks and to focus on fluidity. I wanted to come down safe and sound. It has been really cool and the atmosphere is great, which was very motivating at the start. I am really happy of the victo...

The most consistent run among the snowboarders was Austrian Mitch Toelderer’s line, making an interesting line interpretation in the middle, steep section of the course, taking two solid airs towards the end.

“Once again Candide showed us a very playful line, bouncing down the mountain. He took a more obvious line than Lopez and did not take the highest jumps but he was super fluid and executed all his airs with more speed and landed further down than the other competitors. In the end of the run he pulled off a perfect 360° (a complete rotation), taking about 20 metres of distance in the air, really spectacular.” Martin Winkler - Head Judge SKI

Freeride World Champion snowboarder Susan Mol (USA) had a convincing run down the face with an interesting line interpretation and fast controlled turns.

With several of the top female skiers injured (Ane Enderud, Marja Persson), American Jess Mc Millan (3rd on the Freeride World Tour Ranking 2009) proved to the crowds the high level of female skiers. With the most original line of the day Mc Millan took a massive cliff drop and skied a fast line including a couple more solid jumps.

Chef Juge Ski : Martin Winkler (AUT) « Julien Lopez a montré tout ce que l’on aime voir en Freeride. Une ligne fluide empruntant toutes les barres. Il a fait un énorme back flip qu’il a parfaitement posé, puis a enchainé une double barre rocheuse. Il a ensuite skié le bas de manière très créative.»

Chef Juge Ski : Martin Winkler (AUT) « Julien Lopez a montré tout ce que l’on aime voir en Freeride. Une ligne fluide empruntant toutes les barres. Il a fait un énorme back flip qu’il a parfaitement posé, puis a enchainé une double barre rocheuse. Il a ensuite skié le bas de manière très créative.»

Contest day: 30 January Categories: Men Women/ Ski and Snowboard Location: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (FRA) Chamonix is probably the world’s most renowned alpine resort. Host of the first ever official Winter Olympics Games way back in 1924, skiers and snowboarders now come from all over the world to take on its vast range of steep “couloirs” against the backdrop of the Mont Blanc. When it comes to freeride locations few can rival Chamonix, so it’s no surprise that in 2010 it joins the tour as a...

Krasnaya Polyana, which will stage the alpine and nordic ski events of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games hosted by Sochi, welcomes FWT back for a third year. Sometimes referred to as the «Russian Courchevel,» Krasnaya Polyana in the Western Caucasus and located just 45 minutes from the Black Sea, is the most developed ski resort in Russia. It is well known as one of Vladimir Putin’s favourite holiday destinations and for offering some of the region’s best heli-skiing. Full of surprises in 2009, t...

Aurélien's victory run on the Bec des Rosses in Verbier 09. Fluid and fast, this run is a masterpiece !