Program

Contest day: 21 January
Categories: Men / Ski and Snowboard
Location: Krasnaya Polyana (RUS)

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, the riders will all be looking for a solid start to the Freeride World Tour. As the saying goes, you can’t win the tour at this first tour stop but you can certainly lose it.




Contest day: 30 January
Categories: Men and Women / Ski and Snowboard
Location: Chamonix (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 main stop for the first time.

FWT ski world champion Aurelien Ducroz, who was born and bred in Chamonix, will be the hometown favourite and looking to maximise points on the south facing Brevent. An early morning descent on this magnificent face directly opposite the Mont Blanc is a box that all serious skiers from around the world simply have to tick.




Contest day: 27 February
Categories: Men and Women / Ski and Snowboard
Location: Squaw Valley (USA)

Perched atop the Sierra Nevada in California, Squaw Valley is a Mecca for big mountain skiing in the USA and will host the third stop of the 2010 Freeride World Tour.

Host to the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, Squaw Valley now attracts 600,000 skiers a year, mainly from the Sacramento and San Francisco areas.

By the third tour stop, the leading candidates for Tour honours will have emerged and they will be looking to make a major impression on the infamous Tram Face. Strictly illegal to ski, the Tram Face is being opened specifically for the FWT event. We anticipate a mighty battle between the leading European riders and the top US riders who will clearly be looking to ensure victory on home snow. This event is sure to be further fuelled by the lively local crowd – quite exceptionally, the Tram Face sits right in the village making it the most viewable of events on contest day.




Contest day: 20 March
Categories: Men and Women / Ski and Snowboard
Location: Verbier (SUI)

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 snow and terrain, it demands technical skill, great physical conditioning and a connection with the mountain that only experience can bring.


Around 5000 spectators will join the riders at one of the most beautiful natural arenas of the Alps, the Col des Gentianes in Verbier.