We've arrived at the business end of the season. Andorra represents the last call for the Athletes looking to cement their places at the final event in Verbier and secure qualification for the 2020 tour. However, for the brilliant few, it also offered the chance to tie up this year's championships early. Marion Haerty, Victor De Le Rue and Marcus Eder have been in incredible form this year and were all only podium spots away from laying their hands on the biggest prize in freeriding.
The event nearly ran on the opening day (as all previous events this year have). But it was a false start and the competitors were made to wait until the end of the weather window for conditions to play nice. This let everyone stew in the building pressure and some dealt with it better than others. The good news was, that the wait provided a much-needed reset of fresh snow for the competition face in Ordino Arcalis offering more line choices and softer landings.
Age: 20
Nationality: American
Discipline: Ski Men
2018 FWT Best Result: Eighth in Hakuba, Japan
Favourite Mons Piece: Yotei Tech LS
Age: 25
Nationality: Canadian
Discipline: Snowboard Men
2018 FWT Best Result: First place in Kicking Horse, Canada
Favourite Mons Piece: Icon Raglan LS
Men's Snowboarding
Blake Hamm, the big unit out of Washington has been threatening the top spot all winter. But it was clear he had thought really hard about how to put together a line that would stand out. Dropping in switch, he opened his line with a half cab off the first drop straight into a backside 360. He then slipped the edge at the end of a turn to set up switch for another small drop. Holding on to the last drop that would become the make or break feature for a lot of riders, he came out with an 81.00. Victor De Le Rue now had a score to beat. And if he could better it, then the 2019 FWT title was his.
The Frenchman was last to drop and attacked the face with a fast, direct line. There was no doubt that the win was his, until he arrived at the aforementioned final feature. Carrying a touch too much speed, he deck-chaired the landing and it undoubtedly cost him the precious two points that would separate him and Blake Hamm.
Davey Baird continued his great run and secured third place. This was key, because that means the champion spot is still up for grabs in Verbier.
The ski men were up next and it was a very similar story. With two firsts and a second place under his belt this year already, Marcus Eder had the opportunity to dominate an FWT season in a fashion that we have never seen before. Being the tenth man in the start gate meant that Eder would have to wait patiently for his chance to make history.
The first man to really leave his mark on the face was Leo Slemmet. He opened his line like Blake Hamm, with some freestyle smarts. Laying down three 360's and keeping his foot to floor all the while. He worked the bigger drops and tighter angles in the lower section, and the judges rewarded him with a 91. A hell of a high mark considering how much of the field remained to drop.
Tanner Hall was the next skier to drop who could still have a say in the overall standings, but a back-spin landing on the same feature that tripped up Victor De Le Rue's ended Tanner's hopes of a podium.
At the start of his run Markus Eder knew that a top six finish would be enough to be crowned 2019 champion. Make no mistake, that kind of pressure is what makes and breaks champions. Opening with a meaty double, he followed the tried and tested traverse to the 'Playground' and chucked a backflip off the first lip. It's a trick he's he's stomped often, yet here on a pretty small wind lip he stalled, under-rotated and lost a ski. The rules say this is total loss of control and therefore Markus received no score. BOOOM! That's the title race blown wide open.
Smelling blood in the water, Kristoffer Turdell was next to drop. With a critical high-speed line that matched Slemmet for speed and fluidity, the judges had a difficult job. In the end, the Frenchman claimed the win, one point ahead of Turdell.
Next to drop and join the feeding frenzy was A-Poll. Andrew Pollard, was fresh off a third place in Fieberbrunn and was also in the mood to charge. He barely touched the brakes on a creative line that gave the judges something new to enjoy. An 83 flat was just reward and earned A-Poll his second consecutive podium.
Markus Eder now has a very well placed pack chasing his lead in the overall standings going into the final stop in Verbier.
In the women's snowboarding, Marion Haerty had the chance to wrap up the season in Andorra and unlike De Le Rue and Eder, the 2017 world champ wouldn't need asking twice.
Haerty's smooth, powerful approach is what has seen her win back-to-back events this year and it was no different in Andorra. Opening with a cliff, Marion went on to link big, fast turns through a couple of decent-sized drops. This gave the judges no excuses to offer up anything less than a great score, which in this case was 87.67.
Anna Orlova was her closest rival. Even though she attacked the steeps, she could barely get within 10 points of Haerty's run.
Erika Vikander rounded out the top three with a decent run but it was all about Marion Haerty, the new 2018 FWT women's snowboarding champ.
The day finished with the women's skiing and this category is far from done.
While Ari Tricomi led at the start of the day, she was as aware as anyone that the race for the title is wide open. One rider who was desperate for a good result here was Jackie Paaso.
After a string of mediocre results, her season was hanging on this comp. Luckily she'd garnered a lot of respect from the FWT family because she had refused to compromise on what she wants to deliver. Had she landed the run she wanted in Kicking Horse she would have undoubtedly claimed one of the most impressive lines in women's freeriding. But in Canada, it wasn't to be.
Here, she dropped in third and put together a line with four drops that got progressively bigger and more technical, ending with a fast step-down that had to be hit very fast. The landings could perhaps have been cleaner and that is why the judges handed out a conservative 81.
Arianna Tricomi took the course with her lovely, tidy style and wasted no time setting about a couple of 360's. Like Jackie, she struggled to stomp in the variable snow and when she sketched the landing of the now-feared final cliff, it was clear that she wasn't going to beat Paaso's score. Ari sat in second on a 79 and waited nervously for the last skier, the rookie Jaqueline Pollard to drop.
The Utah local and sister of Andrew has already banked a first and a second, so a better result than Ari here would put her in the driver's seat going into Verbier. Whether or not she had seen Jackie and Ari's runs was unclear, but she opted to show the judges something fresh; a clean set of heels. Rather than going nuts, it was a very controlled and measured run from the American. Turns out the judges prefer the hair on fire approach, because her score saw her slide into third behind Tricomi. This one will come down to the wire in Verbier…
We'll be following Mons Royale athletes across the globe as they compete at each of the five Freeride World Tour stops this winter. Join us for the final report from Verbier. The event window opens on March 23rd. See you then.
Photos: Jeremy Bernard, Davey Baird and Grifen Moller
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