FIEBERBRUNN, AUSTRIA

With early season dumps that saw more than seven metres of snowfall in parts of Austria, the Wildseeloder venue face was dramatically different than normal. A lot of the bottom features had filled in while at the top new lines and transfers have opened up. This gave less of an advantage to the older more experienced hands who have competed on the face for a decade. Traditionally Fieberbrunn is crunch time. It’s usually the last event where riders can qualify for the finals in Verbier. This year, it sits in the middle of the calendar, so there was a slightly different vibe among the athletes. But the title races are so close this year in every category, no one can afford to take their feet off the gas.

THE ATHLETES

MANUELA MANDL

Age: 30 Nationality: Austria Discipline: Snowboard Women 2018 FWT Best Result: Third in Fieberbrunn, Austria Favourite Mons Piece: Bella Tech Hood

KONSTI OTTNER

Age: 21 Nationality: Germany Discipline: Ski Men 2018 FWT Best Result: First year on the Tour Favourite Mons Piece: Yotei Tech LS

THE RECAP

Men’s Snowboarding The first to drop were the snowboarding men. As mentioned previously, the standings were insanely tight coming into Fieberbrunn. Just 300 points separated first and sixth place (consider that first is awarded 2500 points and second 2200 points to put that figure in perspective). Gigi Ruf and reigning world champ Sammy Luebke are tied at fifth, Jonathon Penfield is fourth, Blake Hamm and Davey Baird share second, while the rookie Victor De Le Rue sits in first. But all of them knew that the title was wide open when they dropped in. Mons rider Davey Baird is having another belter of a season and he was oozing confidence as he set off to the far rider’s left of the venue. Staying high on the ridge, he dropped a cliff into a funneling chute and then showed immaculate edge control to cut high on his heels into a second drop that launched him into his own slough. Blasting clear of that he then took down another three features with speed including a Haakon-like escape from a frontside 360. It was a big run. Then it was Gigi Ruf’s turn. He set about the same zone as Davey with incredible speed. A solid cliff led onto the apron where he casually threw a 360 at mach 10, followed by a windlip method. His speed was mesmerizing, but he wasn’t able to maintain the intensity through the bottom section of his run and that is what cost him a score in the 80’s. With a 79.33 he settled into 3^rd behind Sammy Lebke and Davey. Later, Victor De Le Rue stole an early lead with a cliff at the very top and then sent a 3 off a windlip into the first bowl. Another cliff and 3’s in both directions were enough to grant Victor his second consecutive win and put him in control of the leaderboard.

Men’s Skiing

The men’s skiing is traditionally the hardest fought category because the field of twenty is cut down to just twelve for the finals in Verbier therefore, no one can afford to play it safe. Markus Eder was the first big name to drop. After a technical start he hugged the bottom of the eagles face. He found a transfer and then, carrying immense speed, was able to track back up into the face and launch another impossible looking cliff. It was an immense line that earned 92 and change. Two skiers later Andrew Pollard accepted Eder’s challenge. He came out of the starts gate, dropped it down a cog and gave it a handful. His sheer speed transformed the features into ungodly doubles that earned A-Pol an 85.33. The young Kiwi Craig Murray, who came into the event in second, was midway through a big run when he misjudged his line and clipped a rock catapulting himself into a horrendous slam. Luckily he eventually skied away from it. The last man to drop was Leo Slemmet. The 2017 champ has been out of sorts so far this season, recovering from an ankle injury. But from the moment he left the start gate, Leo looked like he was here to party. The most exposed line of the day probably topped the judges score cards up top, but a quieter bottom section meant his score was enough to get on the podium – but only just. He claimed third.

Women’s Skiing

The women’s ski category was probably most clear cut after two events. Mons athlete Arianna Tricomi has been in the form of her life this winter; it’s clear she’s really enjoying herself and skiing with confidence. Jaqueline Pollard the 2015 Junior World Champ took her first FWT win at the last event in Canada and had the difficult task of opening the face for the women in Austria. But the 21 year-old handled it like an old pro. It was clear she knew her line and she skied the close out chute beautifully to set a benchmark score of 82. Next came Arianna Tricomi, who opened with an exposed drop that took her skier’s left into the more playful terrain. Sitting down on one of her jumps might have cost her a few points, but she couldn’t find room for her trademark 360 and had to settle for 74.33. Later came the Norwegian rookie Hedwig Wessel. She pointed Stefan Hausl’s cliff at the top and threw in a couple of other features before sending a backflip on the last jump and stomping it. Everyone in the finish area blew up and the scores reflected a big step-up moment in women’s freeriding. An 86 put the young Norwegian in the hot seat. Elisabeth Gerritzen laid into a meaty line with strong powerful turns and some solid cliffs. She claimed 80 points – good enough for third.

Women’s Snowboarding

The women’s snowboarding title race was also shaping up to be a classic with reigning world champion Manuela Mandl sitting in second behind the 2017 world champion Marion Haerty. Erica Vikander dropped first and while she was cautious up top, she opened things up on the bottom features and was given a 66.67. Anna Orlova dropped second, taking one of the steeper chutes on rider’s left and was rewarded with a 72.33. Manu Mandl had a great top section, but sat down on an air in the middle of the face and then bobbled again on the next feature. Unfortunately this meant her pursuit of Haerty on home turf came to an abrupt halt. Marion was the last rider to drop and knew exactly what it would take to claim a victory and extend her lead in the overall standings. And she delivered. Following Manuela Mandl’s line into the steeps, she bossed the line and added a handful of playful features at the bottom to earn her an impressive 78.33 and her second consecutive win.

THE MONS PRODUCT PICKS

MANU’S PICK

KONSTI’S PICK

BELLA TECH HOOD Manu’s Bella Tech hood is lightweight and fully featured with strategically-placed mesh panels and a hood for all-weather comfort. With a drop tail to keep the powder out and convenient thumb holes, Manu is able to stomp anything the mountain throws at her, without worrying about the functionality of her clothing. YOTEI TECH LS He might be out-of-commission with a shoulder injury, but even as a spectator, Konsti needs to stay warm with high-performance merino garments. The Yotei Tech LS is a relaxed-fit baselayer that fits the bill on the hill and for celebrating in the bars post-comp. It’s an classic case of merino performance and casual style. We’ll be following Mons Royale athletes across the globe as they compete at each of the five Freeride World Tour stops this winter. The tour now moves to Ordino Arcalis for the fourth stop of the Tour. After which, the cuts will be made to each category for the final in Verbier. The male skiers will be cut from twenty to twelve, the females, eleven down to six. In the snowboarding, the women’s field seven will become four and for the men, nine will become six. This is when we see who can really handle the pressure.   Photos: Jeremy Bernard and Moritz Ablinger