Stop 4 of the 2022 Freeride World Tour was completed on Monday in Fieberbrunn, Tirol, Austria. As the second-to-last event of the season, the pressure was higher than ever as the riders fought to lock in results in the race for the world title. While Fieberbrunn has been a mainstay destination for the Freeride World Tour nearly since the tour’s inception, playing host to an event every year since 2009, today the organizers have celebrated the renewal of the contract with Bergbahnen Fieberbrunn for the next 5 years.
History was also made today at the FWT as the event featured a multiple-run format, with riders each taking two runs, and only the best of their two runs counting towards the final result. Combined with challenging conditions on the intimidating Wildseeloder venue, the stage was set for an intense day of competition that featured huge crashes and unforgettable podium runs.
The competition began with Ski Women. The two-run format required a very early start, and the snow was a challenging mix during the early hours of the day. But that didn’t cause category winner Jess Hotter (NZL) to hold back, as she delivered an incredible first run with huge drops and technical skiing. Hedvig Wessel (NOR) improved on her first run with an aggressive second run that earned her 2nd place. In 3rd was 2021 World Champion Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI).
The Ski Men category followed, and for the second time of the 2022 season, an event wildcard took the victory. Max Hitzig (AUT) won the day with a creative run featuring two 360s and a massive backflip. Hitzig also gained qualification to FWT 2023 with his recent results in the Freeride World Qualifier Finals, and will clearly be a force in the future. In 2nd place was Carl Regnér Eriksson (SWE), who was followed in 3rd place by Leo Slemmet (FRA).
In Snowboard Men, the top riders relied heavily on the two-run format. Blake Moller (USA) won the event, bouncing back after a crash in his first run with a fluid second run that featured two large cliff drops and a high-speed 360. In 2nd place, Cody Bramwell (GBR) also used his second run to jump up in the rankings. Ludovic Guillot-Diat (FRA) took third place.
Snowboard Women were the last riders of the day. Tiphanie Perrotin (FRA) took the top spot with solid technical riding down an extremely steep gully on the rider’s left edge of the venue, followed by multiple airs in the bottom half of the face. Following Perrotin was current tour leader Erika Vikander (USA) and Manuela Mandl (AUT).
