While Wadeck Gorak and Juliette Willmann are in the starting blocks for the Freeride World Tour, Marion Haerty will focus on another competition in 2022.
The Freeride World Tour will be one of the most important extreme sports events in 2022. Considered today as the world championship of freeride skiing and snowboarding, this competition brings together every season the best riders in the world on the most challenging faces of the planet. This year, four events will allow the athletes to try to secure their place for the final in Verbier.
Among the new features in 2022 is the appearance of the Spanish stage of Baqueira Beret from January 22 to 28. "We are very proud to welcome Baqueira Beret and its excellent venues to the FWT calendar explained Freeride World Tour Director Nicolas Hale-Woods after the 2022 calendar was announced." The new FWT Finals format, with a best of two run event at Fieberbrunn and the World Finals at the legendary Bec des Rosses in Verbier will be a great way to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Tour."
On the athletes' side, Private Sport Shop ambassadors Wadeck Gorak and Juliette Willmann will try to shine on the vertiginous slopes of Baqueira Beret, Ordino Arcalis, Kicking Horse, Fieberbrunn and Verbier. Wadeck, winner on the Bec des Rosses in 2019, was back last season on the main circuit thanks to a "wild card injury" given by the organizers after Tanner Hall was injured at the beginning of the season. And it is an understatement to say that the Gapençais has made the most of this invitation. Fourth in the general standings with a second place in the Verbier Xtreme, Wadeck Gorak will be in contention this season for a place on the general podium or even better...
As for Juliette Willmann, she also finished the 2020-2021 season at the foot of the podium after shining on the first two stages in Andorra (twice second). The Chamonix native, who hails from Barcelonette, came close to the title last year and will therefore be keen to try to win the world crown this season.
Finally, Marion Haerty (who you can see in the podcast we recently dedicated to him) has decided to take a break from the Freeride World Tour and focus on the Natural Selection Tour, a backcountry snowboarding competition held in North America over three stages. "The experiences on the Freeride World Tour have made me grow, instilled values and made me grow from a young woman to a woman," the four-time world champion explained on her Instagram in a post published last November. "On the FWT, I was able to express an energy that comes from my heart and that no one will be able to take away from me. I made the decision this year to express that energy somewhere else, time is passing and snowboarding has other ways of expression. Through video projects where sharing, discovery and of course action will be the key, but also with the Natural Selection Tour where the goal of realizing the dream of riding these faces in Alaska will be I hope achievable this year. Some FWT stages are on the program but no title hunt. It's not a goodbye, just a step backwards.
Dates of the Freeride World Tour 2022
1. Baqueira Beret, Spain: January 22 to 28, 2022
2. Ordino Arcalis, Andorra: from January 30 to February 5, 2022
3. Kicking Horse Golden BC, Canada: February 12-17, 2022
4. Saalbach Fieberbrunn, Austria: March 15-20, 2022
5. Verbier, Switzerland : from March 26 to April 3, 2022
Dates of the Natural Selection Tour 2022
1 YETI Natural Selection at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort: January 24-30
2 Natural Selection at Baldface Lodge: February 21-27
3 Natural Selection in the Tordrillo Mountains: March 21-27