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The Freeride World Tour is in Haines, Alaska

The Freeride World Tour is in Haines, Alaska

(15 March 2015)

If you’re serious about skiing the best.. then Haines in Alaska is surely on your list. And that’s why the Freeride World Tour is there this week for the 4th  stop of the tour this season.

For freeride of skiers and snowboarders around the globe Alaska has always represented a dream destination,” adds FWT Americas Manager, Tom Winter (USA). “Haines represents the best the state of Alaska has to offer and I’m extremely excited that the FWT’s elite athletes will be able to experience this legendary location.” – See more at: http://freerideworldtour.com/news/freeride-world-tour-2015-haines-unveiled

And the Swedish rookie Lotten Rapp is seduced by Haines:  “This is my first time in Alaska, and wow! Maybe I´ll move here full time!  These mountains just got it all – from the extremely steep spines to the more playful hills.” she says.  – See more at: http://freerideworldtour.com/news/haines-ak-seducing-swedish-rookie

If you want to follow the track of the most awesome free riders – our operator SEABA is located in Haines.

The Freeride World Tour is in Haines, Alaska

 FREERIDE WORLD TOUR – UNDERSTANDING THE SPORT

Forget placing slalom poles down the mountain. Forget building artificial jumps and hips and halfpipes and tabletops. Forget grooming the slopes even. Freeride contests are 100% natural, 100% clean. Indeed, the event is all about celebrating the god-given terrain features found on any mountainside in the most exciting and elemental format possible. There‘s a start gate at the summit and a finish gate at the bottom. That’s it. Best run down wins.  

It truly is that simple. Think big-wave surfing. Think skiers and snowboarders choosing impossible-looking lines through cornices and cliff-faces and nasty couloirs. Think progressive: big jumps, mach-speed turns and full-on attack. Think entertaining. After all, it’s not just surfers who ride barrels…  

So how do you judge a freeride contest? After all it can’t be easy – can it? It’s not easy, for sure, but over the years the judging system has been honed to the point where most freeride athletes are entirely comfortable with the format. A Judges’ Manual has been written by the event organizers and the Pro Freerider’s Board, and it’s all about overall impression. As the FWT Judges’ Manual states: “A judge has to ask himself at all times how fast, how big and how much in control a rider is compared to how steep, how exposed and in what snow conditions the action is happening.” In other words, the key to good judging is keeping the big picture in mind from the time the rider leaves the start gate to the time s/he crosses the finish line. 

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