FREERIDE WORLD TOUR. Verbier, Switzerland – March 16, 2011 – After a Freeride World Tour season filled with outstanding riding by the world’s best freeride athletes, all the excitement comes to a head this weekend at the Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2011 by Swatch where the 2011 Freeride World Champions will be crowned. The event, the sixth and final stage of the 2011 season, will be held on Verbier’s legendary Bec des Rosses on Saturday, 19 March (weather permitting). This year’s event will be a true battle royale with more than five men skiers who, with a win in Verbier, can still be crowned Freeride World Champion.

Four Freeride World Champions

From its earliest incarnation the Verbier Xtreme, the world’s longest-running, most prestigious freeriding event is now entering its 16th consecutive season of competition on Verbier’s notorious Bec des Rosses.

Only the top 13 men skiers, seven men snowboarders, and five women skiers and snowboarders have qualified to compete on the Bec des Rosses this weekend. Following this event, the riders’ best four results will be used to determine the 2011 Freeride World Champion in each category: ski men, ski women, snowboard men and snowboard women.

In addition to the event’s cash prize of $60,000USD, each 2011 Freeride World Champion will also drive away from the event in a brand new NISSAN JUKE.

This year the men’s ski event will be extraordinarily thrilling because more than five skiers are still fighting it out for the Freeride World Champion title! Overall FWT tour leader Stefan Hausl (AUT) as well as Samuel Anthamatten (SUI), Aurélien Ducroz (FRA), Reine Barkered (SWE) and Henrik Windstedt (SWE) all know they have one chance to ski their best for their final shot at the Freeride World Champion title. With so many riders with so much at stake this will be a truly remarkable event.

Samuel Anthamatten (CH) – first year on the FWT and one of the contenders to the World Champion title ski men: “I’m stoked to ride with the best riders on the best mountain, the Bec des Rosses. Right now I’m not thinking too much about the overall win but it’s in the back of my mind. I would really like to win it but I’m really trying not to put too much pressure on myself.”

Reine Barkered (SWE): “Expectations are high going into Verbier. Quite a few of us are aiming for the overall win in the most prestigious big mountain competition there is. I’m looking forward to it with an excited / scared / pumped / mind-breaking / happy anticipation.“

Live Feed on FreerideWorldTour.com

The Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2011 by Swatch will be broadcast live on www.FreerideWorldTour.com in partnership with Dailymotion.com. The live feed will be easily accessible by anyone with a high-speed Internet connection and a computer or smart phone.

Freeride Juniors Verbier by Dakine – 100 young riders registered!

This same weekend, the Freeride World Tour will also hold the Freeride Juniors Verbier by Dakine, the third of the season’s three Junior events. The event, organized by three-time winner of the Xtreme, Cyril Neri (SUI), is for young riders between 12 and 17 years old and includes training in the essential skills riders need to be as safe as possible in the mountains. The skills are taught by mountain guides and professional freeride skiers and snowboarders. There will also be a freeride competition with two categories – 12-14 year olds and 15-17 year olds – that will be judged by Freeride World Tour judges using the same criteria with which they judge the pros. For the event in Verbier, 100 riders from seven countries have registered!

FreerideWorldTour.com
March 16, 2011

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