FREERIDE WORLD TOUR. Fieberbrunn, Austria. There are few truths in the universe; Sean Pettit’s content is undeniably good, there’s no bad Greek food and Fieberbrunn is one of the greatest freeride meccas on earth. Stop four of the 2024 Freeride World Tour (FWT) was yet another entertaining and record-setting event. This was the first of the two final stops. The cut following the previous stop three in Georgia left only five women and 10 men standing in each field.

This allowed for each rider to have two runs, taking the best score. This format certainly has its benefits for the riders, but with interesting weather and variable conditions leading up to the event, it was anything but a cakewalk. The Wildseeloder venue is a particularly challenging face with a high risk-reward ratio. There are several large airs that drop the rider directly above cliff bands and rock faces. While this obviously poses a massive risk, it can lead to pretty stellar runs. Just check out the winning run from the Men’s Ski top dog of the day, Ben Richard. This was the 15th FWT event in Fieberbrunn, and we’d say it’s one of the best we’ve seen. High-scoring runs, new and old faces aplenty, style, speed and a couple of jaw-dropping runs, but what else did you expect? It’s Fieberbrunn, baby.

In the Ski Women’s field, it was a day for France, as two of the three podium riders were representing the European red, white and blue, as they say. All the women put on a show, but with only the five best riders making the cut, it was steep competition. Third place went to the always-smooth Manon Loschi. The FWT rookie was coming off a tough crash at the previous Georgia stop, but was sitting the third place spot entering Fieberbrunn thanks to her stellar performance thus far on the tour. She took a line that few riders had voyaged into, and it paid off as she worked in a few airs and even but a lofty backflip to her feet to cap off the run. Second place went to the familiar Hedvig Wessel, who beat out Loschi by 0.33 points, scoring 82.33. Norway’s own took one of the larger airs head-on and hauled down the face, showing the judges what composure looks like. She also took a big backflip to her feet of the same feature Loschi had picked out. The top spot went to the young gun Astrid Cheylus. After her first run only brought in a score of 76.30, she came out of the gate hungry. The 20-year-old French ripper took an interesting approach to the skiers right at the start gate. She picked apart the face like a seasoned veteran, and the judges reflected that in her line selection score. With the win going to Cheylus, the Ski Women’s field is still completely up for grabs heading into the Xtreme Verbier final.

“I never imagined I could win a FWT Final event in my first year on tour. I am so happy about it! I totally love competing with such awesome riders in my category, and this motivates me even more for the future and for the Xtreme Verbier.” – Astrid Cheylus, 2024 Fieberbrunn Pro Winner

In the Ski Men’s field, it was another spot of epic proportions. For the second time ever (the first being the previous Georgia Pro stop), seven riders all finished with scores above 90. They say pressure makes diamonds, and boy does that saying stand up. We say stellar runs from practically the entire field, but there were a few stand-out performances. Third place went to the Canadian stallion Marcus Goguen. After his face-melting Georgia run, which earned him an outstanding 98. It was anybody’s guess what he had in the tank. With a massive three into a large cliff section and a great recovery on a huge backflip, the Googanator earned an epic score of 94.67. On any given day, that might earn you a spot on the throne, but not today. Second place went to perhaps the most consistent skier of the year, Max Hitzig. His tenacious riding led to possibly the most gutsy 360 that we’ve seen. Combine that with two gigantic backflips, and you’ve got yourself a classic Hitzig full-throttle run. The top seat of the day went to Kiwi Ben Richards. Big shoutout to Richards, as this was his first top-seat finish on the season. He’s known for his high-speed pedal-to-the-metal skiing, and we got a healthy dose of that here. What separated his run was not the speed, however, but the composure. He didn’t lose any sense of balance or power at speed, and each landing was executed to near perfection. An absolute beauty of a run from Richards! The judges were clearly floored by his freestyle-at-high-speeds run and awarded him a 97.00.

“Winning here in Fieberbrunn for the first of the two FWT finals means a lot to me. I have worked so hard on the FWT qualifier and challenger series to get here. To win in this competitive category was beyond my imagination. I’m so happy about it!”– Ben Richards, 2024 Fieberbrunn Pro winner

Published on March 15, 2024
by Jordan Grant-Krenz
freeskier.com

by Jordan Grant-Krenz / freeskier.com

Photography: Dom Daher and Jeremy Bernard | Courtesy of the Freeride World Tour

Freeride World Tour 2024 Fieberbrunn
by FWT

Spicy lines and huge tricks dominate the second-to-last event of the 2024 FWT by Peak Performance

The first event of the FWT Finals kicked off today on the Wildseeloder while Fieberbrunn celebrates its 20th anniversary of hosting freeride competitions, 15 of those for the FWT. Despite the challenging weather and snow conditions in the days leading up to the event, riders encountered a dense snowpack at the top of the venue and trickier snow with playful features near the bottom. This lead to an unforgettable performance in all categories.

The two-run format added excitement, giving riders two chances to deliver their best run. This led to an memorable show with big lines and huge jumps over the playful features of the face.

FIRST WORLD CHAMPION OF THE SEASON
Victor De Le Rue (FRA) was crowned World Champion today, securing the title one competition ahead the YETI Xtreme Verbier. Victor’s FWT season has been remarkably consistent, winning four events out of four and showcasing his incredible talent, technique and smart riding style. This is Victor’s third title, equaling his older brother and freeride legend Xavier de Le Rue.

SNOWBOARD MEN
The games in the Snowboard Men category have ended, with the title assigned one competition early. Victor de Le Rue (FRA) established his clear dominance on the mountain today, becoming a three-time World Champion by winning the first event of the 2024 FWT Finals. Opening up the top section of his second run with a confident 360 with a grab, his controlled tail press over the rocks mid-run followed with a back 360 impressed the judges. He maintained his momentum throughout, securing his fourth win of the season. Liam Rivera (SUI) didn’t put down the first run that he was hoping for but made a solid comeback in the second run with an aggressive yet stylish run that saw him land the second place. Rookie Timm Schröder (GER) secured the third spot on the podium thanks to his improved performance in the second run.

VICTOR DE LE RUE

I am really happy to be World Champion again, and winning 4 competitions out of 4 makes me even prouder. I am extremely satisfied with my runs this season; today, the conditions were difficult, and I didn't perform as I had hoped in my first run. However, I managed to motivate myself again in my second run and clinch the victory.

Victor de Le Rue, 2024 Fieberbrunn Pro winner and 2024 FWT World Champion

SKI WOMEN

Astrid Cheylus (FRA) secured her second win on the FWT, making her the overall leader in the Ski Women’s category rankings and surpassing fellow French competitor, Manon Loschi. In her second run, Cheylus chose powerful route through the Eagle Cliff followed by two consecutive solid backflips,  demonstrating the clean style this young rider brings to the game. Hedvig Wessel (NOR) claimed second podium spot as she raised the stoke levels putting down a great first run, but couldn't replicate her success in her second attempt. Manon Loschi, (FRA) finishing in third place  due to a strong first run. No World Champion was crowned today in this category as the Ski Women’s rankings have been shaken up after today’s impressive performances, building up the excitement for the final event in Verbier.

ASTRID CHEYLUS

I never imagined I could win a FWT Final event on my first year on Tour. I am so happy about it! I totally love competing with such awesome riders in my category, and this motivates me even more for the future and for the Xtreme Verbier.

Astrid Cheylus, 2024 Fieberbrunn Pro winner

SNOWBOARD WOMEN

Erin Sauve (CAN) stormed her way to her first number one podium spot, kicking off her first ever competition on this face with a huge air, confidently and easily battling the slough, picking off the features lower down to nail a successful and solid run and scoring an impressive 90.33 score. Anna Martinez (FRA) brought the gnar straight out of the gate to take second place. Her consistent performance over the two runs demonstrated why she deserves a spot among the best in her category. Spanish superstar Núria Castán Barón (ESP) who had a shot to the crown today was finally ranked third. Despite a stumble in her second run, she remains the ranking leader. With the YETI Xtreme Verbier ahead, where the title is up for grabs, the top three riders are all close competitors, and anything can happen on the Bec des Rosses.

ERIN SAUVE

I'm super pumped, and super proud of my first run. I can't believe I won here in Fieberbrunn and got to sit in the hotseat. I couldn't be happier than winning this first event of the Finals. I believe that my victory today has given me confidence for Verbier, and I look forward to seeing how far I can push myself.

Erin Sauve, 2024 Fieberbrunn Pro winner

SKI MEN

The level in the Ski Men’s category seems to improve competition after competition, with seven riders scoring over 90.00 points for the second consecutive competition. Today Rookie Ben Richards (NZL) went huge and kept the best piece of the podium for himself, taking his first victory on the Pro Tour with the fastest run of the day. His run was full of serious airtime, most notably a 360 on top of the ever-impressive Häusl Cliff in his second attempt of the day. Current ranking leader Max Hitzig (GER) had an opportunity to clinch the World Champion title but finished in second place with a clean run. This result leaves the title decision open until the final competition. While Max continues to lead the rankings, the competition from behind is closing in. Marcus Goguen's (CAN) fresh from an incredible win at the Georgia Pro, secured his spot on the podium once again, finishing third. He started strong with a great first run but was unable to land his promising second run.

BEN RICHARDS

Winning here in Fieberbrunn for the first of the two FWT Finals means a lot to me. I have worked so hard on the FWT Qualifier and Challenger series to get here. To win in this competitive category was beyond my imagination. I'm so happy about it!

Ben Richards, 2024 Fieberbrunn Pro winner

Relive all of today’s action at www.freerideworldtour.com, and stay tuned to the FWT social media channels to keep pace with the latest news as it drops. Today, the winner of the Men's Snowboard title was crowned, but we saw a big shake up in the rankings across the other categories today in Fieberbrunn, and all eyes now turn to the final event of the season, the legendary YETI Xtreme Verbier, where riders will face off one more time in their quest for the FWT crown.