Second Freeride World Tour announced
Four locations around the world have been selected for the second edition of the Freeride World Tour.
The planet's top freeride skiers and snowboarders will start in Sochi with the Nissan Russian Adventure 2009 and then travel to the USA, France and Switzerland to prove their skills on some of the world's most challenging faces.
The Freeride World Tour has a prize purse of $250,000, the highest sum ever to be paid in ski or snowboard freeride contests.
Forty male and female riders plus wild cards are invited to the first three contests: Nissan Russian Adventure in Sochi (Russia), Nissan Tram Face in Squaw Valley (USA), and Nissan Freeride in Tignes (France). The final contest will take place in Switzerland with the Nissan Xtreme - Verbier 09, on the gruelling north face of the Bec des Rosses, one of the most challenging descents in the world of freeriding.
In order to allow freeriders who are not qualified for the Freeride World Tour to participate and score points, the Pro Freeriders Board elected existing international events to be part of the Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ).
The FWQ is a series of independently organised events around the world. Riders participating in those events collect points in the Freeride World Ranking (FWR), a unique ranking list for both FWT and FWQ events.
Riders from the Freeride World Tour and the Qualifier will therefore climb up and down the ranking list throughout the season.
The three best results will count to score the 2009 Freeride World Champions who will be crowned in Verbier after the Xtreme.
More info at www.freerideworldtour.com
The four events of the Freeride World Tour 2009 are:
1. NISSAN RUSSIAN ADVENTURE - SOCHI, RUSSIA; 20-25 Jan 2009, Preliminary contest day: Wednesday 21 January
2. NISSAN TRAM FACE - SQUAW VALLEY USA; 27 Feb-05 Mar 2009, Preliminary contest day: Saturday 28 February
3. NISSAN FREERIDE DE TIGNES, FRANCE: 8-14 March 2009, Preliminary contest day: Monday 9 March
4. NISSAN XTREME - VERBIER 09, SWITZERLAND: 20-29 March 2009, Preliminary contest day: Saturday 21 March
Confirmed Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) events are:
THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - SNOWBIRD (USA), 30 January-1 February - Freeride World Qualifier, sister events of the Nissan Tram Face; Squaw Valley (USA)
SPYDER BIG MOUNTAIN FIEBERBRUNN (AUT), 5-15 February 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event the Nissan Freeride de Tignes (FRA)
THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - CRESTED BUTTE (USA), 13-15 February - Freeride World Qualifier, sister events of the Nissan Tram Face; Squaw Valley (USA)
WINTER MYSTICXPERIENCE (ITA), 19-22 February 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier
THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - KIRKWOOD (USA), 6-8 March - Freeride World
Qualifier
NENDAZ FREERIDE (SUI), 13-18 March 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event of the Nissan Xtreme; Verbier 09 (SUI)
JASNA ADRENALIN (SK), 31 March-5 April 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier
RÖLDAL FREERIDE CHALLENGE (NOR), 22-26 April 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event of the Nissan Russian Adventure - Sochi 2010
