adminRookie Whistler ripper Logan Pehota continued his rookie season dominance with a win on the Freeride World Tour! He has consistently merged freestyle innovation with classic hard charging – yesterday was no different as he secured first place with a line featuring a stylish 360 combined with technical mastery.
After several days of waiting through inclement weather, the riders were finally able to catch a first glimpse of the face this morning when they were heli-ported to the remote venue over 30 miles from Haines.
When it comes down to big lines, it was business as usual for Loïc Collomb-Patton (FRA – 2nd) as he crushed an aggressive start into a huge 360, but his 2nd place finish was not able to guarantee the title of world champion until his final trial in Verbier, Switzerland. Finding a spot on the podium has proved elusive for Drew Tabke (USA – 3rd) this season but his typical innovative line selection and massive backflip secured his third place finish and Verbier qualification.
The ENE-facing competition slope in Haines is known simply as “The Venue” and is over 600 vertical meters of pure Alaskan spines, airs, and aesthetically-featured powder fields. The venue is accessed only by helicopter, adding to the remote and isolated nature of this prestigious event. This year, the face was blanketed in an above-average snowpack giving riders confidence to send big lines.
With near-perfect snow on beautiful spines and a genuine Alaskan ambiance, it was game on.
The Haines event is always one of the most anticipated events on the FWT because the Alaskan mountains offer some of the highest quality freeriding in the world. Yesterday’s competition was a fine example of how the top riders on the planet can take advantage of these fabled mountains to raise the level of the sport and produce a competition of the highest caliber. To review any moment of yesterday’s action check out the replay as soon as it becomes available on www.freerideworldtour.com.
Out of the 31 riders competing in today’s event, only 28 will make the cut and move on to the season finale and world championships on April 2nd. The best three results of the 2016 FWT season will determine which riders make the cut and have a chance to go for the title of world champion in the final event at the Swatch Xtreme Verbier.
Riders qualified for Xtreme Verbier, Switzerland
1- Loïc Collomb-Patton (FRA) – 6900
2- Logan Pehota (CAN) – 6500
3- Fabio Studer (AUT) – 5280
4- Kristofer Turdell (SWE) – 4815
5- Léo Slemett (FRA) – 4780
6- Reine Barkered (SWE) – 4560
7- Felix Wiemers (GER) – 4500
8- Stefan Hausl (AUT) – 4300
9- Jérémie Heitz (SUI) – 4295
10- Ivan Malakhov (RUS) – 4275
11- Dennis Risvoll (NOR) – 4090
12- Drew Tabke (USA) – 3955
