Ski, snowboard

Historic Event in Alaska is a Wrap - Highlights & Photo Gallery

The Freeride World Tour event in Haines, Alaska was a true show of freeride at its best. It was a nine day wait for the weather to play along but everyone seemed to know that it would be all worth it. The setting was like an Alaskan postcard with fresh powder under a clear blue sky and with a big glacier as a backdrop. Having shown great form all season, Eva Walkner (AUT) had a solid lead in women's skiing coming into the event. With four out of five results counting for the final ranking, and Eva counting one win and 2nd places in all the other events, she can now call herself World Champion no matter how she performs in Verbier. The suspense for the titles in the other categories is still intact as the Freeride World Tour moves into the final event.

27. 3. 2015 Photos: 18

It has long been a dream, for organizers and athletes alike, to have an FWT stop in the grandiose terrain around Haines, Alaska. It became now a reality and the battle in the Alaskan mountains was decisive to determine the final field in Verbier. As predicted, all riders delivered mind-blowing performances, whether fighting to grab the title or simply attempting to qualify for the last stage of the season in Verbier, Switzerland. The conditions on the 740 vertical meters (2300 ft) competition face, The Venue, were close to perfect with knee deep, blower powder covering the characteristic long and impressive spines.

Final results:

Women’s Snowboard:

1. Shannan Yates (USA) 79.50
2. Estelle Balet (SUI) 75.00
3. Elodie Mouthon (FRA) 69.00

Women’s Ski:

1. Silvia Moser (ITA) 84.00
2. Eva Walkner (AUT) 76.75
3. Francesca Ace Pavillard-Cain (USA) 65.00

Eva Walkner was crowned World Champion 2015 at historic event in Alaska

Men’s Snowboard:

1. Sammy Luebke (USA) 90.00
2. Flo Orley (AUT) 87.00
3. Colin Boyd (USA) 82.00

Men’s Ski:

1. George Rodney (USA) 87.75
2. Jérémie Heitz (SUI) 81.00
3. Kevin Guri (FRA) 80.00

The first possible competition day in Verbier is this coming Saturday the 28th of March, depending on the conditions. Stay tuned and in the meantime, enjoy highlights edits from Alaska!