ContestHappening 06 2017/18 | Here we go!

FWT Vallnord-Arcalís, Andorra

This weekend, the FWT athletes will continue their hunt for points in the overall standings in the Pyrenees. After the stages in Japan and Canada, Andorra marks the start of the three European stops of the 2017/18 season. Local hero and former FWT participant Dani Fornell-Prat (AND) will receive a wildcard for this stop to compete with the rest of the field.

Apart from the title fight, the majority of the riders will have to qualify for the final in Verbier or for next season in the remaining two Tour stops. For the first four tour stops (Hakuba, Kicking Horse, Andorra, Fieberbrunn) there is a scratch result, so that the three best results count towards the overall ranking. For the German-speaking freeriders, this means the following:

Ski title defender Lorraine Huber (AUT), who is only in 8th place in the overall standings after the first two competitions, will have to fight particularly hard for points. Two-time FWT winner Eva Walkner (AUT), on the other hand, is already back in contention for the title in second place. In the highly competitive field of skiers, Felix Wiemers (GER) in 15th place, Fabio Studer (AUT) in 18th place and Stefan Häusl (AUT) in 23rd place also have to score points in Andorra. This is the only way they can get closer to the top 13, who can celebrate qualifying for the final after the fourth event in Fieberbrunn. Snowboarder Manuela Mandl (AUT) in 4th place and especially snowboarder Thomas Feurstein (AUT) in 2nd place already have a good chance of taking part in Xtreme Verbier.

typical terrain for the contest in Vallnord-Arcalís — Typical terrain for the contest in Vallnord-Arcalís

D. Daher

4* FWQ Jasna Adrenalin

With the 4* FWQs in Nendaz, Obergurgl and Hochfügen, the 4* Jasna Adrenalin is one of the most important qualifier events in the Alps and usually has a decisive influence on the tableau for next year's tour. The event took place last weekend and the only information we have so far is the results list and a current picture of the contest face before it was ridden by the field. Worth mentioning in any case is the victory of Konstantin Ottner from Germany in the men's ski race. In addition to winning the Engadinsnow 3* FWQ (results), he is now "only" missing a very good high-ranking result for a top 3 overall ranking and thus a qualification for the FWT! We are keeping our fingers crossed and are looking forward to more information and media about the event in Jasna.

3* FWQ Silvretta Montafon

The fifth edition of the 3* Open Faces Silvretta-Montafon once again attracted a top-class field of participants to the challenging face of the "Kleine Heimspitze". Markus Breitfuß, Laura Überbacher and Christine Innerhofer were particularly impressive in the classic race. They took the victories in the Ski Men, Ski Women and Snowboard Women categories. Benjamin Ewens from New Zealand won the men's snowboard category. Here's to the results.

In ideal conditions and bright sunshine, 58 riders from 14 nations competed for a total of 1100 weighty points for the Freeride World Qualifier Ranking on the "Kleine Heimspitze". On one of the most challenging faces of the whole season, they showed the complete freeride spectrum with jumps and tricks worth seeing. They needed a flawless run to win, as Head of Security Markus "Kogs" Kogler also knows: "Today was simply a perfect contest day. The standard was extremely high, especially in the men's ski category - a few riders put down extremely good runs."

The contest face of the Jasna Adrenalin 4* FWQ

Jasna Adrenalin

Austrian at the top of the male freeskiers

Austrian Markus Breitfuß managed such an almost perfect run, topping the podium ahead of Sebastian Hiersche and Valentin Rainer. After a 3rd place at the 1* Qualifier in Alpbach two weeks ago, it was already the second podium finish, but the first victory at a 3*FWQ for the young man from Salzburg: "First 3* contest, first victory - simply perfect. I managed to jump high today, but still always landed safely. Of course, my low start number also helped me here, which I took full advantage of," beamed a happy winner.

Local hero Laura Überbacher triumphed in the women's skiing

It was a home match at the top of her home race for Laura Überbacher from Vorarlberg. Winning as a local hero in the Ländle is something very special for her: "I ski here in Silvretta-Montafon so often that the "Kleine Heimspitze" is almost a home mountain for me, which is why I always look forward to the contest here the most. I skied a safe, fluid run today, which paid off. She secured victory ahead of Elena Mitrengova from Bulgaria, who finished on the podium for the second time this season after a third place in the 2* competition in Kappl. Third place also went to an Austrian, Claudia Klobasa.

A familiar face from the Open Faces Freeride series was at the top of the podium in the women's snowboarding competition: Christine Innerhofer, who lives in Vorarlberg, has already won the 2* contest in Kappl and impressed with a spectacular run one star category higher. "The face here is very variable, you have countless options on how to shape your run," explained the Salzburg native. "My strategy today was to simply ski where the best snow is and where the best landings are possible." Laura Perfler, a former Austrian champion, was also one of the favorites in second place. Bulgaria's Bojana Chalakova completed the podium in third place, meaning that after second place in Kappl and first in Alpbach, she now has all the podium places to her name.

The podium in the men's snowboarding was more international: New Zealander Benjamin Ewens triumphed ahead of Germany's Philip Volker and Tim Rossum from the Netherlands.