Top Freeride World Qualifier Riders Advance To The Elite 2019 Freeride World Tour
It was a battle well fought all season long as hundreds of riders threw down their best lines to secure the coveted qualification for the twelve spots (six ski men, two snowboard men, two ski women, and two snowboard women) on the 2019 FWT. International athletes hailed from either Region 1 (Europe/Oceania) or Region 2 (The Americas), and were awarded their invitations to the 2019 tour after the final 4* events of the season.
Region 1’s ski season came to a close in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, Austria where Konstantin Ottner (GER) took the win on the day to guarantee himself a spot for FWT 2019 behind top ranked Hank Bilous (NZL) and followed closely by Wadeck Gorak (FRA) in third place. Juliette Willmann (FRA) secured her spot in the ski women's category after recovering from an injury last year.
It was a family event in the Region 2 ski category that concluded at the infamous Cirque at Kirkwood, California where twins and young guns Tom and Liam Peiffer (CAN) both qualified. They were joined by skiers Andrew Pollard (USA) and his sister Jacqueline Pollard (USA) who took the region’s men’s and women’s titles, respectively.
“Very excited to make the tour. Stoked for all the adventures to come. I can’t wait to meet the crew and hopefully ski some pow.” said Andrew Pollard (USA
In the snowboard categories, Ludovic Guillot-Diat (FRA) took the overall title in Region 1 after barely missing qualification last year. Maria Kuzma (NZL) secured her invitation prior to the final event and will be returning to the FWT in 2019
In Region 2, with a series of podiums this year, Christopher Galvin (USA) will make a triumphant return to the FWT and will be joined by female snowboarder Nicole Kelly (CAN) to round out the Americas’ region.
After another stunning season of progression, epic moments, and top level riding, the FWT & FWQ invite riders to look forward to the upcoming season where the world’s top rookie riders will face-off against the veteran elite riders of the FWT.
