The locals of Chamonix are prouder than ever of their nation’s snowboarders after all three podium spots of the Freeride World Tour event went to French riders.

Xavier De Le Rue, who already had multiple FWT wins under his belt, took the title after a nice double drop to straight line run, meaning that he is now undefeated four times in a row. Click here to watch his winning run.

”I wanted to start off cool and easy and my choice of line did not seem too hard. Finally it was much more dramatic than expected! I was quite careful at the top as the visibility of the line was poor and above a lot of sluff coming down. The first contest is always difficult, I haven’t ridden a big line or dropped anything big recently. I had cotton legs before the start. And it was out of question that I would fall as I did last year in Chamonix.”

The Freeride World Tour celebrates the natural environment that rider’s are given. None of the slopes are groomed or piste-bashed, shaped or molded. Just a start and finish gate at the top and bottom. The riders are judged based on the difficulty of the line, control, fluidity, jumping, and the context of any crashes. Easier than it sounds.

UK rider James Stentiford, a resident of Chamonix who won himself a bronze at last year’s Chamonix Freeride World Tour event, didn’t manage to repeat his success this year, coming in 9th. Unlucky man!

Freeride Sessions Episode 1:

http://mpora.com/videos/jA12PJ5x3


Freeride Sessions Episode 2:

http://mpora.com/videos/SvVcOHTYN