Freeride World Tour 2021 | Recap

We saw UK’s own Cody Bramwell take home his first win in the FWT at the first stop in Andorra, showing huge potential for future seasons on the Tour. Check out our ‘Behind the Line’ edit with Cody, to see some behind the scenes footage on how it all went down.

“We also saw UK’s own Cody Bramwell take home his first win in the FWT at the first stop of the tour in Andorra, showing huge potential for future seasons on the Tour”

However, the Queen of this year’s tour was undoubtedly Marion Haerty. Already a record-breaking three-time winner, Haerty added a fourth title to her tally on the tour and became the first rider ever to do so in the history of the FWT. She also made history by becoming the first FWT athlete to win at every stop of the tour.

If you missed this year’s tour, we’ve narrowed down some of the highlights below…

#2 – Ordino Arcalís, Andorra

Due to two of the stops being cut from this year’s tour, another stop in Ordino Arcalís, Andorra was added. The athletes dropped in at the Port del Rat face again as an additional third start gate offered more opportunities and a fresh layer of snow for the athletes to get creative on.

This time we saw Blake Moller, the rookie of the tour, ride into 1st place after laying down a clean run that started off with him ollying out of the start gate. Marion Haerty held on to the ‘Golden Bib’, by putting down a technical run through the top section and sending a huge drop to exit.

Marion Haerty’s Winning Run

“Today was a beautiful day, after waiting for good weather. It was perfect to ride this morning, it was really fun, the snow was a little bit sticky, but it was manageable.” – Marion Haerty.

Blake Moller’s Winning Run

“Got a sketchy run, but it worked out. It was loose, but lit. Snow was way better than I thought. I’m so stoked.” – Blake Moller.

Highlights #2

#3 – Fieberbrunn, Austria

The somewhat sketchy snow conditions at Fieberbrunn didn’t throw the riders off their game, and a new record was set when Marion Haerty took home her third win thus securing her fourth FWT champion title in a row. Victor de le Rue also managed to up his game after the first two stops of the tour and placed first after putting down a nearly flawless run.

The third stop was also the last chance for the riders to secure their place for the Xtreme Verbier and next year’s tour.

The following women qualified for FWT22: Marion Haerty, Erika Vikander, Katie Anderson and Manuela Mandl. As for the men, Blake Moller, Victor de le Rue, Cody Bramwell, Nils Mindnich and Camille Armand secured their place in next year’s tour.

Marion Haerty’s Winning Run

“I am super happy today! I don’t have the most confidence in myself, and today to show I can take another World Title is just crazy. I like it here in Austria; the culture around skiing and snowboarding competitions; the people hosting us; and this face, which is a mixture of big mountain and backcountry that offers so many runs.” – Marion Haerty.

Victor de le Rue’s Winning Run

“I am so stoked about today. There were so many doubts about the snow conditions, especially the hard chunks and crust. I just wanted to focus on my line and try this gap, which I wasn’t sure about. It went perfect, so I am super happy and motivated for the future!” – Victor de le Rue.

Highlights #3

#4 – Verbier, Switzerland

Culminating at 3,223m, the Bec de Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland, has provided the canvas for many dreamy freeride runs. With its ominous descent of 650m, it’s become home to the best freeriders in the world and a place to throw down some of the most incredible runs we’ve ever laid eyes on.

“Culminating at 3,223m, the Bec de Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland, has provided the canvas for many dreamy freeride runs”

Last year, Xtreme Verbier celebrated its 25th anniversary. For two and a half decades, this competition has represented the evolution of freeriding, while pushing the laws of physics and redefining what is possible in snowboarding. In 2008, the competition was made into a five-stop-tour, which we now know as the Freeride World Tour.

Due to this year’s poor snow conditions, the athletes had to drop in at a lower height than usual, making 3,020m the starting point for 2021 instead of the regular 3,300m. This didn’t slow anyone down, especially as the riders knew what was at stake – 15,000 points up for grabs for placing first (instead of 10,000 with the other stops).

After Victor de le Rue took home the win in Austria, the overall FWT21 championship title was now between three men: Blake Moller, Victor de le Rue and Cody Bramwell. It was a tough fight, as all three of the guys delivered an outstanding performance down Bec de Rosses. However, Victor de le Rue’s full-throttle line earned him the Crown at Verbier as well as the FWT21 title.

The overall FWT21 ranking in snowboard men:
1. Victor de le Rue — 31,400 pts
2. Blake Moller — 27,600 pts
3. Cody Bramwell — 27,120 pts
4. Camille Armand — 18,240 pts
5. Nils Mindnich — 17,715 pts

Despite Marion being the star of this year’s tour, finishing it with a solid 35,000 points, Katie Anderson, Erika Vikander and Manuela Mandl also put down an incredible fight with each one of them ranking at over 20,000 points at the end of the tour.

The overall FWT21 ranking in snowboard women:
1. Marion Haerty — 35,000 pts
2. Katie Anderson — 26,400 pts
3. Erika Vikander — 24,000 pts
4. Manuela Mandl — 20,800 pts

Marion Haerty’s Winning Run

“I don’t think about the record or the awards. I just think about how I like to snowboard. I want to push myself and the level further, and maybe that’s why I won today. I’m not in a competition against the other girls, only against myself.” – Marion Haerty.

Victor de le Rue’s Winning Run

“It was a weird beginning to my winter with a broken shoulder and all the resorts closed in France, meaning I didn’t ride much. I had two bad runs in Andorra, then went to Austria wanting to do a run I was stoked about, which put me in the first place. That boosted me up, and in Verbier I tried to stay in the same state of mind, forget about the competition and just do the run. And it went perfect!” − Victor De Le Rue.

Highlights #4

More Like This:
Eyes On The Prize | The Marion Haerty and Erika Vikander Interview
Low Key | The Sammy Luebke Interview
Gettin’ Gigi With It | The Gigi Rüf Interview
Wildcard | The Victor de le Rue Interview