#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