Freeride World Tour Update: Haines, Alaska

March 25, 2015

by Drew Zieff
Freeride World Tour Update: Haines, Alaska

After 9 slow days of waiting, the weather finally turned and the world’s best freeriders dropped in at the Freeride World Tour’s most anticipated stop: Haines, Alaska. The venue? Well, it’s actually called “The Venue,” a spine-speckled, 3,500-foot face in the Chilkat Range – a zone synonymous with big mountain riding and heliskiing. 

Though 9 days of storm watching and thumb twiddling was tedious for the athletes, they were rewarded with a stable and sunlit aftermath. George Rodney, a tour rookie, claimed his second win in a row in the men’s skiing category. He nearly careened out of control after landing in the backseat, yet managed to link together lightning fast drops for the top spot.

Snowboarder Sammy Luebke sliced down a serious double, relying on speed to cut through the freshly fallen snow – then topped off the heavy line with a playful backside three for the win. 

Italian rookie Silvia Moser held it down for the women skiers, tackling a tough and technical top section that included a few sketchy cliff drops. Still, Eva Walkner’s second place run clinched her the tour title before the final stop in Verbier. 

Tour favorite Shannan Yates placed first for the women’s snowboarding category, somehow staying on her feet after a wave of slough threatened to drown out her hopes of a podium. 

All in all, it was a wild event – one well worth the wait. With Verbier, the final tour stop, coming up this weekend, we’ve got our fingers crossed for solid conditions and an equally intense competition. 

Image via FWT

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