The third stop of Freeride World Tour 2024 ran to successful completion in Georgia on Thursday, February 29th. The first FWT Pro event in Georgia was completed in picture-perfect conditions. It was the last stop before the FWT Finals, meaning titles – and careers – were on the line.
Snowboard Men
Victor de Le Rue (FRA) was the first rider out of the gates and threw down the gauntlet for the rest of the field, sending a huge double drop followed by four 360s, buttering the bottom section to take his third win in a row. FWT veteran Jonathan Penfield (USA) showed us why he has been one of the best riders for years with a solid run to finish second, ahead of Liam Rivera (SUI) in third.
“I am super happy. The traveling was stressful, but I was stoked to ride my line in good snow. I am in a good position in the rankings; I want to continue having fun and try even more in the remaining competitions,” Victor de Le Rue said.
Snowboard Women
Núria Castán Barón (ESP) wowed the judges with a fast and fluid line to take her second win of the season. Her run included two big hits out of the starting gates before linking multiple clean features with an aggressive freeride approach. Erin Sauve (CAN) showed total commitment on the entire face to finish second, while rookie Anna Martinez (FRA) locked in her third FWT podium from as many starts.
"I was nervous, but I think that actually helped me. I am proud of my line; I made some changes that worked out and am happy with my second win. It’s a dream to be leading the category, especially after finishing last at Kicking Horse. I have been competing on the tour for four years now, and my goal is to be the FWT World Champion,” Núria Castán Barón said.
Ski Men
The new generation shone today, signaling a changing of the old guard in the Ski Men’s category. Marcus Goguen (CAN) put down an absolute mind-blowing run and earned a near-perfect score of 98 from the judges. He exploded into his line with a smooth 360 into the guts of the face and then didn’t deviate from the fall line, combining a huge backflip with a corked-720 before endlessly sailing over a transfer to bring home the win. Young Swiss rider Martin Bender (SUI) finished in second, leapfrogging up the rankings and securing an FWT Final berth with a fluid line that included a 720, backflip and a 360. Max Hitzig (GER) backed up his pair of wins this season with a solid third-place finish, combining multiple gravity-defying backflips with an equally deep 360.
“It’s a dream come through – I’ve been working towards this for basically my entire life. I’m still in shock and can’t believe I landed that run. I made it up after the 720 as I had way more speed than expected, so I’m glad it worked out. Stoked to have scored the equal highest score with my buddy Logan Pehota. My objective is to keep it going; keep skiing lines I want to and keep having fun – that’s what it is all about,” Marcus Goguen said.
Ski Women
Sybille Blanjean (SUI) needed something special today to make the Cut, and she delivered a colossal performance. Sybille took no time to get into her line, sending a massive air into the face before going into cruise control, linking a bunch of smooth drops ahead of another huge send at the bottom. Hedvig Wessel (NOR) went full throttle on the Khakhiani face, showing impeccable style in the air to take second place, just in front of Lily Bradley (USA) in third.
“I am super happy to put down that run, especially with how nervous I was at the top. There were a lot of questions in my mind, so I am happy that it paid off. Thank you, Georgia! It means so much to make the Cut and have my ticket to compete at home in Verbier,” Sybille Blanjean said.
Here are the updated rankings, where you can see who made it to the Finals.
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