Featured Image: Dominique Daher | Skier: Marcus Goguen
The Freeride World Tour (FWT) made several announcements today regarding the upcoming stop two of the 2024 season in beautiful Kicking Horse, British Columbia. This season has been anything but predictable, with two cancelations and one event relocation. Variable snow conditions throughout Europe led to the cancelations of both the Ordino Arcalís, Andorra, and Baqueira Beret, Spain, competitions. While these announcements were disappointing, they were indeed necessary, with rider safety being anything but ideal in both situations. The First Stop of 2024 was moved to Verbier, Switzerland, where the riders threw down on the Petit Bec face in typical fashion.
Now, the tour has swung its attention across the pond, as organizers have confirmed the weather window for the Kicking Horse stop February 14-20. With a stable snowpack and weather trending in the right direction across most of the North American West, this is the most promising competition we have seen so far in the 2024 season.
CONFIRMED: The Kicking Horse Golden BC Pro is confirmed for this Thursday, February 15, 2023 at 10.15 AM MST
This is the seventh time a FWT event has graced Kicking Horse, and the mountain never seems to disappoint. The Ozone Face, where the event is to be held, is a mixture of massive freeride features and technical big mountain lines. It honestly appears like something out of a video game, with a masterful blend of cliffs, straight lines, airs and gaps throughout. There are several Canadians competing on the tour this year, but unfortunately, Justine Dufour-Lapointe has removed herself from the competition due to personal reasons. We hope to see her back in the start gate soon.
We will, however, get a special Canadian wild card, as the legendary Stan Rey has been selected as a wild card competitor for the event. A storied British Columbia rider who has been a pioneering member of the Salomon squad, Rey is an excellent addition to the lineup.
“It feels amazing to get a wildcard for the FWT Kicking Horse event, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little anxious and terrified. I’m stoked to get out there and represent Whistler and Canada, and happy to ski alongside some of the young bucks that I have been fortunate to have front-row seats to their careers growing up in Whistler. I will do my best to show everyone that this old guy still has a few tricks up his sleeve!”- Stan Rey, 2024 FWT Kicking Horse, Golden BC wildcard
With such a turbulent season, it’s nice to see promise in this upcoming stop. Let’s hope that Kicking Horse provides as it has in the past. Stay tuned for more updates and information on the 2024 Freeride World Tour season.
