The first contest of the 2018 Freeride World Tour season kicked off at Kicking Horse, British Columbia, yesterday. Forty-seven skiers and snowboarders etched lines down the territory called “Ozone,” just outside the resort boundary.
In the women’s ski category, Arianna Tricomi (ITA) took home second while Kylie Sivell (CAN) came in third. Eva Walkner (AUT) emerged victorious, linking together untouched powder turns with some monstrous airs thrown in for good measure. “I wanted to go a bit bigger on top but still, I won so I’m super stoked,” said Walkner. “[The] snow was amazing and that was super fun to ride.”
On the men’s side of things, Markus Eder (ITA)—who makes a return to the tour after focusing on filming for two years—landed in second and Ivan Malakhov (RUS) took third. Logan Pehota (CAN) took home the top spot in his home country with an outrageous score of 98.00. Pehota’s run included a stomped 360 at the top of the venue followed by a colossal cliff drop—seriously, check out how many times he rolls the window down for perspective—that earned him the title of top dog.
“So, I just won the first stop of the FWT… On my home terrain!” Pehota exclaimed. “I couldn’t ask for anything better, honestly it’s just like a dream.”
A second round of competition will commence today, February 6, at Kicking Horse, a makeup for the cancelled event in Hakuba, Japan.