Featured Image: Courtesy of Freeride World Tour
Ready or not, ski season is coming. Every fall, the Freeride World Tour (FWT) drops its official athlete lineup for the season. Year after year, the world’s top freeriders are selected to go head-to-head on a five-stop big-mountain competition tour and this year’s roster may be the most stacked it’s ever been–making it anyone’s title for the taking.
Perhaps the first name you’ll notice missing from the men’s list is the 2019 FWT champion, Markus Eder. The Italian professional skier is stepping away from competition to focus on personal projects for the coming winter. With Eder out of contention, Sweden’s Kristofer Turdell, Tanner Hall and wildcard Reine Barkered all have their sights set on the champion’s chair.
Full Men’s Lineup
Kristofer Turdell (SWE)
Leo Slemett (FRA)
Andrew Pollard (USA)
Wadeck Gorak (FRA)
Tom Peiffer (CAN)
Craig Murray (NZL)
Tanner Hall (USA)
Drew Tabke (USA)
Carl Regnér (SWE)
Aymar Navarro (SPA)
Reine Barkered (SWE) – Wildcard
Yu Sasaki (JAP) – Wildcard
Konstantin Ottner (GER) – Wildcard
Sam Lee (NZL) – Wildcard
Ivan Malakhov (RUS) – Wildcard
Yann Rausis (SUI) – Wildcard
Hank Bilous (NZL) – Wildcard
Isaac Freeland (USA) – Rookie
Carl Renvall (SUI) – Rookie
Blake Marshall (NZL) – Rookie
Jack Nichols (USA) – Rookie
Tao Kreibich (AUT) – Rookie
Kevin Nichols (USA) – Rookie
On the women’s side, everyone is eager to see if Italy’s Arianna Tricomi will be able to hold on to her title for an unheard-of third consecutive year. Returning vets Jacqueline Pollard and Jackie Paaso have the talent to take the crown but this year’s lineup of ladies is stacked. Wildcards Juliette Willmann from France and Sweden’s Evelina Nilsson plan to shake things up and newcomers Jessica Hotter and Emma Patterson are fresh forces to be reckoned with.
Full Women’s Lineup
Ariana Tricomi (ITA)
Jacqueline Pollard (USA)
Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI)
Hedvig Wessel (NOR)
Jackie Paaso (USA)
Rachel Croft (USA) – Wildcard
Maude Besse (SUI) – Wildcard
Juliette Willman (FRA) – Wildcard
Eveline Nilsson (SWE) – Wildcard
Jessica Hotter (NZL) – Rookie
Emma Patterson (USA) – Rookie
