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Meet the 2019 Freeride
World Tour Champions

The North Face® Athletes Marion Haerty, Markus Eder, Victor de le Rue and Leo Slemett take FWT the podium

A global tour on some of the most renowned steep faces of the world, the Freeride World Tour is the ultimate competition ground for the planet’s best freeride skiers and snowboarders. Skiers and snowboarders have just one shot each at descending a face littered with cliffs, pillows and other natural features. They choose their own route down, with the only condition that they finish their run through the finish line at the bottom of the mountain. There are five judging criteria: difficulty of line; control; fluidity; jumps; and technique. And this year, at the final event, Xtreme Verbier, three of our snowsports athletes took to the podium. And wow, did they deserve it.

Marion Haerty, Women's Snowboard

Following a high-octane run in the season’s second-to-last stop in Andorra, Marion Haerty had secured her title of Freeride World Champion even before even strapping in at Xtreme Verbier. Showcasing her incredible talent with a perfect balance of clean lines and serious air, she blew the entire crowd’s mind and finished, once again, on the top step of the podium accumulating a rare 10,000 points in a single season.

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Victor de le Rue, Men's Snowboard

Under his brother Xavier’s scrutinising and fatherly eye, pressure was on for the ground-breaking rookie. He’d stepped on the podium several times during the season and was coming into the event as category leader, but he still needed quite a performance in Verbier to secure the top spot. He did not disappoint. Hucking off some of the Bec Des Rosses’ biggest cliffs, he glided his way to the 3rd step of the podium, awarding him enough points to be crowned World Champion in the men’s snowboard category.

Markus Eder, Men's Ski

Despite a style-heavy, big and ballsy line with massive tricks left, right and centre, Markus came in 6th in Verbier. But it didn’t matter. The points were enough to crown him as World Champion.

Leo Slemmet, third in Men’s Ski

To add to the success, after a win in Andorra, Leo Slemett was sitting in third place overall before Xtreme Verbier. On the Bec Des Rosses Leo wowed with his creativity, choosing lines no one had used before. An unbelievable backflip halfway through his rocket-fast run closed the deal, earning him the chance to step on the podium’s 2nd highest step.

Congratulations to all our champions!

 

about marion haerty

about markus eder

about victor de le rue

 

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