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Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face: Chamonix kick-off

The Swatch Freeride World Tour 2015 by The North Face kicks off tomorrow with the first stage in Chamonix, France.

Planetmountain

January 2015

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During the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face

Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face

Tomorrow morning Chamonix will host the first stage of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face, the spectacular international ski and snowboard competition comprised this year of five stages in five different countries: after the start in France, the circuit moves on to Austria, Andorra, USA and then Switzerland.

Born from the fusion between the European and American circuits, the World Tour is seen as the "champions league" of freeride and tomorrow’s start is eagery awaited. The race organizers have decided that both categories, Pro and Juniors, will start early, at 8:30 to take advantage of a brief window of good weather. The riders will descend a slope never used before for the competition, the Chamois face on the Brevent sector high above Chamonix.

All the best athletes in the world will be there to demonstrate their amazing skills, such as the The North Face athletes Fabio Studer (Austria), Sam Smoothy (New Zealand), Leo Slemett (France), Xavier De Le Rue (France), Markus Eder (Italy), Samuel Anthamatten (Switzerland), Janina Kuzma (New Zealand) and Ralph Backstrom (USA). Unfortunately though there are two important absentees: Austria’s Nadine Wallner and Switzerland’s Emilien Badoux. Wallner won the tour in both 2013 and 2014 and although she won’t take part in the ski event because of an accident last summer, next year she’ll compete thanks to a wild card the organization will give her. The same holds true for Badoux who hurt his shoulder and knee while being swept away by an avalanche recently. The Swissman walked away relatively unharmed thanks to his ABS airbag rucksack.

Talking about airbags, this year the Freeride World Tour is placing even more emphasis on mountain safety: not only is it mandatory for all riders to wear a backpack with ABS system and to ski with avalanche beacon, shovel and probe, but yesterday there were some obligatory workshops for all riders to refresh their memory about avalanche prevention and crisis management. Because, even if you’re a pro, you never stop learning.

For futher information, check out www.thenorthfacejournal.com/snowsports/freeride-world-tour

Freeride World Tour 2015
24 January – Chamonix (France)
31 January – Fieberbrunn Kitzbüheler (Austria)
14 February – Vallnord-Arcalis (Andorra)
14 March – Alaska (USA)
28 March – Verbier (Switzerland)