The women’s snowboard rankings have been especially exciting to follow this season with three wild card riders in the top three positions at this point. At the head of the field in 2011 is newcomer Liz Kristoferitsch (AUT) who has blasted onto the 2011 tour with two wins and a second place out of four events for a total of 4250 points.
Liz Kristoferitsch states: “This season has been like a dream so far. Now I will concentrate one-hundred percent on the FWT so I just quit my job to have more time. My aim is to make it into the finals at Verbier.” Kristoferitsch added, “It was a good decision for the FWT to open up the competitions and give more women the chance to compete. One can clearly see that this has given a fresh/good input to the tour and it is more interesting now for upcoming riders. In my opinion it will help push the limits of women´s freeriding.”
Also in her first season on the tour, Ursula Wohlschlager (AUT) is in second place with 3490 points after competing in five events. In third place with 3250 points after competing in only two stages is freestyle champion Anne-Flore Marxer (FRA/SUI), who is now showing her skills on the big mountain scene with amazing results. After winning the Nissan Freeride de Chamonix Mont-Blanc 2011 by Swatch as a wildcard, Marxer has decided to compete on the full tour, which guarantees a dramatic run-up to the final event in Verbier, Switzerland.
Anne-Flore Marxer: “My plan for this winter was to shoot and film as much as possible, but after winning in Cham, I decided I should give it a shot and see how I could do on the whole tour. The atmosphere with the other riders is really fun, and they helped me out big time in Hochfügen by lending me all the gear I needed to compete after my boardbag didn't arrive in time at the airport.”
Will 2010 Freeride World Champion Aline Bock (GER) who is currently in fourth place, be able to regain her winning form and fight her way back to defend her title? Or will the rookies continue to hold their lead? The one thing that’s for sure is the battle for the three qualifying spots and an epic showdown on the Bec des Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland is far from over.
The next event for women snowboarders will be The North Face Masters of Snowboarding 2011 by Swatch, Kirkwood (USA) on 5 March 2011.
Women’s Main Events 2011
1. La Clusaz Radikal Mountain (FRA)
Date: 16 January 2011
2. Nissan Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc 2011 by Swatch (FRA)
Date: 22 January 2011
3. Big Mountain Hochfügen (AUT)
Date: 5 February 2011
4a. The North American Freeskiing Championships Kirkwood 2011 by Swatch, The North Face and Sierra Nevada (USA)
Date: 25 February 2011 – SKI ONLY
4b. The North Face Masters of Snowboarding 2011 by Swatch, Kirkwood (USA)
Date: 5 March 2011 – SNOWBOARD ONLY
5. Salomon Extreme Freeride Championship, Taos, New Mexico, (USA)
Date: 5 March 2011 – SKI ONLY
6. Nendaz Freeride (SUI)
Date: 12 March 2011
7. Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2011 by Swatch (SUI)
Date: 19 March 2011 – FINAL for qualified riders
8. Röldal Freeride (NOR)
Date: 30 April 2011
The Freeride World Tour 2011 six stages
1. Nissan Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc 2011 by Swatch (FRA)
Date: 22 January 2011 – Men / Women – Ski / Snowboard
2. Nissan Freeride Engadin St. Moritz 2011 by Swatch (SUI)
Date: 30 January 2011 – Men – Ski / Snowboard
3.a The North Face Masters of Crystal Mountain 2011 by Swatch and PrimaLoft (USA)
Date: 7 February 2011 – Men – Snowboard
3.b North American Freeskiing Championships Kirkwood 2011 by Swatch, The North Face and Sierra Nevada (USA)
Date: 25 February 2011 – Men / Women – Ski
4. Nissan Russian Adventure Sochi 2011 (RUS)
Date: 5 March 2011 – Men – Ski / Snowboard
5. Swatch Big Mountain Fieberbrunn 2011 by Nissan (AUT)
Date: 12 March 2011 – Men – Ski / Snowboard
6. Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2011 by Swatch (SUI)
Date: 19 March 2011 (Finals) – Men / Women – Ski / Snowboard
