Engaging in a freeride race always proves to be a perilous moment for athletes. It is also challenging for organizers, who must ensure the safety of the athletes and the competition staff at all times.
These few moments when anything is possible can create a certain amount of nervousness, but it's also the reason why the FWT has become a benchmark in its field.
#FWT #HomeofFreeride #WhatTheFWT
These few moments when anything is possible can create a certain amount of nervousness, but it's also the reason why the FWT has become a benchmark in its field.
#FWT #HomeofFreeride #WhatTheFWT
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [silence]
00:03 What the f***?
00:05 [camera shutter]
00:06 [music]
00:09 Welcome, welcome, welcome to Viberbrug.
00:12 Fordino Arcade.
00:13 Kicking Horse.
00:14 Akira Barret.
00:15 Extreme Verbier.
00:16 It's pretty magic when it all comes together and all the stuff that everyone did to make it happen is happening.
00:21 [music]
00:29 You can hear on the radio that the 150 plus people that have a role are all in an event mode.
00:37 That's a satisfaction that gives me goose bumps.
00:41 [music]
00:43 Volunteer, pilot, director, it doesn't matter who it is, everybody is actually giving the most out of himself.
00:51 [music]
00:58 So many things at stake, so many things at play.
01:00 It's all coming down to this.
01:02 [music]
01:10 The realities of living life on the Freeride World Tour differ from one person to the next.
01:16 Competition days are the great unifier.
01:19 [music]
01:21 Riders, judges, and staff.
01:24 This is what they all live for.
01:27 [music]
01:40 The day before a race, I do my bag ten times.
01:43 To fall asleep, it's hell.
01:45 I have a stomach ache all the time.
01:47 It doesn't change even after 17 years.
01:51 The danger is to miss the photo.
01:53 And then you think, "The guy is potentially going to Mac 12 in front of me.
01:57 Maybe he'll win.
01:59 And he's the new world champion.
02:01 And you don't have the pictures."
02:03 [music]
02:06 It's the most demanding job that there is.
02:10 So I like to push myself because I'm always building up some images in my mind that I would like to do.
02:16 And if you succeed to do them, then I'm like a happy kid in the helicopter.
02:21 [music]
02:24 The most intimidating venue in sport, the Becque des Rosses.
02:29 This is the grand finale of the Freeride World Tour.
02:33 I see people throw up on the start, on the way, on the hike, because they're really, really nervous.
02:41 The worst part, I would say, is one, two minutes before the start gate,
02:45 because you're not ready to go, but it's almost your turn.
02:48 [music]
02:51 It's in that minute, for each and every one of us, that the competition is played.
02:57 [music]
03:01 I think the whole challenge is how you manage to find yourself.
03:07 [music]
03:10 If you win the extreme, that is something that just cements your place in the hall of fame.
03:15 [music]
03:16 And when you're at the start gate, you can always hear the helicopter or the drone coming back to us.
03:20 [music]
03:26 And that's a sound that I think will trigger something in me for the rest of my life.
03:32 This thing of, "OK, it's my turn soon."
03:35 [music]
03:40 When the satellite feed is working, and the camera's not blurry, and I'm not bumbling my words,
03:47 and it's not minus 30, and the powder's good, and the riders are firing,
03:51 when things are just clicking, there's just kind of an effortlessness to it.
03:59 Three, two, one, dropping in, let's go!
04:03 The crazy thing happens, as soon as you drop in,
04:06 that nervousness is just switched to some sort of autopilot.
04:10 [music]
04:17 It's a really crazy feeling.
04:19 [music]
04:23 It's our skis that are taking us somewhere, not our heads.
04:27 It's as if we were no longer in total control of what we were doing.
04:32 [music]
04:47 [chatter]
04:54 [music]
05:12 [speaking in French]
05:32 [cheering]
05:35 [speaking in French]
05:45 [music]
06:06 There are the magical moments that forge everlasting memories.
06:10 But there are times when nothing goes according to plan.
06:15 [sound of a plane taking off]
06:19 [sound of a thunderstorm]
06:39 [sound of a boat on the water]
06:48 OK, good morning.
06:51 I just had a call from Claude Harain, who mined the Bec d'Eros,
06:56 and basically the whole mountain came down.
06:59 It is unrideable in safe conditions,
07:03 and we decided that the event is cancelled.
07:09 [cheering]
07:19 [cheering]
07:23 After 30 years, the Extreme Verbier is cancelled for the first time.
07:30 But not much changes, really.
07:33 The champagne flows, and the world champs claim their crowns,
07:38 while the Ops team digs holes in the snow.
07:41 [music]
07:45 So, to go back to our initial question,
07:48 what the f***?
07:51 Well, it's complicated.
07:54 [music]
08:00 [music]
08:28 [music]
08:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]