Claudia Avon top Canadian at Kicking Horse FWT

Claudia Avon was the top Canadian finisher at Golden BC’s Freeride World Tour competition. The champagne powder capital of Canada delivered incredible conditions for riders looking to get rowdy! A stacked roster of athletes headed up to the Ozone competition face in Kicking Horse, ready to drop into the best snow conditions that the Purcell range had to offer.

Claudia was a local wildcard from Pemberton, BC who proved to be amongst the world’s best by securing a second place on the podium in her first FWT competition. She shared the podium along with snowboard legends Marion Haerty (FRA–First Place) and Erika Vikander (USA–Third Place). See the replay here.

The other Canadian athletes who participated and their replays:

CANADIAN ATHLETES RUNS:
Claudia Avon finished 2nd, wildcard
Craig McMorris finished 7th, wildcard
Michelle Locke finished 4th, overall ranking 5
Tom Peiffer finished 7th, overall ranking 10
Logan Pehota did not finish, wildcard

LINK TO WINNING RUNS:
Marion Haerty Winning run
Jonathan Penfield Winning run
Jessica Hotter Winning run
Kristofer Turdell Winning run

SNOWBOARD WOMEN
Snowboard Women opened the day under crisp, blue Canadian skies. Marion Haerty (FRA-1st place) owned the day for the category with a big initial air off a cornice and a sizable mid-venue air. Local wildcard Claudia Avon (CAN-2nd place) made her country proud with a powerful line that ended in a technical section. Erika Vikander (USA – 3rd Place) took home the third position on the podium.

“It went really well! I did what I had in mind. I had a good time. The snow was super good and opening the whole competition as first in my category was so good. I really had a lot of fun!” – Marion Haerty (FRA-1st place)

SKI WOMEN
The level of riding in the Ski Women category was a testament to the progression of the sport, featuring one of the best shows to date. Jessica Hotter (NZL-1st place) brought heat with a fluid style of riding devoid of hesitation through huge, clean airs. Arianna Tricomi (ITA-2nd place) earned back her yellow leader jersey with a big 360 into several stomped airs. A fast and thrilling Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI-3rd place) edged onto the podium with impressive riding skills.

“I think my run went really well. It was unbelievably fun! The snow was amazing and I’m just really, really stoked how I managed to stomp the bottom here! I did exactly what I was planning. I’m really happy I didn’t get lost ‘cause I had to deal with that in the past. It was super nice. Everybody smashed it today. Everybody has been riding so well. It was amazing!” – Jessica Hotter (NZL -1st place)

SNOWBOARD MEN
Jonathan Penfield (USA-1st place) rode the mountain the way it was intended with a huge 360 into transfer gaps with big grabs. Hot on his heels was Sammy Luebke (USA-2nd place), with his typical clean riding and an authoritative and stomped 360. Victor De Le Rue (FRA-3rd place) kept fans engaged with redline speed, a 360, and a big cliff.

“It was great. I managed to avoid all the rocks. All my airs were nice and lofty and I felt like I had plenty of time between features to plan things out. It felt great. I’ve ridden here for events years before and feel it’s like a home turf. It got a bit different snowpack. It’s amazing to be winning at home with friends around for the comp!” – Jonathan Penfield (USA – 1st place)

SKI MEN
The Ski Men category had some difficulty holding its full-throttle rowdiness together for this event, which featured more technical errors than usual. Kirstofer Turdell (SWE-1st place) gave judges everything they wanted to see with incredibly fluid riding into a massive backflip followed by a big and technical air at the bottom of the venue. Carl Regnér Eriksson (SWE – 2nd place) brought his own style to the Ozone venue and beat out Andrew Pollard (USA-3rd place), who seized the yellow leader jersey with a line that opened with a huge drop in a technical entry, followed by a 360 and creative air choices.

‘”It was probably one of the fastest runs I’ve ever done. Maybe not in terms of speed, but I’m still having a hard time figuring out what I actually did because in my head it went so fast!”- Kirstofer Turdell (SWE-1st place)

It was a memorable competition where the riders’ mounting appetite for victory during the 2020 competition season was evident. The next stop of the FWT 2020 will be heading to Europe in Ordino Arcalís, Andorra from February 28 to March 4, 2020.

Stay tuned to www.freerideworldtour.com and FWT social media channels for the latest event and rider news.

Claudia Avon was born in Montreal and now calls Pemberton BC home. Growing up, Claudia was heavily involved in ski racing, where she competed at a high level. After moving to BC, she began to pursue snowboarding. Not long after, she was competing – and winning – snowboarding competitions. Nowadays, Claudia focuses most of her attention to exploring the backcountry and filming.