 Over the last decade, the Freeride World Tour has established itself as the world's most prestigious big mountain skiing and snowboarding competition. The 2020 Tour started this January in Japan and travels over three continents with a total of five stops. After visiting Kicking Horse in Golden BC, Canada, the Tour then headed to Europe and Audino Arcalis in Andorra. Today the riders will be challenged in Fieberbrunn Austria and then the Grand Final invites the world's best to the Swiss Freeride Mecca of Verbier. This fourth stop of the 2020 Freeride World Tour takes the riders to Fieberbrunn in Austria. Fieberbrunn is located in the Austrian district of Tyrol in the middle of the Pilleci Valley near the famous town of Kitzbühel and right in the heart of the Kitzbühel Alps. Four and a half thousand citizens live in this famous resort which is popular with outdoor enthusiasts year round. In the days building up to the contest the weather was pretty bad. With low visibility, a selection of mobile phone pictures would have to be enough to inspect the face. We can't see the faces, you know, you've got to get real zoomed in on your phone. In order not to pick a line that's in the closed area which would get me disqualified I like scope very closely and see where I'm allowed to ride and where I'm not allowed to ride for safety reasons. So yeah it's super important to like have that photo close when you pick a line. There are two different starting points on the Wild Sea Lodder Mountain. The first on the left hand side of the summit has a height of 2,099 meters. The second start is at 2,110 meters. The finish is at 1,536. The face has an average pitch of 48 degrees with a vertical descent of 581 meters which means no shortage of options for the riders. The snowboard men's competition in Andorra was cancelled due to low visibility and bad weather but the men get another chance to collect points rerunning the comp from Ordino Arcalis here in Fibre Brundt today. In Canada it was Frenchman Victor De La Rue who took third place. He opened his run with a beautiful backside 360 into the main face which he then graced with a beautiful line before making his way down onto this smaller cliff at the bottom A mute grab followed by a second drop cemented his score. Second in kicking horse was Sammy Lubke. He opted for start number two and headed out onto the traverse to the riders left of the venue. After a couple of big turns he pulled out a big shifty and then shut down the speed and threaded the line through a tight shoe and found a lovely wind lip to boost a backside 360 indeed off. American veteran Jonathan Penfield opened his run with a half cab. He then headed into the middle of the face launching a backside 360. Following that he was able to ride smart and packed in far more features than everyone else. The judges rewarding him with first place in kicking horse Canada. So the rerun of Ordino Arcalis in Fibre Brundt kicked off with Blake Ham out of the United States a tidy backside 360 using that variable snow on the upper section of the face to get down into the meat of the run. Plenty of options here a front side 360 from Blake Ham just finding himself tripped up but the solid boost off that bottom cliff band made amends and Ham claimed third. Cody Bramwell came into this event with a fourth and a seventh under his belt from Japan and Canada but there are a lot of questions over how he would cope with this mountain. The Vilsiloda is a technical face and Cody is renowned as one of the most playful and freestyle orientated snowboarders in the field but the way he attacked some of the more technical areas of this face answered all of those questions instantly. A big backside 360 unfortunately the snow not quite as soft as he would have liked but on a day with so many mistakes he was able to make amends with a big technical drop in the middle of the face he then tracked out to the snowboarders left hand side where he found this big gap clipping the knuckle but surviving with a rooster tail there the judges and the crowd liked what they saw. Cody was rewarded with second place. Nils Minnick is one of the Renaissance men of snowboarding he can do it all. He is a switch wizard he's won the legendary Baker Bank Slalom one of the most prestigious races in snowboarding and he climbs El Cap in the summertime he opened his run here with a frontside 360 he backed it up very quickly with some solid turns in one of the most technical areas of the face that led into this backside 360 a tiny backseat landing but in comparison to both Ham and Bramwell it was very very strong and then a beautiful method sent cross-court into that perfect landing transition and Minnick first place. So another unfamiliar results list in the snowboard men's category Nils Minnick in first place followed by Cody Bramwell in second and Blake Ham in third. The results from that Andorra rerun means things are tighter than ever after three events Minnick actually leads the tour Victor Dilleroo and Sammy Lubke are very close behind. Next we look at the ski women's competition the last stop in Audino Arcalis in the Pyrenees was a weather adventure. We saw Elizabeth Gerritsen from Switzerland taking third place yet again she opened her run with a lovely drop she then built speed finding her way onto the biggest cliff band strong consistent seeing saw Gerritsen claim yet another podium. Next Jackie Passo from the United States opened with a very healthy drop off the first lip she then tore into some fast turns making a beeline for the biggest cliff band on the face and sent it deeper than Elizabeth Gerritsen meaning Passo would take second but in Andorra it was the Norwegian head big vessel who took the win. The Olympic mogul skier turn freerider opened her line with speed and blasted a huge backflip she nearly got bucked by an icy takeoff later in the run but she held on to take another win in 2020. Jackie Pollard out of Ulter in the United States is always one of the most positive forces in the start gate and it was her second time on the Vildsea loader face she was the rookie of the year in 2019 but sitting in sixth place in 2020 she needed a big run she started off well but the question was how technical would she get she lined up her second cliff a big technical feature that seemed some action from the snowboarders but it was to be this third feature that would be a case of what might have been she sent it into some deep snow but sat back slightly there and that would definitely catch the judge's eyes but she came into this incredibly tight section with confidence and speed and floated through it but was it a case of what might have been without that second landing. Then it was the turn of Jackie Passo also out of the United States she was threatening retirement at the end of 2019 but she will be so glad that she didn't the big mountain specialist skiing beautifully in 2020 and she is in with a real shot at the title she backed up that bid here in Feverbrunn with this beautiful line no hesitation at all getting into this section of the face she then skipped through with some really playful jumps on the bottom no shortage of features second place for Jackie Passo Arianna Trikomi is the double defending world champion but there is no question that if she is to win a third title it will be the most hard fought of her career so far she's under an immense amount of pressure from five other women who are all skiing to the best of their abilities Jacqueline Pollard, Elizabeth Gerrits and Jess Hotter, Jackie Passo, Hedwig Vessel all chasing the Italian down but being watched on by her mum Trikomi did not hesitate taking on the household cliff at the top and then making her way out to the left hand side onto this windlet where she threw her trademark 360 she then made her way out onto this very technical far from vertical cliff which she measured perfectly again she was able to shut things down and get a little more playful on the lower section of the face but then again she tracked out to the left hand side to find a very unique area where the snow had settled beautifully and she sent this huge drop to finish it was first place for Trikomi and again she has one hand on the title going into verbier I'm super mega happy with my run did a 360 again uh the first one after my crash I had a really really flat landing in my in my run um that hurt a lot in my ankle but yeah I won so I'm stop so confirmation of the results here in Austria Arianna Trikomi in first just ahead of Passo and Pollard but some big names falling out Vessel Gerritsen and Jess Hotter all missing out which means things are starting to consolidate in the overall standings Trikomi has a little bit of daylight ahead of Hedwig Vessel now Jackie Passo still chasing hard though let's have a look back at the women's snowboard competition in Andorra third place went to Marion Hayate of France she opened her run in one of the steepest sections of the face with a beautiful clean drop but the French woman didn't showcase her trademark aggressive riding that we're used to seeing it was clean and it was solid but it lacked excitement second was Spaniard Nuria Castan she got technical with two cliffs in the middle of the face then she worked her way out to the left hand side of the main face found a unique double and rode clean into the finish but it was the australian Michaela Davis Meehan who took first place in Audino Arcalis she showed her freestyle smarts at the top with a beautiful front side air then she carried her speed straight into a big rock and followed that up with some solid turns down into the finish after two third places to start the season Erica Vicander had to settle for fourth just off the podium in Audino Arcalis and she was looking to make amends here in Austria she used her trademark style to get stuck into some big turns and even flashed out a method at the bottom of the face follow that up with a little front side air transfer into some of the deepest snow with another set of beautiful turns it was a solid run for Erica the Viking Vicander and third place australian Michaela Davis Meehan is fast emerging as the most meaningful contender for Marian Hayate's crown and she got stuck straight into one of the most exposed areas of the Vild Sea Loader to prove her credentials her line score was maxed out after blasting through that steep section of the face she followed that up with a beautiful method of this drop but she made her way down into the lower apron of the face she made a slight mistake here just getting caught up on that landing and from there her body language said it all like Jacqueline Pollard in the women's ski category it was a case of what might have been for the australian fired up though Marian Hayate wanted to prove that she is worth every single point the judges have given her so far this season the french woman aggressively popping out the gate into exactly the same area as Michaela Davis Meehan but to prove her point she did not hesitate on the way and even airing in the most critical section of the face controlling her slough and her speed this was a masterclass in women's freeride snowboarding but if you thought the best was done think again Marian then said about the lower section of the face cheeky front side air a sign of what was to come she spied out this tight little line here and then threaded that through into some of the best snow at the bottom of the face lovely drop followed up by a couple of big turns and then just when you thought it was all over Hayate found that monster step down drop clipping the lip and then letting up some huge rooster tails yet another solid run and a win for Marian Hayate so confirmation of the result normal service resumes at the top of the table Marian Hayate with the win Davis Meehan in second Vicander in third let's take a look at the overall standings again Marian Hayate has that perfect stranglehold at the top of the standings now we're meeting the reigning ski men's world champion and last year's Fiberbrunn winner Marcus Eder my name is Marcus Eder come from South Tyrol Italy Marcus has decided to take a step back from competitive skiing for the 2020 season this year the Italian wants to focus more on his personal film projects Fiberbrunn is the only contest he's going to attend this winter I came back because I'm miscomputing last year I won the run which I won with was probably the best run of my life if you do the whole tour and you want to do well in the overall ranking you need to be dialed and on point with your runs and there is not too much space to try something out but this year for me that's exactly the possibility I have actually I was never the biggest fan of the Wiltselota it looks straightforward when you look at it the first time but there is a lot of options and a lot of possibilities in there which are different every year this phase definitely after last year got quite special to me next is the ski men's category the last competition in Andorra saw Christopher Turdell from Sweden impressing with a fast and stylish drop-in to the venue he then stomped a huge backflip he rode light and fast chucking another backflip this time landing ever so slightly backseat but it was followed instantly by a huge step down Turdell rewarded with third place second went to the American Isaac Freeland he opened with a switch misty five at the top of the face straight into a mute grab then he twisted the throttle and showed great control even got the trick du jour a daffy in there it was a packed run from start to finish and well deserved second but the winner in Audino Arkeles with Leo Slemmit it was his first event of the season after recovering from an ankle injury not that you would have known it a backflip a 360 and a big drop all with grace and speed the judges rewarding Leo with first place like his fellow rookie Isaac Freeland Hank Billis from New Zealand is one of those skiers who is turning the freeride world tour on its head this year he has that playful freestyle background but he's able to incorporate it into the biggest most technical areas of the face as he proved here in Fieberbrunn taking on a super fast steep line at the top of the face he blasted out of this shoe in front of his sloth only to cut hard skiers left to hit this little wind lip here with a 180 that set him up switch into this next drop little 180 and straight into that shifty and then once he got down into the deepest now it was time for this monster transfer Hank Billis claimed a second place in Hakuba and he was able to back that up with a third place here in Fieberbrunn a very very strong season so far for the New Zealander Isaac Freeland has proved his freestyle credentials on the tour this season but Fieberbrunn would be a completely different test now it was the turn of his big mountain skills he opened with the 360 which he redirected instantly off the household cliff at the top of the face he then controlled the speed perfectly on a well worn traverse managing yet another 360 on the wind lip he then hit the gas as if he hadn't already managing the speed off this cliff perfectly and then found his way down into this section of the face scooping up the transition of the canyon and then boosting out of the wind lip room for one feature where he found the landing transition Isaac Freeland built a score that would be tough to beat but the one man who could best it was the Kiwi Craig Murray such a spectacular debut in 2019 but he failed to recreate that form in 2020 until Fieberbrunn it was a phenomenal run that proved Murray is without question one of the best free riders on the planet holding on to tricks through some of the most exposed terrain and then refusing to back down he twisted the throttle from top to bottom absolutely sending every single feature he gave the judges absolutely no choice but to give him the biggest score of the day been amazing day here in Austria sunny fresh snow and yeah I got inspired by a couple good friends and really just made me want to go to and I'm just super stoked that it paid off today a spectacular run for the New Zealander Craig Murray takes the win just ahead of Isaac Freeland and fellow countryman Hank Billers again you see big names like Christopher Turdell and then Leo Slemmet and Marcus Eder further down the rankings let's take a look at what that means for the overall standings though Isaac Freeland has the golden bib in first just ahead of Christopher Turdell and Andrew Pollard the three Kiwis rounding out the top six so after the reruns of Andorra with men nick in first Bramwell in second ham in third the men now do their official fever Brun runs Sammy Ludkey is one of the most seasoned and decorated competitors in the men's snowboard category so by his very high standards he's been having a disappointing season but he was able to make amends here in Austria a beautiful start on the household cliff was followed up by a backside air on the left hand side of the face he then lined up this cliff perfectly as he made his way down to the bottom of the face though he sent one of the biggest airs of the day absolutely flying into this cliff band he didn't hesitate and sent that one right to the bottom beautiful line with a couple of beautiful turns third place for Sammy Ludkey Guy Ruff is undoubtedly one of the best Austrian snowboarders ever to strap in but he's also one of the world's best he's got freestyle smarts but he's also refined his big mountain ability so a method at the top of one of the steepest shoots which he then dealt with with ease plenty of slough on the exit out of this shoot he then opened up into some beautiful turns much to the delight of both the spectators and the judges his freestyle credentials were on show with that frontside 360 he then made his way down through perfect conditions difficult to imagine this was a competition when you're riding snow like that big slash on the toe side of that canyon and another frontside 360 which he popped into a double down at the bottom here and a backside 360 to finish it was the consummate run for gigi ruff and enough for second place on any normal day gigi score probably would have taken the win but nils minnick fresh off his win of the rerun for the ordino arc alice set about another incredible runner frontside 360 to open he then got into some big mountain turns and sent the household clip but it was what he did in the middle of the face that really defined this run this was groundbreaking stuff in the men's snowboard category having made his way over to the left hand side of the face he chucked this backside 180 and then rode the middle of the face switch this has never been done before and most people when they do it revert back to forwards not nils he waited patiently and landed that switch backside 180 straight into a frontside 360 to drive his point home this was as progressive as free ride world tour snowboarding runs get and it made sure that nils minnick would claim two wins in one day on the free ride world tour i got a bit nervous up there and i did not place that well in the other competitions so i'm very happy about the score so nils minnick takes first ahead of gigi ruff and sammy lubke in the feebra brun men's snowboarding what does that do to the overall categories minnick is now in the yellow bib ahead of victor dillaroon and sammy lubke the feebra brun competition in austria was a success with perfect weather and incredible powder conditions the riders impressed with some stunning riding on the face now the fourth stop of the tour is complete and everyone looking towards the grand finale on the legendary bec de ross face in verbio