FWT Nostalgia - Xtreme Verbier 2004
Back to the roots. Welcome to the FWT Nostalgia series! In this series, we will take you on a journey through the archive highlights of past Freeride World Tour (FWT) competitions. Get ready to relive the excitement, adrenaline, and jaw-dropping moments that made these competitions legendary.
In the first episode of FWT Nostalgia, we will dive into the Xtreme Verbier 2004 competition. Join us as we revisit the epic runs, fearless athletes, and unforgettable memories from this groundbreaking event.
Stay tuned for a thrilling trip down memory lane in the world of freeride skiing and snowboarding. #HomeofFreeride #FWTNostalgia #FWT
For more Freeride World Tour videos, visit https://www.freerideworldtour.com
Follow the FWT:
https://www.instagram.com/freerideworldtour/
https://twitter.com/FreerideWTour
https://www.facebook.com/FreerideWorldTour
https://www.tiktok.com/@freeridewtour
In the first episode of FWT Nostalgia, we will dive into the Xtreme Verbier 2004 competition. Join us as we revisit the epic runs, fearless athletes, and unforgettable memories from this groundbreaking event.
Stay tuned for a thrilling trip down memory lane in the world of freeride skiing and snowboarding. #HomeofFreeride #FWTNostalgia #FWT
For more Freeride World Tour videos, visit https://www.freerideworldtour.com
Follow the FWT:
https://www.instagram.com/freerideworldtour/
https://twitter.com/FreerideWTour
https://www.facebook.com/FreerideWorldTour
https://www.tiktok.com/@freeridewtour
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:23 There's not too many things in life where you can put
00:27 yourself in a position where you have to concentrate on one
00:30 thing and one thing only.
00:32 It's a wonderful part of being alive to be able to
00:35 experience something like that.
00:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:18 Well, I think that the Verbier Extreme is the best
01:19 event of its kind in the world.
01:21 There's several other events out there, but nothing with
01:24 the scope of the mountain.
01:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:30 The Verbier Extreme is a great event.
01:32 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:42 The contest is very extreme if you compare it to other
01:46 free ride contests.
01:47 On some parts of the mountain, you don't want to fall,
01:50 because if the snow's not perfect, you will roll down
01:55 300 to 400 meters over cliffs, and you can kill yourself.
01:59 Three years ago was the first time I went to Verbier.
02:02 2002, I take part again.
02:05 I had big time fun.
02:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:13 Everybody's a winner the time you have fun and enjoy what
02:16 you do in the life.
02:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:21 Ah, here we are.
02:24 Still sunshine.
02:26 Already people laughing.
02:28 Sunlight, good vibes.
02:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:32 So first of all, yesterday we hiked up and walked down in
02:37 the face, and the snow is quite good.
02:42 The riders have different backgrounds.
02:44 Some of them are pure free riders, not competing in any
02:48 other contests.
02:50 That's Steve Klassen, for example.
02:54 I think everybody's always stoked when
02:55 they see each other.
02:57 It's like a big reunion now, because a lot of us have been
02:59 doing this event for so many years.
03:02 This may be the only place we see each other, or maybe we
03:05 see each other a couple times throughout the year.
03:07 But we're all good friends.
03:09 We hang out together.
03:10 It's a good time.
03:12 Steve Klassen was already a legend in '95 when we had to
03:18 choose and invite the first 16 male
03:21 riders for the first event.
03:24 And we met him.
03:26 He won the event, and then won three other events.
03:31 [APPLAUSE]
03:40 He's a very unique person.
03:43 He is the most talented rider I've ever met.
03:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:02 I like coming back to Verbier every year.
04:05 It feels great.
04:07 It's like my home away from home.
04:10 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
04:12 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
04:13 Flo's recovery is pretty impressive, because I spoke
04:27 to him last year, 12 months ago, on the phone.
04:29 He was still in hospital after falling and free climbing.
04:34 And at that time, he was not only crying, but not sure he
04:38 could walk again properly.
04:39 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
04:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:00 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:01 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:02 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:03 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:05 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:06 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:07 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:08 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:10 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:11 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:13 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:14 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:16 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:17 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:04 Free skiing has made huge progress these last five years
06:07 with the gear.
06:09 Actually, the ski shapes have been very much influenced by
06:13 snowboarding.
06:14 So it's sort of natural this year to do ski.
06:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:41 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
06:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:02 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
07:03 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
07:19 Well, first time I saw the Bec d'Horace, it was a pretty
07:22 scary mountain.
07:23 But I was excited to do it, for sure.
07:27 It's a nice pyramid with so many different possibilities,
07:31 so many different lines.
07:33 Like when you look at it as a rider, the first time maybe
07:36 you're a bit intimidated by it.
07:38 And it definitely demands your respect.
07:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:44 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
07:45 So just under us here, we've got the steepest part of the
07:51 face.
07:52 It's 56 degrees, which is 120% or something.
07:59 So really, when the riders are in there, they have the wall
08:04 just here.
08:05 They can touch it.
08:06 And when you ski down such steeps, you need to be really
08:12 aware of what you're doing.
08:13 You need to be aware of sharks, which can be hidden
08:17 under this upper layer of powder snow.
08:21 And there's no room for mistake there.
08:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:32 The word "extreme" is kind of overused in certain ways.
08:35 But it's interesting, because the word came from what we do
08:38 in the first place, whether it's extreme skiing or
08:41 extreme snowboarding.
08:42 So I'm comfortable saying "extreme snowboarding." And to
08:48 say, how extreme is this?
08:49 This is about as extreme as it gets.
08:51 Because you're doing a contest where, if you fall in certain
08:56 spots, you could die.
08:58 So that would be considered to be extreme by most people's
09:02 standard, I think.
09:03 You're not hooked on by a rope or anything like that.
09:06 We just have a board on our feet and one
09:08 edge to hold on with.
09:10 And it's a heavy thing, for sure.
09:15 I think that's one of the things that makes it so
09:18 intriguing to me, is that it is such a heavy thing that if
09:22 you can go up there and you can do this contest, you can do
09:26 pretty much everything else in life.
09:28 Like, what else is really going to be hard
09:30 compared to this?
09:32 I don't know.
09:33 They master some runs like this, not only during the
09:42 event, but during the whole year.
09:46 And when you speak to them, you see that they are
09:50 preparing their line, that they want to reach the best
09:55 possible level.
09:56 And it's part of the sport, and part of some other extreme
10:00 sports, too, where the risk of death exists and is part of
10:05 the game.
10:07 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
10:08 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
10:09 Well, that's just it.
10:32 Fear plays a big role in it.
10:34 And you have to figure out where your line is, where fear
10:38 stops, and where comfortableness is.
10:42 And if you can push that edge, then you know your skill
10:47 level's going up, and you've got a good chance of having a
10:50 really good run and a really good line.
10:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:06 We select the riders along their free riding level, but
11:10 also along their spirit and psychological
11:14 approach of the event.
11:16 We want them to stay cool, even if it's an event.
11:19 That's the first measure of security.
11:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:37 And then we wait for the conditions to be good enough,
11:40 meaning the snow has to be good, visibility
11:42 has to be perfect.
11:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:58 The face is looking really nice.
11:59 It's going to be awesome.
12:01 Fresh snow, nice for the rider, nice for the
12:03 media, for the image.
12:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:08 During the whole winter, we monitor the face.
12:10 We cut the snow to see how the layers are stable.
12:15 On the one hand, the layers of the snow have to be stable so
12:18 that the avalanche danger is close to zero.
12:21 And on the other, the surface has to be soft enough for the
12:24 riders to be able to ride in a good way and secure way.
12:29 Brilliant.
12:31 Brilliant.
12:32 It's a bit hard just here, which is normal because it's
12:34 been windy from the back.
12:36 But when you look at it there, you see that it's powder.
12:40 It's going to fly tomorrow.
12:42 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:00 When the day of the competition comes, it's a
13:03 mind trip.
13:05 I think for any rider that's involved in this contest,
13:08 there's such a level of concentration and one-pointed
13:13 focus that it's a beautiful thing.
13:18 It's like a climax with different elements coming
13:22 together, helicopters, riders going up, TV production
13:26 getting into place.
13:27 [HELICOPTER WHIRRING]
13:39 All the riders are hiking up here, skiers, snowboarders.
13:41 I think it's great that we all have to hike.
13:43 It gives you an hour to think about your run, to get warm,
13:46 to get mentally ready for your run.
13:48 And that's the way it is when you go free riding.
13:50 You've got to hike your face.
13:51 So that's a true free riding spirit.
13:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]
14:08 When I'm doing the hike, I'm thinking about my line.
14:12 And I'm also thinking about conserving my energy.
14:15 Like, I don't want to hike up that mountain fast.
14:18 I want to hike up slow.
14:20 If I start breathing hard, I'll stop.
14:22 I just want to be able to conserve every bit of energy
14:25 for when I need it, which is mainly
14:26 when I'm landing in air.
14:28 [HELICOPTER WHIRRING]
14:41 The most important thing is I have to make myself happy and
14:46 have a good ride.
14:47 And then for the rest, the ranking, that's
14:49 more a judging story.
14:51 Well, this year, we changed a little bit.
14:53 We used to have criteria.
14:55 And this year, all the riders go down.
14:57 Judges write what they see.
14:59 They're just going to write in small boxes, comments, jump
15:02 start, good line, good speed, no control, whatever.
15:06 And they give themselves notes.
15:07 And at the end, they give five names--
15:08 for guys, three names for girls.
15:11 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
15:12 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
15:13 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
15:40 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
15:41, we're all the same.
15:42 We're all the same riders.
15:43 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
15:44 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
15:46 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
16:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
16:39 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
16:40 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
16:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]
16:54 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
17:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
17:41 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
17:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
18:11 In terms of level of riding, I think
18:14 there's been big progress and nice and interesting window
18:20 of different skills, some going for the steeps,
18:23 some going for big turns, some going for high jumps
18:27 with freestyle moves.
18:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]
18:34 [SINGING IN FRENCH]
18:44 I was hurt in the beginning of the winter.
18:46 And then I didn't have so, so much time to ride.
18:50 So I will see.
18:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]
18:57 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
18:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:26 Yeah, I had a bad place to tumble.
19:30 But I won't quit back on my feet.
19:32 So maybe it's the shining star protection.
19:36 I don't know.
19:38 Yeah.
19:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:46 For sure, I get nervous at the top.
19:48 But I try to channel that into the feeling of love.
19:53 If I'm feeling fear, then it means
19:55 there's something in my mind about my run
19:57 that I want to change.
19:59 And so I'll change it so that when I leave the starting gate,
20:02 I can have the feeling of love.
20:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:09 I noticed that some riders go up there
20:11 and they know exactly what they want to do.
20:13 But my approach to it is that I have a general area of where
20:18 I'm going to.
20:18 And I have several different options in there.
20:21 And so if I get to the point where I might have to stop,
20:27 usually that won't happen.
20:28 Because I'll have a backup way to get out of it
20:30 without stopping.
20:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
22:01 Well, if you know you've had a good run
22:03 and you arrive at the finish gate,
22:05 then you're really stoked.
22:08 And it's one of the greatest feelings ever.
22:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
22:19 I guess the skiers will take different lines.
22:22 They'll discover new parts of the face.
22:24 [MUSIC PLAYING]
22:32 It worked out well.
22:33 And I feel very honored to be the first skier down.
22:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
22:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]
22:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:43 The skiers open up new lines that us snowboarders will
23:47 probably look at and maybe think there's new places to go.
23:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
24:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
24:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
24:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]
24:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
24:56 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
25:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:14 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
25:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:35 I feel so fortunate to just be alive,
25:39 not just to be here in front of a camera
25:42 or to be riding down the mountain,
25:44 but to just be able to experience life.
25:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:57 It's like there's a lot of people that have different
25:59 religions around the world and spirituality.
26:01 And you take like the American Indians,
26:04 where it was the wind and the earth and the snow.
26:10 And the more you do this and the more it becomes your life,
26:15 that starts being who you are.
26:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]
26:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]
26:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
26:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]