Day One of the Subaru Freeskiing and Swatch Freeride World Tour ended Friday with Kye Peterson of Whistler/Blackcomb and Ashley Maxfield of Alta, Utah, in the lead.
A freeskiing legend at the age of 21, Peterson topped the Men’s field by taking full advantage of the terrain that Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s North Bowl has to offer. He successfully skied off a big double-staged cliff up top, and then skied fast and aggressively through the open bowl. To gain maximum style and creativity points, he landed two huge 360’s at the bottom, impressing fans and judges alike.
Sitting in second place, with his playful, fluid, stylish skiing, is Subaru Freeskiing World Tour 2011 Champion and The North Face athlete, Drew Tabke, with a score of 39.17. Completing the top three Men’s finishers was Oakley White Allen of Snowbird, Utah, scoring 37.50. The top Revelstoke man was Ryan Kappler in ninth place with a score of 35.67. Sean Conchrane, also of Revelstoke, was in tenth with a score of 35.17.
Out of the 50 Men’s skiers, 25 men will advance to the heli-accessed Day 2 Finals on Mac Daddy, a remote location in the backcountry.
The stacked women’s field was very competitive, with only three points separating the top ten female competitors. Ashley Maxfield of Alta, Utah skied the most technical line of the day for the women, wowing the crowd and surprising even herself.
“I went bigger than I thought, but as soon as I landed on the second pillow I knew I had it,” said Maxfield who scored 33.50.
Two- tenths of a point behind her sits the third place finisher of the 2011 Canadian Freeskiing Championships and Revelstoke local, Nicole Derksen with a score of 33.30. Rounding out the Women’s Day 1 top three was the 2011 Freeskiing World Tour Overall Champion and The North Face athlete, Angel Collinson with a score of 32.90.
“The level of skiing today was even higher than anticipated,” remarked Event Director Bryan Barlow. “Conditions were perfect. Soft landings and good snow allowed competitors to ski lines that have rarely or never been skied before.”
The Final Day, Day 2, of the Swatch Freeskiing and Freeride World Tour is currently scheduled for Sunday, January 8.
You can watch the action, live, at www.freeskingworldtour.com at 10:30 am.
