Kicking It With the Freeride World Tour in Golden
I spend the bulk of my nearly four-hour bus ride watching the distant winter sun slowly set on the Rocky Mountains. It’s just me, two passengers and the driver on the 10-seat shuttle from the Calgary International Airport to Golden, BC. We arrive in town at 9 p.m. on a Monday night. The bus pulls right up to the Prestige Inn, the first hotel off the highway, where I’ll be staying for the next four nights. An unattended pair of skis and boots in the lobby are the only hint that the Freeride World Tour (FWT) is in town.
I’m here to cover the international ski and snowboard event; in its ideal form, it’s a competition with six stops—Switzerland, Andorra, Canada, Georgia, Austria and, again, Switzerland. But this year, due to abnormally warm temperatures, the first two events were cancelled. And the stop in Golden isn’t guaranteed either. Other ski resorts across the province haven’t opened this year. The stop in Canada has a weather window from February 14 to 20 to take place; if conditions aren’t optimal, then the athletes won’t be competing.
Jeremy Bernard
Day One
I shuttle up to Kicking Horse Mountain to meet with the head of Tourism Golden, Andy Brown. A dozen other media and I on have been assembled by Brown for week of exploring the town of Golden. The proverbial green run of the trip? Checking out the hills where the FWT is set to take place.
At 8:50 a.m., I walk up to the base of the Golden Eagle Gondola and veer towards the rentals shop; despite having skis of my own (skis that, despite having owned them for nearly four years, have gone unused), I decided to travel light at Brown’s suggestion; Tourism Golden arranged for an easy ski rental for me. After collecting my skis, I meet with Brown and the team at Black Diamond Café right next door. I would spend a good deal of time in the café in the days ahead, kicking back and warming up after a couple of runs. The place has a dynamite milk tea!
After collecting press passes from Brown, we take the gondola. On the way up, he points out the original venue for this year’s FWT, the Ozone Run, to the right of the Gondola. Routine heli-bombing and hand-blasting—methods of avalanche control that use explosives to trigger small slides—had produced a series of large, partially-covered ice boulders at the bottom of the run—boulders that athletes would have the impossible task of dodging. Instead, the competition was moved to the T1 South Face, on the opposite side of the Gondola from Ozone.
At the top of the Gondola, the world opens up. The Rockies sprawl out in every direction. It’s breathtaking.
Our group splits into two: the more experienced skiers and the less. Intermittent skiing and a four-year break from the sport guaranteed me a spot in the latter group. Kicking Horse isn’t lacking for beginner spaces, but it’s still one of more technical terrains on the Powder Highway. Three crash-less runs later, I’m feeling good—although my quads are on fire. I deserve a break!
We eat lunch at Eagle’s Eye Restaurant; at 2,350 metres, it’s the province’s highest-altitude diner. The entire team assembles for a well-earned luncheon, sharing details of their runs, their mogul-conquering and their tumbles. I sip hot chocolate to warm my bones, then chow down on the Alberta Beef Burger. It absolutely hit the spot!
The rest of the afternoon is ours; we ski our separate ways. I manage two more runs before my legs give out. I shuttle back to the Prestige Inn and crash out.
In the evening, I walk through town, watching the slowly-setting sun lighting the Kicking Horse Mountain on fire. At Golden Cinemas,Tourism Golden has arranged two screenings: What the FWT, a Freeride documentary on the event’s origins in 1996—when it was called the Verbier Extreme—and on the work that goes into set up the races. The second show, Light in the Shadows, is a more intimate piece; the short documentary was directed by Norwegian freerider Hedvig Vessel (whose YouTube page you should absolutely subscribe to). It’s a love-letter to fellow freerider Matilda Rapaport, who was killed by an avalanche in Alaska in 2016. The documentary addresses Rapaport’s legacy—inspiring skiers and snowboarders to fearlessness tackle new challenges. The screening is followed by a Q&A with Hedvig herself.
Dominique Daher
After the two documentaries, I head next door to the Golden Civic Centre for the opening ceremonies and fresh lasagna. A member of the audience remarks that the night has all the nervous, exhilarating energy of a high school prom. The room is called to attention by none other than local lounge singer Ricky Diamonds. In turn, Golden’s acting mayor and FWT officials give impassioned opening speeches, followed by the athletes signing merch for the excited young FWT fans assembled in the Civic Centre.
The atmosphere in town is buzzing. We’re ready for the FWT to begin.
Dominique Daher
Day Two
The FWT is confirmed to take place tomorrow, February 15th To prepare, a mountain face check is scheduled for early morning. Brown gives me a lift to the mountain and acts as a guide to T1—the new race site. After a short ski and hike to the ridge above the finish area, where you can see the race space sprawling out beneath, he explains the idea of a face check to me.
Three forerunners—first-class ski and snowboarders that aren’t a part of this year’s FWT line-up—will race down the venue to test out the snow conditions on several different areas on the venue. After their runs, they’ll deliver a report on snow conditions to the athletes and judges at the bottom. While they wait for the snow report, the athletes carefully eye the hill to try to develop ideas for runs.
Dominique Daher
We ski down towards the Fan Zone that’s being assembled for tomorrow; it’s a bit of a trek to get there, involving a good deal of traversing to arrive at the site. Once there, I pop into the tech tent; it’s a multi-day set-up process, involving transporting a wide array of heavy equipment, teeing up a live feed from a mountaintop, and tracking the action with drones.
I ski back down the hill and catch the gondola back up for one more run in before returning to my now-usual haunt—the Black Diamond Café.
That night, Whitetooth Brewery hosts the freeride world tour athletes for a safety check. The next day’s timeline, along with injury and concussion protocols, are announced. The group breaks and heads out onto the patio for a Peak Performance activation event—drinks from the brewery and light sustenance courtesy of the Twilight Bite food truck owned by Freeride athlete Yu Sasaki. There’s a fire pit to help keep everyone warm during the waning daylight. The athletes are in good spirits; some drink, some eat. Some of them have a plan for the competition ahead, others say they’ll figure it out once they get to the start of the run. The FWT will kick off in 14 hours.
Dominique Daher
Day Three
Thursday morning, it’s off to the races! The conditions that FWT officials had been waiting for are here: a blue bird morning—the result of fresh powder, clear blue skies and a high-pressure weather system—will provide ideal skiing conditions.
I gather up my rented skis one last time, waddle my way to the shuttle in my ski boots and set off for the mountain to watch the Freeride World Tour up close. I’ll admit to having left earlier than needed—yesterday’s perilous traverse had made me nervous about securing a good viewing location for the event. I get to the top of the Golden Eagle lift, take a moment to take in the sprawling mountains before me and set off on the cat-track towards the event.
Dominique Daher
Twenty minutes of skiing, hiking and traversing later, I arrive in the competition bowl; around 100 people are sitting in the Fan Zone at the base of T1, while others remain on top of the ridge. The energy is jubilant. We have half an hour before the event started. Unfortunately, we also have about two hours before the sun reaches the bowl; at -20 C, I start to get a chill. Fortunately, two fire pits had been hauled up to the site, along with warm food and beer. All that helps tide me over ‘til the sun rises over the slopes opposite T1.
Then, the event itself. The riders are judged on 5 criteria—the difficulty and complexity of their line, their degree of control, application of technique, fluidity in execution, and air and style.
Jeremy Bernard
At 10:30 a.m., the event kicks off with women’s snowboarding. Riders will race down a 38-degree hill. At 235 metres, T1 is a shorter run than Ozone—but still comfortably enough to offer athletes the chance to show their skills. Canadian snowboarder and Freeride first-timer Erin Sauve flies down. France’s Gabriel Bletton lands the day’s first backflip. Hedvig Wessell kicked off her run with massive airtime. Every rider turns up the heat and proves themselves across T1’s severe face. If you missed the event, be sure to check it out on YouTube. You can view the FWT stop in Golden in its entirety here, or check out the highlights here.
Jeremy Bernard
I ski back down, shuttle to town and relax for a while—exhausted by the second-hand adrenaline.
That night, faced with the choice between an Official FWT dinner in the Whitetooth Grill at the base of Kicking Horse Mountain or a smaller local dinner with Brown and a few members of the press team, I choose the latter; it gives me one last chance to explore Golden beyond what the mountain has to offer. I wander past the town’s welcome sign, past the welcoming Bacchus Books and Cafe on the banks of the Kicking Horse River, the Golden Cinema, and a comic book store with a sweet Hulk vs Wolverine mural, until I get to the highly-recommended Eleven22. One Warm & Cozy—a dose of port, dark chocolate and steamed milk—and house Cannelloni later, I’m pleasantly full.
I catch a lift with Brown and another member of the press team to the Grill for the Official FWT afterparty, hosted by Pit Viper. I can feel the party in my feet before I see it; the music is blaring, the Freeriders are cheering, and the atmosphere is euphoric. A line of shots on a ski scoot past me. While I tap out of the party at 11 p.m., the festivities rage on ‘til well after midnight; any sense of trepidation from the pre-competition night is lost.
Jeremy Bernard
In the morning, I pack up my belongings. I thank Brown for hosting me in Golden for the last week, hop on the bus and get to know the mountains that border the Trans-Canada Highway for the first time during the daylight.
It’s a perfect day for a road trip. Another bluebird morning in Golden.
Disclaimer: The Writer was hosted by Tourism Golden.
