Bib Draw for the Verbier Extreme

The days continue into the nights at the Verbier Extreme. I spent the day trying to find a line that: had good snow, challenging enough to be a winning line, and safe enough that if things went severely wrong I would ski another day. And then it was time to join the Verbier Show. The streets of Verbier have been closed off and the circus has been set up.

Thousands of people have come to watch the Verbier Extreme. The evening kicked off with two hours of autographs. It was amazing to see how many people wanted an autograph. I was also stoked to see how many people had been to Jackson. The support of the fans was awesome.

The bib draw followed the autograph section. The stage was set up with a movie screen and fake snow. Each athlete was called up to choose their bib. I drew lucky #7. The evening finally came to end with an athlete dinner at the Pub Mount Fort.

One more day to the competition. I am headed up to look at the bec De Rosses again and find a winning line.

Contemplating the Bec De Rosses

The final competition of the Freeride World Tour, the Verbier Extreme. The season has gone by so fast and now it is the last chance to prove that you have what it takes to be on the Freeride World Tour and it will take place on the biggest venue in competition history.

All of the competitors spent the day contemplating the venue. The Bec de Rosses is an intimidating face. The top 2/3’s of the venue are a no fall zone. (a no fall zone: if you were to fall, you would seriously hurt) It is riddle with dead end chutes, sharky rocks, and rolls over to 50+ degrees. In good conditions, it is intimidating and difficult to ski. The winds have come from the north and have scoured much of the face. For the first time in the history of the Bec De Rosses, the competitors were allowed to hike to the top of the venue and take a look at the snow. We were not allowed to ski the venue, but it was an opportunity to see what the lines looked like from the top.

The snow conditions are inconsistent at best. As I hiked to the top, I found bullet proof ice, breakable crust, 3cm of powder, and sugar. It is hard to know where to ski. The women are starting on the shoulder of the Bec. The men will start from the top. I do not envy the men. The question of the day is, “Is it worth it?” There are lines that have won year after year, but can they be done in these conditions and are they worth attempting?

The competition has been postponed to Sunday due to high winds. So we have one more day to choose our destiny.