Whistler freeskier takes second IFSA World Tour contest
The second stop on the International Free Skiers Association world tour took place on the north face of Mt. Baldy at Snowbird, Utah, over the weekend, and judging by the amount of vegetation that showed through the snow pack, the mountain was aptly named.
Warm weather and less than average snowfalls have taken their toll on the area, limiting where, and how big, the skiers could go at the U.S. Freeskiing Nationals Big Mountain Freeskiing Championship.
Still, no matter what the skiing is like, you can expect at least one Whistler skier on the podium. This time it was Johnny Law’s turn to stand on the top step, winning his first freeskiing event.
Facing heavy snow and poor visibility, Law had the top run of the day by dropping a couple of huge cliffs at the beginning without any hesitation, then straight-lining down the challenging face to the bottom. Not only did this clinch him the win, he also won the coveted "Sick Bird" belt which is presented to the skier with the most daring run.
Romain Maitre from La Roserie, France, continues to lead the tour after finishing second at Snowbird. He was followed by Rick Greener of Snowbird, Justin Glick of Colorado, and Whistler’s Robin Courcelles.
Guerlain Chicherit, one of the top contenders on the tour, was on his way to a strong finish when he crashed. As a result, he finished seventh.
In the women’s competition, Ingrid Backstrom from Squaw Valley blew away the field with an aggressive run that included some big air near the bottom. She finished 11 points ahead of the next competitor, Lynn Kennen from Alpine Meadows, California. Kelley Holland, another Snowbird local, finished third.
