After expanding its focus last year to embrace new school freeskiing, the FIS Freestyle is now hosting select World Cup halfpipe, skier cross and big air events this season.
The first World Cup freeskiing events, a skier cross and a halfpipe, are taking place this weekend at Saas-Fee, Switzerland.
Six skiers will be representing Canada in the competition, including a pair of Whistler skiers.
In the skier cross, reigning X-Games and Crossmax champion Aleisha Cline is the top racer to beat, with more gold medals and big cheques to her credit than any other woman in the discipline. Cline lives in Squamish, and trains in Whistler.
She will be joined by Anik Demers of Lac Beauport, Quebec, who was fifth in the X-Games last season and second in the Saab Salomon Crossmax championship in Whistler last April.
Whistler’s Davey Barr will represent the men, after consistently finishing on the podium at major events last season and winning a number of races.
In the halfpipe, Canada will be represented by Chris Biollo, Jon Kozody and Corey Vanular.
While the athletes will represent Canada, they do not yet fall under the umbrella of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team’s high performance program, although that will likely change as the number of World Cup freeride events continues to grow.
