And it’s our biggest line up yet…
It’s a slightly different year for the Freeride World Tour in 2021, with 4 of the 5 stops happening over the coming weeks in Fieberbrunn, Austria and Ordino Arcalís in Andorra. But as usual, the 5th and final stop will take place as usual in the SunGod hometown of Verbier. Expect the usual line up of the world’s best freeriders, all pumped to send it bigger than ever before as they battle to become Freeride World Champion. This year, the SunGod team is bigger than ever before! Get to know who they are and what they’re most stoked about as we get stuck in to the FWT 21…
Ari Tricomi – Ski Women
As reigning World Champion, Italian Arianna Tricomi is as comfortable standing on top of the podium as she is sending 360s off giant cliffs. Can she make it a 4th consecutive World Title this year?
Which venue are you most excited to ride this year? Definitely Verbier because we didn’t get to ski it last year. It’s always the face you really feel the nerves on, I’m pumped!
What do you love the most about being on the FWT? This year I am so excited to see everyone again after the hectic finish last year, and spending good times with good friends on the mountain.
What’s your goal for this years FWT? If I win again, that would be awesome but it’s not my aim, I just want to be part of the Tour and part of the family again, after the crazy year we’ve just had!
What’s your power song to get you pumped to ride? Always Black Sabbath, my power band!
What’s the best piece of freeriding advice you’ve ever received? Take the time to learn and never forget to have fun.
Carl Renvall – Ski Men
Back on the Tour for the second consecutive year and third time overall, Carl's cat-like ability to get air-bound and stay out of trouble saw him into the top 10 last year in a fiercely competitive section. This year, he’ll be chasing down the Kiwis for the podium spots.
Which venue are you most excited to ride this year? Easily the Bec des Rosses in Verbier. It's my hometown, and I get to ski for my home audience and friends. It's the mountain I get most excited by and I've not yet skied there yet whilst on the Tour.
What do you love the most about being on the FWT? Sharing it with my buddies. I remember watching the Tour with friends when I was 16 and now me and these same friends are on the Tour together, riding with the very people we looked up to. That's a crazy feeling.
What’s your goal for this years FWT? Get to the Verbier Extreme so I can ride my home mountain.
What’s your power song to get you pumped to ride? Lost In Music by Sister Sledge - who doesn't love 70s funk!?
What’s the best piece of freeriding advice you’ve ever received? Anything that's been given to me by an older freerider. We have an expression in French, "un bon freerider est un vieux freerider" or "a good freerider is an old freerider." Nothing is more valuable and important in the mountains than experience, and often only the older generation have that.
Michaela Davis Meehan – Snowboard Women
Back for her second year on the FWT, Michaela made a splash last year as only the second ever Australian snowboarder to qualify for the FWT. Ending up vice champion in 2020, this year she’s got her sights set on the top spot…
Which venue are you most excited to ride this year? I'm excited for all of them! The plan is to up my game at each venue and go bigger and better than I did last year!
What do you love the most about being on the FWT? The stoke and good vibes from everyone involved, and that feeling when you make it to the finish line after you've nailed your run. It's such a big build up for that one run, and no matter how nervous I was, or how my run went, when I get to the bottom I just want to go back up and do it all again.
What’s your goal for this years FWT? World Champ baby!!
What’s your power song to get you pumped to ride? Anything with a good beat.
What’s the best piece of freeriding advice you’ve ever received? Have Fun.
Michael Mawn – Snowboard Men
USA-based Michael Mawn dominated the podiums on last years FWQ circuit, earning him a spot on the FWT 21 as one of this year’s fresh faces. We’re stoked to see what he brings…
Which venue are you most excited to ride this year? There are a few lines at the Fieberbrunn venue that I can’t wait to get after! And of course, I’ve always dreamed of riding the Bec in Verbier…
What do you love the most about being on the FWT? I am excited to push myself to a new level of riding. I am also excited to meet a ton of great people and share the FWT experience with them. To me, its all about the people I am with!
What’s your goal for this years FWT? To inspire others to pursue freeride by showcasing my style of riding and creativity. While I’m competing against the rest of the men’s snowboarding division, I am really competing against myself. I want to ride to my full potential!
What’s your power song to get you pumped to ride? The Cold Wind by Greta Van Fleet. I play that song every time I drop in at a competition!
What’s the best piece of freeriding advice you’ve ever received? The greatest piece of advice I’ve received is to stay true to my style of riding and to ride the line that excites me the most. It can often be tempting to conform to the style of riding that gets judged the best, but staying true to the style of riding that excites you the most is much more rewarding!
We're stoked to see the SunGod FWT team grow each year and we cannot wait to see what's in store for the FWT 2021... Catch the action live, from the 20th of February. Keep an eye on the Freeride World Tour website for updates!
