Freeride World Tour Announces Wildcard Athletes For '24 Season
The Freeride World Tour has announced its wildcard athletes for the 2024 competitive season.
The competition series relies on wildcards to include athletes who didn't qualify for the Tour through traditional channels but have the chops to throw down.
Here's the list.
Men's Wildcard Athletes:
Wildcard -- Abel Moga
Wildcard -- Thibault Magnin
Injury Wildcard -- Dillon Flinders
Injury Wildcard -- Kristofer Turdell
Women's Wildcard Athletes:
Wildcard -- Hedvig Wessel
Wildcard -- Zuzanna Witych
Injury Wildcard -- Lily Bradley
Injury Wildcard -- Manon Loschi
If I had all the time in the world, I could ramble on about how the inclusion of every athlete here is a massive win for the Tour -- seriously, they all rip.
However, in the spirit of brevity, I'm going to highlight the two I'm most excited to watch.
First, on the women's end -- Manon Loschi. After making her way through the qualifying circuit, Loschi was supposed to be on the Tour last season but was sidelined due to an injury.
Loschi, like many of the young guns already shaking up the Tour, effectively blends big mountain technique with freestyle flair. The result -- pitch-perfect turns linking styled-out 360s and backflips -- is endlessly entertaining to watch.
Here's a heavy double backflip from Loschi.
My selection for the men's wildcard field solidifies my freestyle bias -- what can I say? I'm stoked to see athletes throw more tricks. Thibault Magnin, unlike Loschi, doesn't have a freeride/big mountain background. Instead, he cut his teeth as a park skier before giving freeride competitions a try this past summer in New Zealand.
Long story short, his pivot went exceedingly well, establishing him as a strong contender on the Tour this season.
The level of competition on the Tour is increasing exponentially in both the men's and women's fields, and I don't expect the upcoming season to buck this trend. If anything, it'll accelerate the raising of the bar. Stay tuned as we approach the season's first event.
Related: The Freeride World Tour Announces New Venue Location
Don't miss another headline from POWDER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing.
We're always looking for amusing, interesting, and engaging ski-related videos to feature on our channels. Whether you're a professional skier or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on POWDER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality ski videos.
