For the first time (at least as far as we know), the ladies were allowed to kick off a Freeride World Tour event in Kirkwood last night and last year’s tour winner Margot Rozies made the best of it with one super solid and fluent run!
“I felt a bit sick today actually, but think that removed some of the pressure,” she said afterwards. “I woke up this morning and considered not competing at all. However, I managed to get myself pumped for competition. And it couldn’t have gone any better.”
Continuing on the women’s snowboard podium in second place was another French snowboarder from Annecy, France, Elodie Mouthon. Mouthon linked two airs at the top of her run and chose a creative line at the bottom of The Cirque. She narrowly missed the top spot on the podium taking second place with a score of 63.67. Shannan Yates, the American rider out of Snowbird, Utah, chose a unique line compared to the rest of the competitors, which landed her the third place podium spot with a score of 61.33.
Next for the day were the female skiers. Topping the field for women’s ski competitors was Squaw Valley, California local, and a crowd favorite, Jackie Paaso. Paaso needed to earn a podium position to improve her overall ranking on the tour and potentially progress to Verbier. She skied a very smart and controlled run linking a number of airs through technical sections of the venue. Her performance was awarded with a score of 71.67.
“I have had a number of crashes this season and really needed a win. It feels great to come out on top,” exclaimed Paaso. “I took my run down a notch this time because I needed to stay on my feet. Making it to the finish line was the best part for me.”
Rounding out the women’s podium in second place was Pia Nic Gundersen of Ånstadblåheia, Norway with a score of 67.00. Gundersen carved technical, polished turns through a tight tree section and managed to stay on her feet through a series of airs. Finishing out the top female skiers of the day was Ashley Maxfield of Jay Peak, Vermont who hit a nice air off the top ridge and continued to lace a number of features together landing a score of 63.00 for the third place.
