Photo: David Carlier via Freeride World Tour
Jagged peaks, steep couloirs, smooth cliff bands, and soft fluffy snow could make any mountain rider salivate with joy and excitement. It is as if an earthly artist has painted a masterpiece and is now allowing the rider to flow down slope creating their own depiction of what abstraction and pointillism looks like. If you were to define it in its finest terms it would be referred to as freeriding, with the freedom of creativity the rider takes the form of an artist.
With the Freeride Junior World Championship recently taking place in Andorra, we see the future of skiing and snowboarding emerge as the artists. Truckee, California native Dylan Zellers (16) took first place with the men’s snowboard and La Clusaz, France skier Arthur Raskin (16) nabbed the first place spot for the men’s skiing.
Women’s snowboard first place went to Jazmine Erta (16) of Italy and the women’s ski first place was granted to Jacqueline Pollard (17) of Alta, Utah.
In the context of these tremendous achievements, it is important to remember these are teenagers. And while these young men and women are still perfecting their form, we are getting only a glimpse of how the sport is constantly advancing and will continue to do so.
For more on the Freeride Junior Tour and keep up with the young up-and-comers, be sure to check out the website.
