Squaw athletes do well at Freeride World Tour

Current women’s snowboard tour leader Margot Rozies from Pyrénées, France, managed her first top podium finish of the season Wednesday at the SWATCH Freeride World Tour on The Cirque at Kirkwood Mountain Resort.

Rozies had a fast and fluid run. The judges awarded her with a score of 64.00.

Kirkwood provides a challenging course for snowboarding and skiing competitors Feb. 27. Photo/Provided

“I felt a bit sick today actually, but think that removed some of the pressure,” said Rozies. “I woke up this morning and considered not competing actually. However, I managed to get myself pumped for competition. It couldn’t have gone any better.”

Continuing on the women’s snowboard podium in second place was another French snowboarder from Annecy, Elodie Mouthon. She narrowly missed the top spot on the podium taking second place with a score of 63.67. Shannan Yates from Snowbird, Utah, chose a unique line compared to the rest of the competitors, which landed her the third with a score of 61.33.

Next were the female skiers. Topping the field for women’s ski competitors was Squaw Valley’s 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 was Pia Nic Gundersen of Ånstadblåheia, Norway, in second with a score of 67.00. Ashley Maxfield of Jay Peak, Vt., was third with a 63.00.

At the end of the day, it was Lars Chickering-Ayers out of Mad River Glen, Vt., who claimed the Kirkwood men’s title. He was rewarded a winning score of 75.33.

Julien Lopez of La Plagne, France, took second with a 73.00. Representing the Southern Alps of New Zealand, Charlie Lyons landed the third podium position with a 72.00.

The male snowboarders faced the most difficult conditions of the day as the afternoon brought low light conditions and firmer, settled snow to the venue. Wild card recipient Ryland Bell out of Squaw Valley was happy he accepted the special invitation to compete at the event. Bell earned first place with a score of 87.67.

Also out of Squaw, Sammy Luebke finished in second place with an 80.00. The final podium spot went to Emilien Badoux of Valais Alpes, Switzerland, with a score of 73.67.

The SWATCH Freeride World Tour by The North Face continues in Fieberbrunn Pillerseetal, Austria, on March 9, and concludes in Verbier, Switzerland, on March 23.

— Provided to LTN