Seventy skiers and snowboarders lit up the Alta Chutes at The Remarkables for the North Face Frontier 4-star event on Saturday.
Athletes took to the steep, exposed terrain in pursuit of podium places as well as crucial points in a bid to advance to the elite Freeride World Tour roster.
Freeride competition is about making creative use of nature’s playground, but with snow coverage on the lean side, the challenge at The Remarkables was to find the right balance between risk and reward in the somewhat rocky terrain.
After crashing in last year’s Frontier competition, New Zealander Luke McConnell had been putting some hard work into his skiing and came into his run looking for redemption.
"Last year, I came here and my head was just not in the game," McConnell said.
"This year, I’m so into it, I’ve been doing lots of gym training, lots of skiing, and I was fired up, ready to go."
The judges shared the Kiwi’s enthusiasm, awarding him first place for his unique line and fast, well-controlled skiing.
Starting with a 360 at the top of the course, McConnell headed skier’s left to hit a double drop before making his way to the Pipeline chute, risking a big air with a massive amount of exposure below it, before stomping another double to finish his run.
Australian Coen Bennie Faull was also quick on his feet and showed exceptional ski technique, finishing a close second, just over a point behind McConnell.
Ben Leifer (USA) landed the biggest move of the day with an enormous double in the middle of the couloir and finished third.
Brit Harriet Lucas opened the women’s ski category and immediately set the bar, earning a score of 88.67 and never relinquishing the hot seat.
The only woman to hit the Pipeline chute and landing a big air out of the bottom, Lucas stood out with her solid technique and speed through the course.
New Zealand skier Jessie Violet, winner of the 2024 and 2023 Frontier 4-star events, was second, and fellow Kiwi Jess Hotter third.
Japanese star Hana Kinoshita was a clear winner in the women’s snowboard category thanks to her strong technique and control.
Keeping the run fluid as she linked turns down the face, Kinoshita also scored highly for air and style.
Defending champion Jaimie Figueira (Canada) also showed good speed and control in her run to finish second, followed by Sweden’s Johanna Lindqvist.
Australian athlete Vaughan Hardwick was the standout rider in men’s snowboard, scoring 97.33 points and the win.
After crashing in last year’s edition of the Frontier, Hardwick was keen to stay on his feet this time around but was also determined to hit the Pipeline feature, knowing that would be the place to go for points.
Coming fast out of the gate and through the rock section up the top of the course, he landed a huge double, managing to hold his heel edge coming out of the chute before finishing with a 360 at the bottom of the course.
New Zealand boarder Mitchell Davern was second, as he was last year, and Japan’s Temma Tamai third.
— Allied Media
