Freeskiing
Watch new Freeride World Tour champion Kristofer Turdell's best runs
Read an exclusive interview with the champ and see Turdell's winning runs, both from his own GoPro perspective and that of the judges.
The quiet 26-year old Swede can’t believe it. Choking back tears, he says: “I’ve been dreaming of this – ever since I started riding on the Freeride World Tour!”
Yet, his move into freeride competition was rather accidental. Growing up within the polar circle training for alpine ski racing as a child – and looking forward to the end of each session to go freeriding – it took a ruse by his friends to bring him into freeride competition.
They secretly signed him up for the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships, where he scored an unexpected second place right behind well-known freeskier Henrik Windstedt.
In quick succession he received a wildcard for the FWT qualifiers, followed by winning the global overall FWT qualifier rankings, a fourth place on the Freeride World Tour in 2016 and an equal first place in Verbier 2017.
Turdell then secured the Mens Ski Freeride World Tour 2018 title in a high stakes comp in Fieberbrunn this past weekend and we managed to get an exclusive interview with the newly-crowned champ.
Watch Kristofer Turdell's winning run in Andorra from the judges' perspective
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Kristofer Turdell
Watch Kristofer Turdell's winning run in Andorra from the judges' perspective
How does it feel to be crowned world champion? A dream come true?
It’s a pretty amazing feeling I would say! Three years ago, when I had just skied my first ever Freeride word tour comp and ended up winning the event, I realised that going for the overall title could actually be a possibility. So since then it's definitely been a goal for me. To ski all around the world with so many crazy good skiers and end up on top of the rankings is a dream come true.
Can you tell us how you started out in the sport and ended up competing on the Freeride World Tour?
I’ve always been skiing and enjoying it, but after trying Freeride comps and ending up with good results, it motivated me to continue when others put the skis aside and went for more normal lives/careers. I felt that this is something I want to do, and it’s not linked to just competing, it’s the lifestyle. Being close to nature and the mountains, explore new places and hanging out with nice people. Competing on the Freeride World Tour is just that and it's helped me a lot to be able to live the life I live now.
See what the winning run looked like from Kristofer Turdell's GoPro
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Kristofer Turdell's winning run: Ski men
Kristofer Turdell wins Freeride World Tour 2018.
For those who don’t know, can you explain what you're judged on during a freeride run?
It’s based on an overall impression from the judges. They have different criteria like ski technique, flow, choice of line and something more that I forgot about [jumps and control]. It’s based on how you would approach skiing a mountain. First you arrive at the bottom inspecting the terrain and trying to figure out how you would like to ski down if you were on top. You’re not allowed to go into the face, so you have to turn everything around from down below and actually imagine what it will look when skiing down. Then you climb up on top and do your best to ski that line.
Your ascendancy in the sport has been very impressive, with fourth overall in 2016 followed by third last season and now the world title. Have your feet touched the ground yet?
I think I'm the kind of skier that knows my abilities pretty well and I'm able to ski close to my limit without going too big and crashing. I guess that could translate in to being a coward. I'm fine with that [laughs]. Anyway, being smart about your skiing is probably a good thing if you want to stay consistent in a sport like this.
Can you outline a typical training day back home in Sweden leading into a big event?
Before a event you want to have your skiing dialed in, so you'll be out shredding and making sure everything feels 100 percent. Then it’s the part of studying different lines on the competition face, the more you know the better. It always helps to have routines, so you don’t have to think too much about everything else happening around the event.
Is there a big difference between your skis and equipment compared to alpine skiers?
We definitely get to wear more comfortable clothes! A lot of the gear is the same, protection including helmet, goggles and bindings. Skis are the main difference. While most ski racers pretty much use the same kind of skis, due to regulations, in freeskiing you can use whatever you like the most. I use much wider skis that are able to ski well in all types of snow conditions, turn in tight chutes or stay safe at high speed. I also use a lighter boot with a ski-touring mode. Because of the reality of mountain safety, you always wear a backpack and avalanche gear, including transceiver, probe and shovel.
Check out Kristofer Turdell's run in Fieberbrunn from the judges' perspective
2 min
Kristofer Turdell
Kristofer Turdell's run in Fieberbrunn 2018 on the Freeride World Tour.
See how the same run in Fieberbrunn looked from Kristofer Turdell's perspective:
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POV Clip of Kristofer Turdell
POV video clip of Kristofer Turdell's FWT run in Fieberbrunn, Austria.
Your Instagram feed is full of amazing photos showing stunning locations. Do you ever get distracted by how beautiful the settings are on the Freeride World Tour?
All the time. 'Distracted' is maybe not the right word, more like you get so much energy from spending time out in the mountains everywhere from Alaska to Japan to Scandinavia.
Can you compare the adrenaline and buzz of dropping off a huge ridge to anything else in life?
It's like those moments you have when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that everything else just blurs away.
Will the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championship always hold a special place in your heart?
Yes, its close to where I grew up and I have a lot of friends around there, so it’s definitely special for me. A lot of the Swedish freeskiing scene are gathered up there every spring to battle it out in the comp and just have a good time celebrating the season finale.
With the title in the bag, can we expect anything new in the Verbier Grande Finale?
It’s for sure a good feeling to not have to think about rankings or points in Verbier. Actually, its already a big thing just to stand on top of Bec de Rosses. To ski down it in a competition with the pressure of knowing you need a good result is crazy. I've heard there's a lot of snow cover this year, so it would be super cool to be able to find some different lines.
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