Added to the mix is fresh talent from the Freeride World Qualifier. Of the more than 1,300 riders registered under the FWQ global ranking system, only eight ski men, six ski women, six snowboard men, and two snowboard women were rewarded a spot on FWT 2014. In addition, a handful of wild cards ensure the best local riders, such as Kirkwood resident Josh Daiek (USA) and Austria’s Eva Walkner, who was injured in FWT 13, have their chance to shine when the FWT comes to town.

FWT 2014 visits the same six resorts as last year, though on an updated schedule. Based on the consistent, reliable snowfall in Revelstoke, the tour begins on December 18, 2013, the earliest date ever. Three events in Europe – Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Italy; Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France; and Fieberbrunn Kitzbüheler Alpen, Austria – follow quickly thereafter. This means that four of the season’s six events will be completed by early February 2014, allowing for a three-week break during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The tour roars back to life on March 1, 2014, in Kirkwood, USA, before returning once again to the hallowed slopes of Verbier, Switzerland, for the world finals at the Swatch Verbier Xtreme 2014 by The North Face®.