Ian Borgeson and Sasha Dingle Win 4-Star Event, Borgeson and Francesca Pavillard-Cain Win Overall FWQ Region 2
Sasha Dingle stomps her bottom air for the win. Photo: Jack Weise
Freeride athletes from around North America rolled into Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, to ski at the final stop of the Subaru Freeride Series at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort. The 4-Star Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) event served as the last opportunity for athletes to gain valuable points to qualify onto next year’s elite Freeride World Tour (FWT). The athletes were treated to bluebird, spring-break powder conditions on Day 1 on Silver Fox and then blustery, snowy, flat-light conditions in the finals on North Baldy.
Patrick Baskins getting nasty on Silver Fox with his 2nd hand drag 3. Photo: Will Dujardin
Amidst some of the best skiing witnessed on Silver Fox, Ian Borgeson was able to take the lead after hitting Frenchies and sending the biggest air in the lower portion of the venue. He was followed closely by Conor Pelton who spun a 3 and hit a similar transfer gap as Ian. Garrett Altmann took 3rd place for the day after pioneering a line through the Rat’s Nest and throwing a huge “Screamin’ Semen” off a jump at the bottom (yes, that’s a real trick). One of the more notable runs of the day was Patrick Baskins’, he spun a right-side hand-drag 3 off Standard Air then a left-side hand-drag 3 into Rock Chute.
Women’s Podium: 1. Sasha Dingle 2. Francesca Pavillard-Cain 3. Hadley Hammer. Photo: Will Dujardin
The women’s field also took part in the complete annihilation of Silver Fox. Sasha Dingle lit up the Smokestack double, only the 2nd woman to successfully do it in competition at Snowbird, earning herself a 91 even. She had almost a 10-point lead on Hadley Hammer, who impressed everyone with her straightline through the bottom portion of the venue next to Rock Chute. Francesca Pavillard-Cain was close behind in 3rd with her habitual fluid skiing and stomping.
Going into the finals on North Baldy, Sasha’s lead was too much to make up as Francesca scored the highest female run of the day. Francesca hit a double in the Blond Rocks before greasing through Amphitheater with a high-speed exit. Sasha wrapped up the victory with a strong air in the skier’s left of the venue favored by many of the men’s field while Hadley Hammer punched a big air in the lower portion of the Amphitheater, but she ended up being bumped into 3rd place by 1/3 of a point by Francesca.
Ian Borgeson sending his way to Sickbird, the victory, and the FWT. Photo: Will Dujardin
Aside from the top 2 spots, the men’s field was shaken up by North Baldy. Finding himself in 6th place after a huge backflip on Silver Fox, Switzerland’s Gregory Tuscher threw a backflip through the Fields of Glory tree island and a huge 3 off of Blond Rocks. He slightly over-rotated and washed out on his landing, but the trickery was good enough to move him up to 3rd place after he found a high-speed triple in the Amphitheater. Casey Baskins scored the 2nd best run of the day and moved up from 10th to 4th after hitting everything on his way down North Baldy, including a big air on Blond Rocks to flat, an air over Burt’s Bush to flat, then a ridiculous high speed transfer gap in the Amphitheater. Garrett Altmann rounded out the top 5 with a unique run through Blond Rocks and another super-sweet Spread Eagle.
Gregory Tuscher’s big backflip on Silver Fox. Photo: Will Dujardin
After their strong Day 1 performances, Ian Borgeson had 5-point lead over Conor Pelton before they battled it out on North Baldy. Conor did the best he could to make up the ground with two 3s and a super strong double in the Amphitheater, but it wasn’t enough. Ian Borgeson carried his dominance into the finals by finding a transfer air across Blond rocks and throwing the biggest 3 of the year in the lower Amphitheater. Ian had the best scores on both days of the competition and earned the well-deserved Backcountry.com Sickbird belt buckle for his efforts.
These 4 are headed to the FWT. Photo: Will Dujardin
While the victory at the Snowbird was sweet, the icing on the cake for many of the athletes on the podium was earning spots on the FWT. The Snowbird event was the last opportunity for Region 2 (the Americas) athletes to qualify through the FWQ on to the FWT. With her victories at Taos, Crested Butte, and 2nd place at Snowbird, Crested Butte’s own Francesca Pavillard-Cain took first place in the FWQ region 2 with Sasha Dingle and Hadley Hammer close behind taking the other 2 spots. “I am pumped I will be skiing with such awesome ladies next year on the tour and I am so grateful for the support from my school and family. Without it there would be no way I could graduate from WSCU and compete on the FWT,” said Francesca. Meanwhile, Ian Borgeson, who is 19 by the way, took 1st place in Region 2 for the men. “This has been something I’ve been trying to do my whole life, and it all started with shredding A-Basin with my friends. I’ve wanted it so bad and I am so stoked,” said Ian after awards. The following spots went to Conor Pelton, Garrett Altmann, and Patrick Baskins. These athletes are more than capable of the work that’s cut out for them on the FWT, and everyone is very excited to see what they will bring to the table.
Many thanks go out to the Snowbird Ski Patrol, Mountain Sports International, and the event staff for putting on a great event. Another great time was had on Planet Utah and we can’t wait to come back. You can watch individual finals runs here and results here. There is a much larger photo gallery on the West Elk Project Facebook Page.
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