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24th January 2012

I awoke in Japan this morning to the amazing news that Sam Smoothy had won the Chamonix leg of the Freeride World Tour and Kiwi team mate Janina Kuzma had taken out third place in the Womans....

Sam and Janina on fire in Chamonix

Winning a men's ski contest on the Swatch Freeride World Tour deserves a place on the list of "hardest things to do in sport."  Sam Smoothy from New Zealand who has battled through qualifiers and injuries over the last few seasons proved that persistence always pays off and hit the top rung of the podium for the first time.  In second place was one of the tour's most consistent performers Reine Barkered from Sweden and in third, tour newcomer Oakley White Allen from the USA who following his second place finish in Revelstoke will go to the top of men's ski rankings.

Smoothy chose the lookers left line taken by a number of  riders and looked to be fighting for a place on the podium with his control and fluidity in the upper face.  Then he took a slightly different angle into the final section and dropped an absolute beauty of a cliff - longer, cleaner, sweeter than his rivals.  Smoothy was almost speechless afterwards: "Winning here in the home of Freeriding, it doesn't get better, it's amazing"

 In a big day for the kiwis, Wanakas Janina Kuzma also earned her spot on the podium, taking third amongst the women behind Americans Jackie Paaso and Angel Collinson.  It feels good to be on the podium for the second stop of the Swatch FWT, said Kuzma.  I had a really fun solid line and stayed on my feet.  The next stop of the womens Tour is in Norway, so feeling ready to send it again.

Kuzma will head back to her Northern Hemisphere home base in Frisco, Colorado for two weeks of solid halfpipe training before hopping back on a plane to Chamonix for ten days of filming and then up to Norway for the next stop on the tour.  Kuzma is training and competing in both halfpipe and big mountain this year making for a very busy schedule.  Her next halfpipe competition will be at the Brits in Laax in March.
 
Janinas twin sister Maria Kuzma finished sixth in the womens snowboard division and Neil Williman came in at number 16 in mens ski.

Chamonix received a 32-inch storm on Friday night, which closed the resort and postponed the big-mountain contest until Monday. Due to the weather, the athletes had little opportunity to study the face before the competition, with many relying on a photograph to learn their lines. A total of 55 men and 18 women competed across snowboarding and skiing.

The Swatch Freeride World Tour now moves on to Italy with a quick transit to Courmayeur-Mont-Blanc for the third men's ski and snowboard contest of the season.