Cover Photo: D.Daher/Freeride World Tour
MESTIA, Georgia – March 1, 2025: The FIS Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance returned to Georgia for stop four of the season. Following a tricky week where the originally planned competition faces slid, and the initially confirmed start had to be postponed, the Caucasus mountains finally delivered, and the skiers did too on the technical and challenging Kakhiani face.
With a firm base covered by a deep layer of in some places unpredictable snow, and extreme cold, riders had to adapt their strategies, especially in the ski men category after Simon Perraudin triggered a small but very real slide, which left avalanche debris one side of the venue. Both the men and women put on a banger show and when it came down to it, we saw some incredible runs.
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Ski Women:
With the Cut approaching, Zuzanna Witych delivered under pressure, dropping into a fast, technical line with by far the most features of the day, putting down a clean, balanced run that seemed like a clear winner. She was joined on the podium by Jenna Keller and Taylor Dobbins, with tour leaders Justine Dufour-Lapointe and Astrid Cheylus both crashing on high speed backflip sends. Molly Armanino was somewhat unlucky in our eyes to score as low as she did with her creative run and standout skiing but she had to settle for fourth on the day.
"This victory feels amazing, especially after my last two events did not go as planned. The competition was incredibly strong, and winning among such inspiring athletes makes it even more special. Plus, the beautiful mountains surrounding us made this an unforgettable experience."
– Zuzanna Witych, 2025 Georgia Pro Ski Women Winner
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Ski Men:
Marcus Goguen displayed at least two of the meanings of sick today, with another banger run despite looking on the edge of passing out from the flu. His combo of a 360 in to his trademark cork sev up top pretty much guaranteed the win, but his high speed rideout and screamin seaman straight air were the icing on the cake. Martin Bender looked for most of the day a runaway winner but was pipped by Markus, despite his multiple 360s and huge features. Third spot went to Virgile Didier, who stomped two backflips on his way down the Georgia face. Off the podium, Weiten Ho stood out with a clean run to keep him in tour contention, as did Toby Rafford, who I thought was seriously underscored for some beautiful fall line skiing with two stomped threes and a Lincoln loop to boot.
" I always aim for smooth landings, but more than that, I push my limits and strive to improve with every competition. Georgia's mountain ranges are spectacular, unlike anything I've seen before, and I hope to return to explore more of this incredible terrain."
– Marcus Goguen, 2025 Georgia Pro Ski Men Winner
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