Despite many other FWQ qualifying events being cancelled due to COVID, Hakuba was able to proceed and host the 2021 Toyo Tires Freeride Hakuba 4* FWQ event, the competition day taking place on Friday 15th January.
The competition took place on the South-East faces of Happo One Resort backcountry and saw mainly Japanese riders, though a handful of international competitors living in Japan were also able to participate.
Photo credit: Hakuba Valley
For the last few years, Hakuba Valley ski resort has been a stop on the Freeride World Tour, with both qualifier and tour events, drawing some huge names in skiing and snowboarding.
Dave Enright from Evergreen Outdoor Center Hakuba headed up the avalanche control and safety for the event along with snow and face checks, readying medical supplies, and selecting the best day to run the competition.
The top 3 places for ski and snowboard, in order, were:
Men’s Snow – Shin Biyajima (Japan), Go Biyajima (Japan), Simon Favez (Switzerland)
Women’s Snow – Nina Higashio (Canada), Sayako Kato (Japan), Ayano Kasahara (Japan)
Men’s Ski – Tenra Katsuno (Japan), Masaori Fujii (Japan), Aren Kajita (Japan)
Women’s Ski – Miki Nakagawa (Japan), Yui Ohno (Japan), Mina Itaba (Japan)
Photo credit: Hakuba Valley
You can find the full broadcast of the competition here.