Highlights & Finals - Freeride Sudamerica Tour
The 2023 Freeride Sudamerica Tour concluded with two final stops at Cerro Bayo in Argentina...
September 18, 2022: The 2023 Freeride Sudamerica series concluded last week with two high-level events at Cerro Bayo in Argentina. The final FWQ 2* event at Cerro Bayo determined which South American athletes would qualify for a coveted invitation to the 2023 Freeride World Qualifier Finals Series.
After the competitions held in Chile at El Colorado and La Parva, more than 100 athletes from all over the world traveled to the ski center located in the Province of Neuquén, Argentina, to participate in the final two Freeride Sudamerica tour stops.
To vie for qualification to the FWQ Finals Series, South American athletes had to participate in at least three FWQ events. In the end, Santiago Aparicio - CHI (SKI MEN), Claudia "Peque" Aliaga - CHI (SKI WOMEN), Isidora Assler (SNOWBOARD WOMEN), and Tadeo Leslie - ARG (SNOWBOARD MEN) are the athletes who earned the top ranking in their respective disciplines and take home an invitation to the 2023 FWQ Finals events in March and April.
It is worth noting the performance of the Argentines Ignacio Bertona (SKI MEN), Alenka Mali (SNOWBOARD WOMEN), Tomas Castelli (SNOWBOARD MEN) and the Chilean Saga Goñi (SKI WOMEN) who all earned second place with not much spread between rankings.
FREERIDE SUDAMERICA 2023 FWQ TOUR RANKINGS
SKI MEN
1- Santiago Aparicio (Chi)
2- Ignacio Bertona (Arg)
3- Jens Meyer (Chi)
4- Moisés Vargas (Chi)
5- Carlos Barros (Chi)
SKI WOMEN
1- Claudia Aliaga (Chi)
2- Saga Goñi (Chi)
3- Abril Bertzky (Arg)
4- Danisa Guardatti (Arg)
5- Cecilia Widmer (Chi)
SNOWBOARD WOMEN
1- Isidora Assler (Chi)
2- Alenka Mali
SNOWBOARD MEN
1- Tadeo Leslie (Arg)
2- Tomas Castelli (Arg)
3- Guillermo Flores (Chi)
4- Alexis Zavala (Chi)
5- Nicolas Demetrio (Chi)
FREERIDE SUDAMERICA 2023 MASTERS (40+) TOUR RANKINGS
SNOWBOARD MEN
1- Alexis Zavala (Chi)
2- Nicolas Demetrio (Chi)
3- Zachary Gallardo (Chi)
4- Pablo Baeza (Chi)
SKI MEN
1- Moisés Vargas (Chi)
2- Dante Guardatti (Arg)
FREERIDE SUDAMERICA 2023 JUNIOR TOUR RANKINGS
U12 SKI MALE
1- Clemente Cuadra (Chi)
2- Kai Vargas (Chi)
12-14 SKI FEMALE
1- Manuela Herreros
12-14 SKI MALE
1- Thiago Ruiz
2- Gaspar Vargas
3- Santiago Magni
4- Milo Mordovich
15-18 SKI FEMALE
1- Sofía Baeza
15-18 SKI MALE
1- Domingo Herreros
CERRO BAYO JUNIOR 2* REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
On Friday, September 9th, 37 junior athletes under the age of 18 showcased their skills on the off-piste sector known as "El Cañadón" at the 2023 Cerro Bayo Junior 2* Regional. Riders from local Freeride clubs and the mountains of Chile met and mingled while the Argentine Freeski Club (CAF) of Bariloche brought 15 athletes and earned podium spots in nearly each division.
In the future, the Freeride Sudamerica tour will alternate between running the events first in Chile vs. Argentina. We’ll run the 2024 events next year in Argentina first. “Our idea is to alternate the schedule each year so that clubs and teams from the United States and Canada have the opportunity to visit each country,” commented IFSA Board Member and Manager of Argentina for Freeride Sudamerica, Gonzalo Lopatin.
For Full Junior Results – CLICK HERE
CERRO BAYO FWQ 2* HIGHLIGHTS
Saturday, September 10th was an incredibly sunny day at Cerro Bayo and with a total of 79 athletes on the roster. This was the largest field in the Freeride Sudamerica Tour followed by El Colorado with 75 participants. The big moment of the day came from local Dante Ginaca, who won first place in SKI MEN with a difficult line choice littered with freestyle tricks.
"I am happy that an event of this magnitude reaches Villa La Angostura and Cerro Bayo, many athletes have discovered a passion for this sport and it is great for them to witness talented athletes on the competition circuit," said the coach and Ski Director of the Club Andino Villa La Angostura, organizing club of the event.
Another highlight was the quantity and quality of the women’s SKI division, which boasted over 20 competitors, the largest in Freeride Sudamerica history.
CERRO BAYO FWQ 2* RESULTS
For Full FWQ 2* Results – CLICK HERE
SNOWBOARD WOMEN
1- Adi Sadeh (USA)
2- Isidora Assler (Chi)
3- Alenka Mali (Arg)
SKI WOMEN
1- Manuela Roncallo (Arg)
2- Claudia Aliaga (Chi)
3- Abril Bertzky (Arg)
4- Saga Goñi (Chi)
5- Victoria Belvis (Arg)
SNOWBOARD MEN
1- Tomas Castelli (Arg)
2- Tadeo Leslie (Arg)
3- Guillermo Flores (Chi)
SKI MEN
1- Dante Ginaca (Arg)
2- Santiago Aparicio (Chi)
3- Jason Havliceck (USA)
4- Martin Bas Morgan (Arg)
5- Ignacio Bertona (Arg)
CERRO BAYO VOL. 2 FWQ 2* HIGHLIGHTS
The final FWQ event scheduled at Cerro Catedral in the Freeride Sudamerica tour was unfortunately faced with sudden cancellation. Cerro Bayo reopened its doors and following a weather delay, the final competition was held on Tuesday, September 13 for both FWQ and Junior athletes.
For the FWQ event, 67 athletes gathered to throw down and hope for a chance to earn the Sudamerica Tour title and a spot to the 2023 FWQ Finals. Manuela Roncallo from Bariloche impressed with an aggressive line, clinching first place ahead of athletes who took podiums earlier in the season, Claudia Aliaga and Saga Goñi.
Reflecting on the action-packed season, IFSA Board Member and Director of Chile for Freeride Sudamerica, Focha Ochagavía gushed:
“It was a freeride party! This season we expanded upon the unity that exists in this community and we have nothing but words of gratitude for the Club Andino Villa La Angostura (CAVLA) and Cerro Bayo who developed high caliber events for our tour. There was even a grill, a bar, and a DJ in the middle of the mountain! All while the best Freeriders skied and shredded down and demonstrated that South America has a bright future in the Freeride community.”
"For us it is an honor to support and host an event of this magnitude in Cerro Bayo, we believe that this type of competition is beneficial for the community. It’s been so rewarding to see the impact these events have had on local kids who now wish to be part of something like this,” said Cerro Bayo’s Mountain Manager Santiago Mazza.
Looking to the future, the hardworking team at Freeride Sudamerica will continue on to Cerro Perito Moreno, in El Bolsón and Esquel, where they will meet with clubs and ski centers in the area to discuss expansion of the series for the 2024 Tour in July-Sept of 2023.
CERRO BAYO VOL. 2 FWQ 2* RESULTS
For Full FWQ 2* Results – CLICK HERE
SNOWBOARD WOMEN
1- Alenka Mali (Arg)
2- Adi Sadeh (USA)
3- Isidora Assler (Chi)
SKI WOMEN
1- Manuela Roncallo (Arg)
2- Saga Goñi (Chi)
3- Claudia Aliaga (Chi)
4- Victoria Belvis (Arg)
5- Martina Criado (Arg)
SNOWBOARD MEN
1- Juan Tadeo Leslie (Arg)
2- Tomás Castelli (Arg)
3- Guillermo Flores (Chi)
4- Nicolás Demetrio (Chi)
5- Alexis Zavala (Chi)
SKI MEN
1- Santiago Aparicio (Chi)
2- Jorge Bertona (Arg)
3- Matias Ayala (Arg)
4- Bartolomeo Fumero (ITA)
5- Fabio Frongia (ALE)
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