Wrangle the Chute will be returning to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort from Jan. 22 to 26, and will be delighting spectators with the outlandish feats of athleticism that the sport of freeride has become known for.
The event is a two- and four-star qualifier for the 2021 Freeride World Tour, which will be making a stop of its own at Kicking Horse in February.
“These are some of the best regional skiers and riders, across western Canada and the U.S. too,” said Tyson Newell, the marketing and media coordinator for Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. “They’re throwing it down and trying really hard to progress and gain points as they work through all the qualifiers for next year’s world tour.”
Athletes use events such as Wrangle the Chute to try and accumulate points throughout the season, with the top skiers and riders with the most points in their regional categories earning a place on the World Tour for the following season.
Wrangle the Chute is both a two-star and a four-star qualifying event, according to Newell, who explains that the more stars a qualifying event has, the more points are on the table to earn.
Kicking Horse is in elite company in hosting a four-star qualifier, with Crested Butte, Crystal Mountain and other world class resorts hosting other qualifying events.
Revelstoke will also be hosting its own qualifier.
“Wrangle the Chute is one of the big, classic events for the Freeride World Tour qualifiers,” said Newell.
The exact location of the event has yet to be determined. It will be announced after an inspection by the safety crew and the head judge Jeff Holden determines where the safest and best place for the competition is.
However, all the possible venues are spectator friendly for those who are looking to enjoy the event.
“Depending on where it is, there will be really obvious spectator opportunities,” said Newell. “You can ski to the bottom of the bowls looking up to the ridges, it just depends on where the event ends up.”
Wrangle the Chute offers a glimpse into the top athletes for next year’s Freeride World Tour, and will provide viewers an opportunity to see a different style of skiing and riding than what you would normally see on your average day on the mountain.
“They’re tasked with going big, and that’s not something you see in everyday skiing when the public is out,” said Newell. “You’ll see big, outlandish skiing, which is super rad. It’s pretty incredible.”
Wrangle the Chute is expected to negligibly affect skiing and riding for the public on the days that it will be held. While the ridges that the event will be held on will be closed, with access only to athletes, the rest of the mountain will remain operational.
