Who won the memorable 10th anniversary of JFO? Open Categories

Photo/Japan Freeride Open

The Junior Category will finish on Saturday, February 8th, and the Open Category will take place the following day, Sunday, February 9th

Like the junior category, the event will be held on the eastern slope of Mt. Hieda, which is usually located above the 6th Pair Lift outside the managed area

However, the run is nearly twice as long as the junior course, and the start is on top of the avalanche barrier at the top. The finish area cannot be seen from the start

First, you have to wrap the avalanche barrier from the right or left, or jump over it. This is the first highlight

Once you get past that point, the slopes become more open and you can use the terrain on both sides to make speedy turns and jumps, showing off your overall skiing skills

Once you get through there, the slope opens up and countless swells appear on both sides due to the snowfall. How they handle this is something to behold

At the end, you will cross the cat road, which is the highlight of the jump, and go through the finish gate to reach the finish line

The day of the Open was a day of rapid changes in the weather. Just when it seemed the clouds would clear and the sky would clear and the sun would shine, a few minutes later the course would be shrouded in mist, making it impossible for the judges to see anything. Each time this happened, the progress of the competition was interrupted and the schedule was often put on hold. The competitors were at the mercy of nature, and it was an opportunity that tested their concentration and ability to adapt

The course hadn't been used for several days, so the snow was knee-deep. The skiers were feeling the tension of the competition, but they were also enjoying the powder

I felt that what made the difference between victory and defeat was the flowing lines and sense of speed. Looking at the fact that skaters who showed dynamic skating came out on top, this trend is not far off

The women's preliminary race dropped in just after 10:00. After that, a few people skied, and there was a wait of nearly an hour and a half. The athletes took advantage of gaps in the visibility to ski, and it was just after 13:00 that all the women's racers had finished skiing

After the men's preliminary race finished at 1:30 p.m., the organizers decided that it would be difficult for all athletes to complete their races on the same day, and for the first time in the 10th year of the event, a reserve day was held

Here are the top three women's open finalists

The first JFO was cancelled due to a lack of snow. The 10th was held on a backup day due to poor visibility.
It seems that mishaps that cause trouble for the organizers occur at the perfect time.

The men's race was held the following day, Monday the 10th. As on the previous day, the weather was mixed with clear visibility and fog, but the tournament proceeded smoothly

The snow from the previous day had settled, and about 5cm of fresh snow had fallen on top of it. The judges and MCs test rode the slope, and as they described it as smooth and slippery, it seemed like many of the men's skiers were aggressive. The conditions for the competition were the best they've seen in recent years

There were many riders who were full of freeride spirit, such as riders who took big jumps over avalanche prevention jump sections, riders who dropped at high speed towards the fall line, riders who took advantage of the valley terrain to create spray, riders who cheered as they skied over the superb snow, and riders who used the terrain to perform huge jumps

Here are the top three open men's finishers

THE NORTH FACE GRAVITY These two won the "Best of Freeriders" award, also known as "The Man Award," which is given to the rider who performed the coolest that day based on a vote from the audience at a judges event held in the evening in Hakuba.

After all the competitors had finished skating, tournament organizers Shikaichi Ueki and Takuma Oike took turns riding to close the 10th anniversary tournament. One captivated the crowd with a massive front flip, while the other reflected on his performance, which left him with some homework to do, as they brought the 25th season of the JFO to a close

Full results from the tournament can be found here