The season has been far from ideal for Maxime Chabloz from Nidwalden: Three competitions, three crashes, zero points. Only a podium finish at the tour stop in Mestia, Georgia, can keep the Freeride World Champion’s dream of reaching the World Championship finals alive. But the Caucasus is unpredictable: Avalanches and unstable conditions pose yet another challenge for the 23-year-old.
The final hundred kilometers to the Georgian ski resort of Mestia are an adventure. The road is only cleared during heavy snowfall, icy beneath the snow, full of potholes in some areas, and road salt is only used in the most dangerous curves. Maxime Chabloz, from Beckenried, advises taking a taxi instead of a rental car when traveling to the remote ski area in the Caucasus. The Freeride World Champion has one mission at the fourth tour stop of the Freeride World Tour: He wants to win.
His situation is challenging. Three competitions, three crashes, and no points to qualify for the finals and the World Championship. There is still a chance, but the 23-year-old must finish on the podium in the last two events in Georgia and Austria – and the events must actually take place. Since the sport is highly dependent on the weather, competitions are scheduled over several days.
One competition this week has already been postponed. The weather was good, but a controlled explosion triggered an avalanche, making the slope unrideable. The next contest is planned for the same slope used last year, where Chabloz finished in 7th place.
In theory, he could ride the same run as last year, but he explains that the conditions were incredibly good back then, with lots of snow. «We jumped off the biggest cliffs we could.» This year, however, everything is «twice as big», making that approach impossible.
During the face check – where riders assess the terrain from a distance and plan their lines – it appeared that there was little snow. Riders are not allowed to inspect or test the slope beforehand, so everyone’s line will be different. «It will probably be tricky», Chabloz admits. Still, he is confident he will find a good line. For now, it’s snowing in Mestia, so he has to wait for his chance to earn points.
He regularly checks the weather forecast, and good weather is expected to return by the end of the week. During bad weather days, he stays fit by skiing and snowboarding to pass the time. However, the local Chacha schnapps – a Georgian version of grappa, of which he had «a bit too much» last year – is off-limits before the competition. Instead, he enjoys the local food. «The food here is really good.» He particularly likes Khinkali, dumplings filled with pork and beef in broth, but he also recommends other meat dishes.
Despite the pressure to secure a good result, Chabloz remains relaxed. «Of course, when I think about the riders who have already secured their spots and achieved great results, I feel a bit jealous», he admits.
«But I am where I am, and I can't change that now.»
At the first event, he was the last rider to start – not exactly an advantage, as he explains. He landed a double backflip directly on ice. At the second event, he overshot a cliff jump, and at the third, his landing was too soft, causing him to fall forward. His jumps haven’t worked out so far, but that doesn’t mean the whole season will go that way. The past tour stops were «valuable lessons and a bit of bad luck», Chabloz says.
For the past year, he has been working with a mental coach. His key takeaway: Don’t try to control what you can’t control. And in freeriding, that’s a lot – snow conditions, weather, the chosen slope, rocks in the landing zone – all factors beyond his influence. So, he wants to focus on what he can control: his next run in Georgia.
And if the event ends up being completely canceled? Then so be it. «Better no contest than competing in bad conditions», he says. More important to him is that all riders stay safe and have the chance to show their best skiing on a beautiful day.
On the last day of the weather window, the freeride competition finally takes place. Maxime Chabloz finally has the chance to prove himself! From the morning, he is fully focused: he has chosen a strong line and aims to land his jumps cleanly.
He sets off from the start gate, jumps over the first cliff, and at the snow cornice, he takes off for a double backflip—but once again, the landing doesn’t go as planned. He has too much momentum, flips over multiple times, and only comes to a stop after several meters.
He raises his arms, signaling that he is uninjured. His gaze turns upward—his skis are stuck side by side in the snow. For the fourth event in a row, Chabloz remains without points.
