Joan Aracil Crashes on Final Jump at Inaugural Allianz FIS Freeride World Championships

Joan Aracil crashed out on the final jump of his run at the inaugural Allianz FIS Freeride World Championships on Sunday at Basser Negre in Ordino Arcalís, despite a commanding start that positioned him for a potential top-five finish.

The Andorran Ski Federation (FAE) athlete, coached by ex-rider Dani Fornell, nailed an initial drop into the chute, a backflip, and two doubles across the 470-metre north-east face with its 36-degree average slope, rocky sections, and exposed transitions. He lost control on the last landing, ending his bid prematurely. Aracil remained upbeat afterwards, saying the rest of his line felt impeccable and that he had executed his plan perfectly up to that point. He now turns to the Challenger series to chase Freeride World Tour promotion.

Organizers delayed the start from 9:15am to 1pm due to low visibility, with conditions later improving amid over 150cm of fresh snow. The event featured 65 riders from 17 countries competing in men's and women's ski and snow surf.

Australia's Benjamin James Richards won men's ski gold with 91.67 points ahead of France's Ugo Troubat (86.00) and US rider Kai Jones (76.67). Poland's Zuzanna Witych took women's ski ahead of Canada's Justine Dufour-Lapointe and US athlete Molly Armanino. In men's snow surf, Switzerland's Liam Rivera edged pre-event favourite Victor de le Rue for gold (84.33 to 80.00), with US rider Michael Mawn third. US snowboarder Mia Jones claimed women's snow surf (84.00), followed by France's Noémie Equy (81.33) and Spain's Núria Castán (79.00).

The 28-year-old Castán, from near Reus and currently fifth in Freeride World Tour standings with RFEDI-SpainSnow and Head Snowboards, trained her first five freeride seasons at Ordino Arcalís under Andorran Mònica Font. She opted for an aggressive yet secure line, skipping a planned 360 for a cleaner finish, and called the epic powder "incredible" for the Pirenees this season. The podium lifts her momentum ahead of remaining FWT events.

Grandvalira Resorts marketing director David Ledesma hailed it as the most spectacular event in 11 years of competitions there, praising the snow and global promotion value for Andorra. Fornell had backed Aracil pre-race to make history on the face, last hosting elite freeride in 2018.