Blake Marshall (Queenstown, 29) has finished in fifth place at the mind-blowing Freeride World Tour stop in Georgia overnight.
The level of riding was exceptionally high, with the top seven riders in the men’s ski category all rewarded with a score in the 90’s for the first time in Freeride World Tour history.
The riders were greeted with fresh snow and picture-perfect conditions in Georgia. This is the first time the Freeride World Tour has held a stop in Georgia and the location proved perfect for freeriding, with steep terrain and unique features.
Marshall knew he had to produce a solid result today in order to qualify for the Freeride World Tour finals, he made it clear from the second he dropped in that he meant business.
He started his run with a huge, high-risk 360 off the top feature before making his way down the steep face, taking a unique line and linking together technical tricks with solid, fluid skiing in-between each feature.
Marshall said, “It felt so good to stomp that [the 360], it was the perfect take off for what I wanted to do and I am happy that it worked out.”
Marcus Goguen of Canada took the win, with Martin Bender of Switzerland and Max Hitzig of Germany rounding out the podium in second and third respectively.
The Georgia Pro marked the final stop before ‘The Cut’ where only the top eleven ski men (ranked by their two top scores from the season combined) advanced to the final two stops of the 2024 Freeride World Tour.
Kiwi riders Ben Richards and Finn Bilous have both made it through The Cut and will be in action at the Freeride World Tour finals, set to be held in the latter part of March in Austria and Switzerland. Despite today’s exceptional effort, Marshall finished just on the wrong side of the line in twelfth overall. Rather than advancing directly to the finals, he will now battle it out in the Challenger Series.
