Unfortunately, snow conditions in Sweden were less than stellar this year, prompting many of the North American competitors to withdraw from this event. Salomon s International Free Ride Team, however, showed up and showed off. According to JP Baralo, the Salomon international freeride ski manager, the skiers were ready to tackle all the mountain could offer, and they don't do it for the money. The money in freeriding is getting bigger, but only a handful of competitors can make a decent living out of what they are doing. They all do it because they love it.
Free riding is a different way to personalize the mountain.
People can express themselves and play with the fall line. Lots of skiers and snowboarders pulled out of the competition for safety reasons. Boarder Andrew Crawford, also from the US, voiced a similar opinion. Conditions cleared that night and many of the competitors and guests at Riksgransen took the opportunity to ski under the midnight sun. As Riksgransen is far north of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets during the summer months.