Ace gaining ground on FWT

Qualifies for inaugural Alaska event

Western State Colorado University mountain sports athlete and homegrown skier Francesca “Ace” Pavillard-Cain hit the podium on the third stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour (FWT), punching her ticket to the FWT invite-only event in Alaska starting March 13.
The FWT gathers the top big mountain ski and snowboard athletes from around the globe through a qualification format to compete on some of the most challenxging terrain available in Europe and North America. The format ups the ante as athletes are allowed only a visual inspection of the venue and then are given one run to drop in and put down their best effort possible, with judges scoring a variety of elements that include line, air and style, fluidity, control and technique.

Pavillard-Cain kicked off her second year on the FWT with a disappointing opening event in Chamonix, France in January but shook off the result to finish fourth in Austria on January 31 and then third in Andorra this past week. She took time out to respond to a Q&A via email while still in Europe.
How was Chamonix? Snow conditions, venue, etc.? Before arriving in Chamonix the snow was very thin, arguably too thin to even think about doing a contest. Luckily there was a big snow right before our arrival. However, even with the snow the venue face had to be changed. The face had been untouched so the first few categories had great snow. Unfortunately, due to a weather hold and some sun baking there was a substantial crust for the ladies.
How was your mindset heading into the Chamonix event? Did you get skiing in leading up to prepare? I was very excited before Chamonix, maybe even too excited! Having all the competitors together before the first event was exhilarating. We had some solid days of skiing before competing.
How was your run? My first comp run didn’t go at all like I was hoping. The change in the snow conditions caught me off-guard and I fell after my first feature, followed by another fall lower down. It was disheartening but I got my first comp out of the way and I was able to re-focus for Austria.
Austria was a crazy event! After a slide on the normal contest face they changed it to another venue. The snow in Austria was amazing and we had amazing powder before the first event! I felt great in Austria during and before my run. I just had a good feeling about the day.
I ran 10th and knew there had been a lot of crashes but still stuck to my plan. The snow on the top of the venue was phenomenal. Once I came into my lower air I had a hard time navigating and ended up taking a different air than planned but was just happy with having a run on my feet (and getting 4th).
After the ski ladies went, the judges decided it was too dangerous to send the rest of the categories. This was due to small slough avalanches and the fact that some major take-offs and landings were destroyed and bombed out. After this we went to Kappl to try to finish up the rest of the categories. The second competitor to drop triggered an avalanche, which was crazy scary and eye-opening. So they had to cancel Kappl for the rest of the competitors. However, that was not the end of our day. All the competitors took advantage of the new snow and amazing terrain. It was literally a huge jump and cliff session all around the mountain. It was epic skiing around with a huge pack of amazing skiers and riders.
How was Andorra? Snow conditions, venue, etc.? Andorra was beautiful and my first time there. This has been a great year for snow in Andorra, but due to some crazy strong winds once we got there most of the major faces were completely destroyed. We still had some great skiing and the area kinda reminded me of Crested Butte! Once again, making the most of what we had and finding some fun hits and drops.
Did you get some skiing in between events? Yes, I have been skiing all over Switzerland, France, Austria and Andorra. Anywhere and everywhere possible and it has not sucked.
How was your headspace heading into Andorra? I would like to say my headspace was amazing but the morning before I wasn’t feeling all that great. I kept trying to tell myself it was all good, but I think I was letting the pressure get to me. I knew I had to place pretty well to make it to Alaska and was letting all the tension get to me. When I finally got into the start gate was when it clicked. I was able to remind myself this is what I want to be doing and that I had ability. Once I dropped I was just looking to lay down the best line I could.
Third place! What about the run put you on the podium? Yes, the third place felt great. I was close to a podium in Austria and it was so nice to seal the deal. The venue was super playful, I got a nice hit off the top and then my cliff was by far my favorite. After that I didn’t really have a plan, just skied down hitting whatever was in front of me. I was confident I had done what I needed and it show I will be coming back to Crested Butte for a quick break and to do some recruiting for Western! Then off to Alaska.
Are you excited for the Alaska event? So excited for Alaska, it’s been the goal from the beginning and it’s so exciting to be a part of it!