Alpina: official watch for the FIS Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance for the seventh year running
In 2025, Alpina, the watchmaker with an alpine heritage, is proud to be renewing its partnership with the FIS Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance for the seventh year in a row. There will be six stages of the Tour, spanning Europe and North America – including a brand-new stop at Val Thorens, a resort with which Alpina has enjoyed close ties for several years now. In line with tradition, Verbier will be hosting the final at the mythical Bec des Rosses. As well as being the competition’s partner and Official Watch, Alpina is also supporting contestant Victor de Le Rue (FR), triple world freeriding champion.
With a shared passion for adventure, Alpina and FWT by Peak Performance have been partners since 2018, spurring freerider athletes to achieve their goal of mastering some of the most difficult lines the mountains have to offer. In addition to being FWT’s Partner and Official Watch, Alpina is supporting one athlete taking part in the competition this year: French snowboarder Victor de Le Rue, three times world freeriding champion (in 2019, 2021 and 2024).
During this 18th season of the FWT, athletes will be taking part in five outstanding contests before the final event, the YETI Xtreme Verbier by Honda, for which qualification is on the basis of the four best results from the season’s five rounds.
Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance
- Baqueira Beret, Spain: 18-23 January 2025
- Val Thorens Pro, France: 27 January-1 February 2025 (New Stop)
- Kicking Horse Golden BC Pro, Canada: 7-13 February 2025
- Georgia Pro, Georgia: 23 February-1 March 2025
- Fieberbrunn Pro, Austria: 8-13 March 2025
- YETI Xtreme Verbier by Honda, Switzerland: 22-30 March 2025
For the first time since 2017, the FWT will be returning to France with the debut of the Val Thorens Pro. Nestled in the legendary Trois Vallées ski region, Val Thorens offers a fresh and exciting challenge for riders, with the iconic Cime Caron overlooking the resort. Known for its steep and technically challenging terrain, Val Thorens holds out the promise of spectacular action as the athletes take on the corridors, dizzying ridges and huge freeriding areas that have sealed the region’s reputation. This stage of the Tour will be fraught with suspense for contestants as they strive to win points at the start of the season.
Alpina’s history with Val Thorens dates back several years. The French capital of ski cross – a discipline in which four athletes compete over a highly technical course including sharp turns, moguls and jumps – hosts two stages of the Ski Cross World Cup every year; Alpina has been its Official Timekeeper for the past five years.
The Freeride World Tour will end at the mythical Bec des Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland, the season’s toughest and most prestigious stage. The YETI Xtreme Verbier has become synonymous with excellence in freeriding, and will be celebrating its thirtieth anniversary in 2025. Topping out at 3,223 metres and with a total altitude difference of 600 metres, Bec des Rosses is notorious for its extreme gradients of over 50% and highly technical lines. Only the season’s best riders will qualify for Verbier, where the challenges are of the highest order – and the new FWT champions will be crowned. There’s no room for mistakes in the Bec competition and it always produces memorable runs, consolidating Verbier’s position as the highlight of the Freeride World Tour.
A watch for extremes
The event is one where the very best skiers and snowboarders will be testing limits. To help them on their way, Alpina has designed a watch that echoes the essence of their sport – the extreme. The Alpiner Extreme Automatic Freeride World Tour is right there where it belongs, in the realm of mountains, outdoor sports, and extreme conditions. Focusing on the essentials (hours, minutes, seconds and date), the timepiece features an automatic calibre beating at 4Hz (28,800vph) and comes in a chunky 41 x 42.5mm cushion format.
To ensure optimum readability, the Alpiner Extreme Automatic Freeride World Tour sports white luminous hand and hour markers atop a black dial bearing the Freeride World Tour logo at 6 o’clock. The case is sun-brushed – the wisest choice for a timepiece that by its very nature will be exposed to bumps and scratches. Similar thinking has resulted in a rubber strap ready to deal with slips, extreme temperatures, and the most unexpected circumstances. Located at 3 o’clock, the crown has been fitted with a rubber grip – a vital detail making it easy for gloved riders to operate.
Beneath the scratchproof, glareproof sapphire crystal, Alpina has indulged in a nod to its historical emblem: the dial and seconds hand counterweight echo its legendary triangle logo, symbolising the Alpine summits for which the watch is designed.
