The riders’ excitement was infectious after a brief weather hold, as the skies cleared on the morning of March 11th. The mix of international competitors staged for their helicopter ride to the finals of the Flow World Freeride Championships held on the northwest side of Python Ridge. This year, the third annual competition featured heli access, rider judging and a $10,000 first place prize – making it not only highest paying big mountain event in the world, but the only one held in true big mountain, backcountry terrain.
Two days prior, riders threw down some exceptional runs in the qualifying round on the nearly 1,000 vertical-foot Bro Bowl face—about 2 miles into the surrounding peaks of Tailgate Alaska’s base camp—accessed only by snowmachines and snowcats. The field of snowboarders consisted of 35 men and 5 women—some veteran big-mountain riders, professional athletes and young-gun amateurs ready to get their big break. The crowd cheered relentlessly through the onslaught of some sketchy and some beautifully executed lines, creatively selected by each athlete over the mile-wide face.
Olympic Bronze medalist Scotty Lago qualified in first place with two runs that featured the some of the largest airs of the day and only one turn. Brandon Reid, former North Face Masters winner, qualified in second, while Emily Weer from Lake Tahoe edged out Japanese rider Yoko Nakamura to qualify first for the ladies. 
With the final field narrowed to eight men and two women, riders got briefed on the heli before taking a ride to the 1,900’ vertical venue for the final.
"The World Freeride Championship Finals were sick!" said competitor Micah Hoogeveen. "I was able to jump in a helicopter with a group of friends and see how big we could send it. Like Sullivan said to me, 'this is where the true free riders come out to shine'."
One of the things that has set the Flow World Freeride Championships apart – aside from the terrain and helicopters - is the judging. Unlike other big mountain competitions, the WFC puts an emphasis on taking freestyle to natural terrain – giving it equal weight in scoring to line selection and control/fluidity. In addition, the finals were judged by the competitors via video review. Riders not present at the award ceremony watched video and voted online.
With the finals completed, riders gathered at Valdez’s 32˚ Lounge for the video review and awards ceremony. After tabulating the judging, Colorado’s Brandon Reid came out with the victory, sword and $10,000 in cash. Oakley/Lib Tech rider Sammy Luebke finished in second and Jackson Hole’s Mikey Marohn took third, perhaps missing the top spot due to some small mistakes in his run.