Canada's Dufour-Lapointe, Anderson crowned 2023 freeride world champions

Two Canadian women were crowned 2023 Freeride World Tour champions after the fifth and final event of the season in Verbier, Switzerland, was cancelled on Tuesday due to hazardous weather conditions on the Bec des Rosses mountain course.

Katie Anderson, of Jaffray, B.C., took gold by virtue of finishing in top spot in the women's snowboard standings across the first four events of the season, while Montreal's Justine Dufour-Lapointe did the same in the women's ski category.

Anderson, 27, had already won three of four events coming in, topping the podium at the Baqueira Beret Pro in Spain in January, the Ordino Arcalís Pro in Andorra in February, and the Fieberbrunn Pro in Austria earlier this month.

The sizeable gap she had over Anna Orlova of Russia and Estelle Rizzolio of France — the silver and bronze medallists respectively — was enough to have already clinched top spot after her third win, but it didn't alter her competitive spirit with the announcement of the cancellation.

"A little bit bittersweet today," Anderson said. "I wish we could've gone ahead but the mountain had other plans. I am really proud of everyone who rode this year, and I am super happy and excited to win the title — last year I never thought I would be standing here."

While Anderson's ascent was more linear, Dufour-Lapointe's rise to the top of the freeride discipline came just a year after making the switch from a decorated career in moguls.

Dufour-Lapointe, 28, won gold for Canada at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, and a silver medal in PyeongChang in 2018 before finishing 20th last year in Beijing after crashing out. She was also FIS moguls world champion in 2015, adding two more bronze medals in 2013 and 2017.

But in this treacherous new