Local skier Ross Tester opened his career on the Freeride World Tour in style, claiming a first-place finish in the season opener at Ordino Arcalis, Andorra.

“So insanely stoked to put one down for my first comp,” Tester posted to his Instagram account.

Tester landed a 360 to open his run before putting down a back flip at the bottom of the run to finish as the men’s winner with 10,000 points.

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“I never expected to win my first event,” said Tester in an interview with Freeride World Tour. “After all the training and everything to come together, it’s definitely a dream come true.”

The Freeride World Tour continued on Wednesday with another round at Ordino Arcalis, where Tester, 22, finished in 18th place.

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Another local athlete, snowboarder Sammy Luebke, also found the podium during the first two competitions of the season, claiming second on Wednesday after an eighth-place finish to open the year. Luebke, 31, found his way down a steep section of the venue and stamped his run with a 360 at the bottom to finish with 8,000 points.

“Had an amazing week in Andorra,” posted Luebke, a three-time tour champion, to his Instagram account. “Good people, good food, and I managed to snag a podium.”

The Freeride World Tour is set to continue March 6-12, at Fieberbrunn, Austria.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2643.