Around the 1970s, skiers around the world began to look for a more freeform alternative to the traditional groomed runs that define alpine skiing.
Instead, these skiers carved up the backcountry, choosing whatever lines were most untouched or had the best features.
Snowboarders eventually joined the fold in the years to come, and formal competitions started to spring up in the early 1990s.
The new discipline of freeride skiing and snowboarding was born, though it was often referred to as backcountry, off-piste or extreme skiing and snowboarding.
The Freeride World Tour, now hosting competitions for skiers and snowboarders of many ages and skill levels, was founded in 2008 and bolstered itself by merging with other events like the Freeskiing World Tour and North Face Masters of Snowboarding in 2013. It is one of the pinnacles of competitive freeride skiing and snowboarding.
In December of 2022, the tour merged with FIS, the governing body for international skiing and snowboarding. FIS wanted to unite all skiing and snowboarding disciplines with the move. The majority of FIS disciplines like alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and Nordic skiing are Olympic sports; there are some that aren’t in the Games program, such as women’s Nordic combined skiing, speed skiing and telemark skiing because of limited participation and safety concerns.
With the FIS seal of approval, freeride skiing and snowboarding are hopeful to be added to the Olympic program for the 2030 French Alps Games. The IOC is expected to announce the 2030 Olympic program in June.
Working for and against freeriding’s case for the Games is their setup. Sure, they don’t require a man-made course like many of the other disciplines, but it’s not the easiest to find steep, untouched terrain, safe from avalanche slides.
It is also difficult to judge a sport rooted in creativity, where everyone is taking different lines, but the Olympics have welcomed popular freeskiing disciplines like slopestyle and big air in past Games.
“This discipline is really the root of skiing,” said the Freeride World Tour’s Communications Manager Victor Le Vély. “Our athletes are a bit like superheroes because, compared to other ski disciplines, they do not see the venue and the face of the competition days before the competition.”
He continued, “We’re pretty confident to integrate into the Olympics; we have the go or no go in June. We do think that the discipline will just continue to grow.”
The tour would like to increase participation, especially from younger ages, and safety measures. Many of their skiers and snowboarders still take up the sport after becoming disillusioned with alpine skiing or other disciplines.
“You need to have a super good technical background,” Le Vély said about becoming a freeride skier or snowboarder. “You need to be really good at understanding a face, choosing the right line and also understanding the snow conditions, because landing a big backflip on fluffy snow or super packed snow is different.”
While the tour hasn’t received the commitments necessary in recent years to host many competitions in the U.S., that hasn’t stalled the sport’s popularity in the country. Parkite Ross Tester finished the men’s skiing season ranked third in the world and Ogden’s Wynter McBride the women’s skiing season sixth in the world. McBride, originally around Lake Tahoe, California, grew up as an alpine skier.
“I got into freeride when I was probably around 10 years old,” McBride said. “As I grew, I found that it wasn’t really my favorite to race and chase gates. I made a deal with my parents that if I won my next race, I could go full time freeride, and I won the race.”
She continued, “It’s been really cool to watch the sport grow and see where my fellow competitors are taking the sport.”
Tester believes his racing background allows him to more-easily navigate between different features of a face. He trains out of Snowbird and Alta. The 27 year old is looking to build off the momentum of this season and continue his strong form into the next few.
“I want to wait and see what the call is on the Olympics,” Tester said. “They’ve been kind of pushing off making an announcement on that, so I want to see what ends up happening. In the meantime, I’m chasing the competition to hopefully make the U.S. team if that comes to fruition.”
Tester believes having freeride on the Olympic program will likely create further opportunities in the sport. He said the typically reliable and heavy snowfall in Utah makes it the perfect place to train and maintain your body when doing so.
“In the U.S., freeride is still kind of more niche and a little bit smaller compared to park skiing, where they have the X Games and everything,” Tester said. “That increased visibility and credibility of having it be an Olympic sport would create a lot of opportunities for athletes.”
He continued, “I just think that it’s the most fun thing you can do on skis, and people should try it for themselves. And, tune in and keep an eye on the sport, because people are killing it. It’s a fun, fun thing to watch.”