The Freeride Guide

It's official!  Freeride will be included in the 2030 Olympic Games in the French Alps.  In this emergency, summer, podcast, Mark and Derek talk about about how we got to this point and discuss some of the details and potential story lines to come as we head towards a new important milestone in our favourite sport. Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/W4GFRRhnuSg The Freeride Guide is S...

This is the final 2026 Freeride Guide episode of the season!  We recap all the news and highlights from a challenging year for the Freeride World Tour. Cancelled events, rookie domination and rulebook controversy are all on tap. We're also joined by 2023 FWT Snowboard Champion  Katie Anderson to talk about the confusing Wildcard selection process, and how more SB Women should be added to the tour....

This is the Full RECAP of the second edition of Natural Selection Ski. NST originally planned on holding the competition on, "Spine Cell", a gnarly, big mountain Alaskan face. Due to weather, and an avalanche, the organization had to do a hard pivot to a safer, rolling venue that resembled a backcountry terrain park set up. The shift from a freeride venue to one more suited to freestyle worked per...

The 2026 IFSA FWT Region 2 Challengers by Orage were condensed into 5 days, 3 events, 3 venues and 2 towns in British Columbia. Its where the riders who have been competing and building points all year on the qualifier circuit and the FWT riders who got cut, meet for a final showdown to find out who will make it to the Freeride World Tour in 2027. This is the RECAP of the overall series. 4:30 - In...

The 2026 YETI Xtreme Verbier was everything we hoped it would be. The final event of the FWT26 season bucked the trend of cancelled events, shortened events and unfortunate weather. The riders were welcomed with sunny, blue skies, cold temps and 50cms of fresh snow on the famous Bec des Rosses.  They took advantage of these perfect conditions to battle for the right to be crowned the FWT 2026 Worl...

The Freeride World Tour returned to Haines Alaska for the first of two final events. This is the full EVENT RECAP.  The riders here have not only qualified for the final two events this season but they've also punched their tickets to the tour in 2027. For some, the pressure was off so they could really push their limits. For others the possibility of becoming FWT Champion has only added more pres...

This is one instance where the third time definitely isn't a charm. The Fieberbrunn Pro was cancelled adding another failed event to the pile after two attempts to run the Georgia Pro. Once in Georgia and once in Kühtai, Austria. In a season where the athletes expected four events before The CUT, they only got two and it shook things up! We talk about who made it and who didn't, including a tidal...

The FWT has had to make some difficult decisions this season. Suspending the World Championships with 5 riders still to drop. Cancelling the Georgia Pro event in Georgia. Choosing a replacement event in Kühtai and then having to cancel that event. Those decisions partly fall on the shoulders of FWT Commissioner, Lolo Besse. In this exclusive interview he guides us through the process of making the...

If it weren't for bad luck the FWT wouldn't have any luck at all this season. The cancelled FWT Georgia Pro event was quickly restaged in Kühtai, Austria. Once again though, the competition was cancelled due to incontestable snow conditions and the athletes are leaving without putting down a run... well, most of them are. After the only two riders of the day, Ben Richards and Joey Leonardo, crosse...

There are big updates and news in the world of freeride and we're here to fill you in. First, we talk about the FWT Georgia Pro getting cancelled and what that means for the tour. We give you the IFSA comp updates and upcoming challenger info, followed by a little chat about this year's Kings and Queens of Corbet's. To finish things off we bring you the Natural Selection Ski Wild Cards and outline...

This is the RECAP of the first ever Allianz Andorra 2026 Ordino Arcalis FIS Freeride World Championships by Mammut. In this special FWT event, the athletes weren't just riding with their country's flag on their shoulders, they were directly representing their home country. The roster was a little bigger and a little different from the season circuit and we were treated to excellent conditions, som...

Here are interviews with the newly crowned World Champions, Mia Jones and Ben Richards, recorded in the finish corral at the Allianz Andorra 2026 Ordino Arcalis FIS Freeride World Championships by Mammut. Full Event RECAP -   https://youtu.be/YkttQWiXcF4   Watch This Episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/9BvWlqtGmA0 The Freeride Guide is Supported By :    Surefoot Custom Ski Boots  HEAD -Tyrolia K...

This is a PREVIEW into The Allianz FIS Freeride World Championships Andorra 2026 by Mammut. 65 of the world's best freeride skiers and snowboarders from 17 nations to compete for the historic title of FIS Freeride World Champion. We're joined by Lily Bradley to start things off followed by a series of short interviews recorded at the official face check, just ahead of competition day. We talk with...

This is the full RECAP of the FWT26 Val Thorens Pro. The second event of the season proved challenging for the Ski Men. A specific feature proved, many times over, that 360's were actually superior to backflips. An Argentinian topped the podium for the first time ever in Ski Women and local athletes took top spots in the Snowboard Men and Women's categories. To add a little spice, there was a bit...

This is a pre-competition update for FWT26 Val Thorens Pro Event.  A new comp face has been chosen, a former champion, Leo Slemmet returns as an event wildcard, we have an injury update and Mark interviews, Max Hitzig and Valle Rainer,  Jack Kolesch and Wynter McBride.  We also get a quick visit from Michaela Davis Meehan.   01:41 - Intro / Comp Face Update 04:11 - Injury Updates 04:45  - Michaela...

This is the full RECAP of the FWT26 Baqueira Beret Pro by Movistar. Starting the season in Spain, the riders dropped into Baciver Face after an alternate venue last season. This year the rookies made a huge statement on the day with several podium finishes, proving exactly why they belong! 00:00 - Intro 4:30- Backslap Fan Emails  19:20 - SNOWBOARD WOMEN 29:19 - SNOWBOARD MEN 40:10 - HEAD's Up Mome...

Get to know the FWT 2026 Athletes as we introduce you to this season's Rookies and Wildcards. We're joined by Rookie, Lochlan Harvey who gives us some insider info on some of the new riders, where they're from and who to keep an eye on during this season's action!   Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EG6BPyaB5FY The Freeride Guide is Supported By :    Surefoot Custom Ski Boots  HEAD -...

The Freeride Guide is back! The long wait is over as the The Freeride World Tour returns for the 2026 season. In this episode Mark and Derek preview the FWT event calendar and the upcoming, inaugural World Championships. Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nFRT9_8IXD0 The Freeride Guide is Supported By :    Surefoot Custom Ski Boots  HEAD -Tyrolia KORE Collection Send us an email to th...

It's time to talk about all the athletes who punched their tickets to the FWT for 2026. Mark and Derek are joined by IFSA Challenger Series Coordinator, Brennan Metzler and Snowboard Athlete Warren Doyle who will be returning to the WFT after a successful Challenger campaign. We break down the final rankings from the Region 1 and Region 2 Series, discuss what happened and what's next for this new...

We're joined by Freeride World Tour CEO Nicolas Hale-Woods to discuss the big stories of the season, starting with the much-celebrated return of the FWT to Alaska. We also get his take on the loss of the Kicking Horse stop and how that's not the end of the partnership. Nicolas gives us some clarity into the differing Region 1 and 2 Challenger formats, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the t...

This is the FULL event RECAP for the inaugural YETI Natural Selection Ski Following the footsteps of it's snowboarding origins NST SKI is carving a bold new line into skiing's history books with a new way to approach freeride competition. 12 skiers faced "Priority 1", one of Alaska's most legendary big mountain venues, with a single mission: create a film-quality, freestyle-meets-freeride line in...

Mike Douglas is here to preview the upcoming and inaugural Natural Selection Ski event.  Mike, also known as "The Godfather of Freeskiing",  has taken the reigns as the Event Director of NST Ski. We discuss how he got the job as well as what went into the creation of NST Ski.  He details the processes of venue and athlete selection as well as the logistics of accommodating 50 people in the backcou...

This is the Full Season RECAP and Mark and Derek are putting a bow on it by revisiting the key events, news and highlights from the 2025 Freeride World Tour Season that was. Recorded @ Surefoot Whistler 0:00 - Intro 4:18 - Backslap Inbox 13:58 - New Announcers 1 9:45 - Baqueira Beret 27:08 - Val Thorens 32:48 - Kicking Horse 38:35 - Georgia 36:23 - Fieberbrunn 54:33 - Verbier & Final Results 1:23:...

This is the FULL event RECAP for the sixth and final event of the 2025 Freeride World Tour season; The 30th anniversary of the YETI Xtreme Verbier by Honda. We saw some spectacular performances as well as some heartbreaking moments on the way to crowning 3 new World Champions as well as 4 first time winners in Verbier. The Legendary Bec des Rosses presented an extra challenge in the way of a very...

This is the FULL event RECAP for the fifth event of the 2025 Freeride World Tour season at Fieberbrunn Austria which was the final event before The Cut. We saw some spectacular clutch performances which propelled some riders above the cut line and disappointing runs that dropped some below. Due to challenging snow conditions, only 3 of the 4 categories were able to compete. The FWT deemed the Wild...