The Freeride World Tour has returned to Alaska for the first time since 2017. Haines replaced Kicking Horse Mountain Resort as the fifth stop on the tour and the first stop following the cut. The freeride athletes have endured a particularly tumultuous season leading up to this point, with three stops in a row that were scheduled but ultimately cancelled due to avalanche danger or unsafe snow conditions. Those who qualified arrived in the Great Frontier ready to put on a show.
Competition organizers opted to use the same face used during the 2016 and 2017 Alaska stops, known simply as “The Venue.” The steep easterly face offers classic Alaskan spine lines, massive drops, and pitches reaching up to 51°. With two start gates at 2,100 and 2,130 meters, riders descended 740 vertical meters on one of the longest and most challenging faces on the tour. Twenty centimeters of fresh snow atop a solid base gave riders a forgiving surface to test their limits—and they certainly did.
Snowboard Men
The first group to drop into The Venue was the Snowboard Men. With six riders qualified, it was anyone’s competition.
22-year-old rookie César Barin opened the face and, after a sketchy first two hits, turned his run around by landing a huge 360 and linking together several drops. Another rookie, Sacha Balicco, was second to drop, stomping a stylish 360 at the top before navigating a fast and technical lower section. His run earned 78.67 points and put him in the Hot Seat.
Fourth to drop—and sitting second in the standings entering the event—was Liam Rivera. Rivera exploded out of his ridgeline traverse, sending a massive high-speed air off his first cliff that set the tone for the rest of his run. He followed with smooth riding and two 360s, overtaking Balicco in the Hot Seat with a score of 89.00.
The final rider to drop was four-time FWT champion and current standings leader Victor De Le Rue. Beginning his run with a huge 540 off the cornice, De Le Rue never slowed down. His signature surfy style was on full display, punctuated by two 360s and finished with a nose-butter three that earned him 91.00 points and the win in Alaska.
Snowboard Women
Snowboard Women followed, with four athletes qualified and rookie Mia Jones dropping first wearing the Golden Bib. Jones wasted no time charging down the top section as if an avalanche were chasing her. She displayed impressive technical precision and the poise of a seasoned competitor as she sped down The Venue, finishing her run with a high-speed air immediately after disappearing briefly in a powder cloud.
The rest of the field struggled to match the standard Jones set. All three remaining competitors had control errors that resulted in significant deductions, leaving Jones 33 points ahead of second-place finisher Anna Martinez.
Ski Women
Ski Women followed, and The Venue quickly showed its dangers as edges caught and riders were bucked off line.
Wynter McBride was first to drop. Despite skiing the upper section beautifully with several airs, she caught firm debris at the bottom, losing a ski and disqualifying her run.
Next was rookie and current Ski Women leader Agostina Vietti. She opened with a huge double drop but crashed on the landing, losing a ski and having to self-arrest.
Sybille Blanjean followed with a confident and controlled line, stomping her cliffs cleanly and earning 75.67 points to take the Hot Seat.
Former FWT champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe then got caught in rocks and tumbled off a cliff, disqualifying her run. Rookie Zoe Delzoppo was the final skier to drop; despite skiing beautifully, she lost control on her final cliff. Even with the fall and deduction, her score secured Blanjean the win in Alaska.
Ski Men
Ski Men dropped last with 13 athletes qualified. Ben Richards entered the event leading the standings, and a win would have secured the overall title.
Max Hitzig was first to drop. A miscalculated backflip resulted in a tomahawk and ejected ski—a sign of how challenging the face proved for much of the field.
Ross Tester, who entered the competition in second overall, dropped next. Linking two 360s with massive drops and fluid skiing, he earned 89.00 points and took the Hot Seat.
The next three athletes all received no scores after falls, including reigning champion Marcus Goguen, who attempted a cork 720 followed by backflips but crashed on his final send.
Richards was next. Despite a minor bobble on his opening drop, he skied The Venue with his trademark ex-racer speed and precision. Two 360s—including one voted Trick of the Day—earned him 82.67 points.
The tenth athlete to drop, Toby Rafford, delivered the run of the day. After stomping a 360 off his first drop and navigating a rock field with the agility of a World Cup slalom skier, Rafford continued charging down the face without hesitation. A final 360 secured him a score of 90.67 and the Hot Seat.
Rookie Ugo Troubat followed with an explosive run that began with back-to-back massive 360s. He later sent what was arguably the largest drop of the competition, earning 89.67 points and second place.
The final two riders completed their runs but could not crack the top four. While six of the 13 men fell, Rafford’s performance secured him the victory in Alaska and propelled him into the overall lead ahead of Richards.
After a challenging season, only one stop remains—on freeride’s most iconic face, the Bec des Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland.
No athlete has yet locked in a season title, setting up a dramatic finale.
Mia Jones holds the largest lead in the Snowboard Women category, though she can still be overtaken by Noémie Equy. In Snowboard Men, Liam Rivera and Victor De Le Rue remain in contention for the overall crown, with De Le Rue chasing a fifth FWT title.
In Ski Women, Blanjean now leads after her Alaska victory, though second through fifth place remain tightly packed and capable of overtaking her in Verbier.
Richards had dominated the Ski Men category earlier in the season and has already secured an overall podium finish. However, Rafford’s win in Alaska vaulted him into first place heading into the finale, while Tester and rookie Troubat will battle for the remaining podium spots.
After a season of cancellations and uncertainty, the Freeride World Tour now heads to Verbier for one final showdown—where the world’s best freeriders will once again push their limits on one of the most legendary faces in the sport.
