Australia's best young Freeriders take over Falls Creek

Photo Credit: Falls Creek / Vail Resorts

Falls Creek hosted the Inaugural Freeride World Tour (FWT) Junior 2* over the weekend, as 93 of Australia’s best young freeriders took over the mountain for the resort’s first ever Freeride World Tour (FWT) event. 

The new competition brought together emerging skiers and snowboarders under the age of 19 for a day of freeride action on Rapunzel's Run, while spectators cheered on from the Tower’s chairlift.

Open to skiers and snowboarders across three junior categories, the event challenged athletes to showcase their creativity, control and style on natural terrain, with judging focused on line choice, fluidity, technique, airs, and overall rider expression. 

The Junior event gives young riders a chance to experience a FWT competition structure firsthand, helping them build skills and gain exposure in a safe, supportive environment.

With Freeride set to debut at the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, the FWT Junior Tour gives young Australian riders a vital pathway toward the professional FWT. 

Hosting these events on home soil allows athletes to gain experience competing under official freeride judging criteria while sharpening their line selection, technique, style and confidence on natural terrain, without having to travel overseas.

Across 19 divisions, the event showcased an impressive depth of talent in both ski and snowboard, pointing to a bright future for the sport in Australia. 

Category Winners

U19

Ski Men: Kobi Woods

Ski Women: Kyrra Tacilauskas

Snowboard Men: Gabe Hardwick

Snowboard Women: Clementine Wall

U17

Ski Men: Howard Barraclough

U15

Ski Men: Harlem Pec

Ski Women: Sylvie Bostock

Snowboard Men: Vinnie Douglas

Snowboard Women: Willow Latimer

The event follows the Hotham FUTURES camp, run by Snow Australia in collaboration with the FWT on 28 July. The Freeride FUTURES provides emerging athletes the chance to connect with fellow competitors and coaches, while offering insight into the FWT and its pathways.

At the FUTURES camp, following a presentation from Quentin Radiguet, Head of Events for the FWT Junior and Qualifier series, riders took part in an on-snow session led by Coen Bennie-Faull, Director of the Higher Freeride Program, and Briony Johnson, Australia’s current FWT Challenger Series athlete. 

The FWT event, along with the FUTURES program, has offered an exciting glimpse into the future Australian freeride. Judging by the strength of this winter’s field, the sport is gearing up for a memorable Olympic debut in 2030.

There is still plenty of freeride opportunity this season with another FWT Junior 2* event in Hotham on 29-30th of August and the Battle of the Bluff held at Thredbo on the 12th of August, as well as nine more Freeride events held in New Zealand this season. For more Freeride event information click here.