Freeride - 2026 Domestic Season Wrap

The 2026 Australian domestic Freeride season was arguably one of the most exciting yet. Within just a few months, Freeride was confirmed for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games, a FUTURES camp brought riders and coaches together, the Freeride World Tour (FWT) visited Falls Creek for the first time, and Snow Australia announced a new National Freeride Committee. 

Freeride Announced as Newest Olympic Sport

The biggest moment of the season came in July, when the IOC confirmed Freeride on the programme for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in the French Alps. 

The discipline will feature 44 athletes, 22 women and 22 men, across ski and snowboard, as part of the first Olympic Games with full gender equality in quota spots. 

The announcement landed with 12 Australian Freeride athletes already recognised across the Emerging Talent (ETP) Program and Alumni Scholarship.

FUTURES

The Freeride FUTURES camp at Hotham in late July was run in collaboration with the FWT. FWT Junior and Qualifier Head of Events Quentin Radiguet guest hosted, walking riders through the judging criteria and competition structure of a FWT event. On-snow sessions were then led by Coen Bennie-Faull, Director of the Higher Freeride Program, and Briony Johnson, Australia’s current FWT Challenger Series snowboarder. 

FWT Junior Event

The young athletes put that knowledge to use when the FWT Junior tour made its first-ever stop at Falls Creek. A total of 93 skiers and snowboarders took to Rapunzel’s Run across three age categories, judged on line choice, fluidity, technique, airs and overall impressions. Two of the winners, Harlem Pec and Gabe Hardwick, are part of the 2026 Snow Australia 2026 ETP, a promising sign for the seasons to come. 

Many Australian athletes then travelled across the Tasman to New Zealand, which hosted three FWT Junior events, where young Australians collected some great results. 

Harlem Pec won the overall series for the U15 Ski men, with Gabriella G Ansel finishing the season in second on the U15 ski women leaderboard

On the snowboard side, Vinnie Douglas finished the Southern Hemisphere season on top, with Willow Latimer in third. 

Jackson Bayliss took out the ski men U17 category, whilst Jasper Rogers won the U19 Ski men, and Pantxo Wall and his sister Clementine Wall both topped the leaderboard on the snowboard side. Neve White also finished high on the leaderboard, coming in second place behind Clementine.

National Freeride Committee

Snow Australia has formed a National Freeride Committee to advise the Board on pathways, programs, policy and events. The Committee is currently seeking athletes, coaches, event organisers, officials and judges to help guide the future of freeride in Australia, with expressions of interest open until Friday 6 November. 

For further information, please contact Snow Australia at info@snow.org.au.