Freeride announced as newest Winter Olympic discipline

This announcement confirms a major milestone in Olympic history with the French Alps Games being the first Olympics to achieve full gender equality, with quota spots split evenly 50-50 between men and women.

Freeride has seen rapid growth in recent years, both in Australia and internationally, building a strong following among younger fans. 

Snow Australia has been proud to support this rise, collaborating with Mt Hotham, Falls Creek and the Freeride World Tour (FWT) to deliver competition, education and development pathways over the past couple of years.

That work is backed by Snow Australia’s FUTURES and Emerging Talent Program (ETP), supporting athletes through performance planning, competition awareness and pathway education. 

The Freeride FUTURES program, run during the FWT Junior and Qualifier events at Mt Hotham this July and August, will give up-and-coming athletes the chance to ride alongside Australia's leading freeride coaches and athletes ahead of their own competitions. 

With 12 freeride athletes already recognised across Snow Australia's ETP and Alumni scholarship, this discipline's Olympic debut will be one to watch.

The sport heads into 2030 fresh off a successful inaugural FIS Freeride World Championships in Andorra, and will feature 44 athletes (22 women and 22 men) competing across ski and snowboard.

“It is clear why Freeride’s combination of raw excitement on a stunning natural terrain is an appealing addition to the Games,” says IOC president Alexander Ospelt,

“Freeride is a success story on the development level: within a couple of decades, the discipline created a structured pathway for athletes to compete, from the junior level all the way to the elite.” 

Snow Australia CEO Ben Wordsworth said: "The inclusion of Freeride in the Olympic programme is a milestone for our sport and a proud moment for the Australian Freeride community. 

“Congratulations to everyone who has helped build the discipline to this point. Snow Australia looks forward to continuing to support the growth of Freeride and creating opportunities for Australian athletes to succeed on the world stage,” he said.

Snow Australia Head of Programs and Event Delivery Johnny Lipzker said: “This announcement is a major step forward for Freeride and provides a clear point of inspiration for young athletes entering the pathway.

“Snow Australia has been working closely with resorts, coaches, athletes and the Freeride World Tour to build competition, education and development opportunities in Australia.With Freeride now confirmed as an Olympic discipline, that pathway work becomes even more important as we support the next generation of Australian freeride athletes,” he said.

Ski Mountaineering has also been confirmed for the 2030 programme, following approval at the 146th IOC Session decision on 25th of June 2026. The discipline will feature individual, sprint, and mixed relay events. Following a successful debut for two Australian athletes at the Milano Cortina Games, this confirmation of SkiMo's place at 2030 is a fantastic outcome.

Snowboard Parallel Slalom has been reinstated following a review over the last two Olympic cycles, having shown growth in popularity between Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026. The event will also introduce a mixed team event, marking a great step forward for Snowboard Alpine and its future.

Nordic Combined, an event that has been at every Winter Olympics since the beginning in 1924, will no longer be featured in the Olympic programme, marking the end of a near century long run.

Ski Cross also saw an exciting change on the programme, with the addition of a mixed team event. 

Snow Australia is proud to announce the FUTURES Freeride tour will return in 2026. For more information and event registration click here.