At the season-ending Freeride World Tour (FWT) Challenger Series at Arapahoe Basin on April 15–16, skiers and snowboarders had just one chance to impress as they tackled the resort’s most rugged terrain from the North Pole, down the East Wall, and through the rocky section known as the Land of the Giants. Judging was based on line choice, style, control, air, technique, and fluidity.
Everyone brought their A-game, but the women’s performances were especially bold. Battling fierce winds at the summit, where they had to choose between three tight chutes, the female athletes grew increasingly daring. The final woman to drop, 22-year-old Jessie Violet from New Zealand, took a few careful turns before launching a huge backflip off a wind-formed lip, soaring over rocks, and landing in a snowfield before finishing her line. “As soon as I saw that lip, I knew what I wanted to do,” Violet said. “All the women were going big—it was super inspiring. It’s amazing to watch the level of freeride women rise. Someone does something huge, and everyone else is like, ‘I’ve got to do that too,’ and it just keeps progressing.”
In freeride, athletes only get one run and rely on visual inspection of the course. For most, the real challenge isn’t each other but the mountain itself. When one woman pushes limits, others are quick to follow. “We all want to succeed and push each other,” said Wynter McBride, 24, who won both competition days at A-Basin and secured a place on the 2026 Freeride World Tour, which returns to the U.S. next season for the first time in nearly a decade. Her winning lines featured big airs, a safety grab, clean execution through tricky terrain, and multiple 360s. “Skiing with other women is empowering,” she said. “We’re on the same level and motivate each other to keep pushing.”
Rachel Shannon, co-commentator at the event and Education Systems Manager for IFSA, marveled at the performances. A former competitor herself, she was blown away by Violet’s backflip, especially after Violet had failed to finish the day before. “She stomped a backflip in an exposed spot I was stunned,” said Shannon. “Women have always had the ability. Maybe now it’s better community support and resources, but the performance gap is narrowing.”
Since 2022, female participation across all FWT levels has jumped by nearly 94 percent. The organization has also increased the number of women on staff from 33 to 42 percent and responded to the fact that only 22 percent of judges were women by launching a women-focused training program, now resulting in 82 qualified female judges. “It’s a ripple effect,” said Shannon. “When you see someone who looks and talks like you pushing limits, it inspires you to do the same. We’re watching a cultural shift. If girls are told early on they can’t keep up with boys, they’ll believe it. But that mindset is changing.”
Britta Winans, who won the Challenger Series opener in Kirkwood, California, shared similar thoughts, especially after seeing younger girls dominate at the Junior World Freeride Championship. “These girls are doing tricks I didn’t even know were possible when I was their age,” she said. “They’re just a few years younger than me and already throwing flat spins and hitting massive cliffs. Watching another woman go big from the start gate makes you believe you can do it, too. There’s such a strong sense of community it’s amazing to witness this evolution in real time.”
With the debut FIS Freeride World Championships coming next year and the sport under review for inclusion in the 2030 Winter Olympics, freeride’s momentum is only accelerating.
Be the first to comment