On Tuesday, February 3, the first-ever FIS Freeride World Championships were held at Ordino Arcalís in the Andorran Pyrenees. The event marked the “official integration of freeride into FIS as a recognized winter sports discipline,” as stated by the FWT. As such, all eyes were on Andorra, where over 60 skiers and riders representing 17 countries were slated to drop into the steep competition face located high above the Tristaina Gondola.
Athletes and fans were forced to wait an additional hour or so for the event to get underway, as inclement weather and poor visibility delayed the competition significantly. Nonetheless, once things cleared up, the first three categories—snowboard men, snowboard women, and ski men—were fortunately able to run without further interruption. These favorable conditions, however, would swiftly change during the fourth and final category of the day: women’s ski.
By about the 70-minute mark of the women’s ski competition, 11 riders had dropped, including Zuzanna Witych (POL), whose smooth, fast, and feature-filled run earned her an 80.33. That score was enough for Witych to edge out 2025 world tour champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe (CAN) for the top spot, with just five skiers remaining. However, right before the 12th rider—Agostina Vietti, the winner of the previous FWT event in Val Thorens—was set to drop, more inclement weather rolled in, forcing the competition into an indefinite hold.
During the delay, clouds continued to build and visibility steadily decreased. After about an hour of waiting, and as it became evident that conditions would not improve in a timely manner, the contest director decided to end the competition and enact the 2/3 rule—a rule that allows a competition to be validated as long as at least two-thirds of the athletes in a given discipline have competed. This meant that Zuzanna Witych officially became the FIS World Champion, but perhaps more consequentially, five skiers were rendered unable to drop.
Agostina Vietti (ARG), Lily Bradley (USA), Manon Loschi (FRA), Astrid Cheylus (FRA), and Wynter McBride (USA), through no fault of their own, were stripped of the opportunity to compete and therefore did not receive scores in what was arguably the biggest freeride event of the year. This outcome has understandably sparked backlash from fans and athletes alike. Some blame a bloated men’s ski field of 24 athletes for eating into time that could have been allotted to ski women, while others accuse the FWT of not wanting to spend the additional money required to give the five skiers a chance to compete on a different day.
Wynter McBride, however, offered a more nuanced and understanding perspective. In the wake of not being able to compete, she told POWDER, “The FWT team takes safety super seriously. As an athlete, I would have loved to compete, but it’s also nice to know I can trust the staff to make those tricky safety decisions.”
Evidently, this is not a cut-and-dry issue. While it’s undeniable that the five aforementioned women’s ski athletes were dealt an unlucky hand, safety must ultimately take precedence over competition. Perhaps moving forward, official rules and standard practices could be reviewed or adjusted to ensure that this incredibly unfortunate situation does not repeat itself.