{"id":2035155,"date":"2026-07-09T15:20:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T12:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2035155"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:20:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T12:20:52","slug":"all-about-the-olympics-new-sport-freeriding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2035155","title":{"rendered":"All About the Olympic\u2019s New Sport: Freeriding"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_262812\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-262812\" style=\"width: 1449px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-262812 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAFqAQMAAACwNHkZAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADNJREFUeNrtwQENAAAAwqD3T20ON6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA+DByigABZ+FszAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"flip\" width=\"640\" height=\"362\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kai-jones.jpg?resize=640%2C362&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kai-jones.jpg?w=1449&amp;ssl=1 1449w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kai-jones.jpg?resize=300%2C170&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kai-jones.jpg?resize=1200%2C678&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kai-jones.jpg?resize=768%2C434&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kai-jones.jpg?resize=600%2C339&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kai-jones.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"362\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-262812\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/kai-jones.jpg?resize=640%2C362&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"flip\" width=\"640\" height=\"362\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-262812\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Freeriders navigate steep big mountain terrain, performing tricks on their way down using the mountain\u2019s natural features. | Credit: Tony Harrington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_1 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olympics.com\/ioc\/news\/alpes-2030-to-be-first-gender-equal-olympic-winter-games-freeride-ski-and-snowboard-and-synchro9-figure-skating-athletes-to-debut\">announced<\/a> it will be including a new sport at the 2030 Alps: freeride skiing and snowboarding.\u00a0<\/strong>With its inclusion, the IOC brings one of the sport\u2019s most exciting disciplines to the world\u2019s biggest stage. Here\u2019s an introduction to the Olympics\u2019 newest sport.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/freeride-skiing-and-snowboarding-to-debut-at-2030-winter-olympics\/\">Freeride Skiing and Snowboarding to Debut at 2030 Winter Olympics<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Big Mountain Lines and Ungroomed Terrain<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Freeriding is a skiing and snowboarding discipline in which athletes ride down natural, ungroomed, and steep terrain, using the mountain as a canvas to put their creativity on display. <\/strong>During their runs, athletes choose their own unique routes\u2014or lines\u2014from the top of the mountain all the way to the bottom. There is no set course. Instead, athletes are scored on their creativity and the skills they perform as they navigate their unique runs, with no two runs being exactly alike.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Freeriding essentially takes slopestyle to the backcountry.\u00a0<\/strong>But instead of riding a man-made terrain park designed by humans, freeriders use the features the mountain provides. They perform spins, flips, grabs, and airs using natural jumps, cliffs, and takeoffs formed entirely by Mother Nature.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Freeriding also forces athletes to deeply understand the mountain they are riding.\u00a0<\/strong>Conditions can quickly change in the backcountry, with variations in snow depth, visibility, wind, and tracks from other riders all affecting how a line can be ridden. Once an athlete begins their run, they must constantly adapt to hazards like rocks, trees, cliffs, and even avalanche areas to maintain their control and safety, all while trying to win.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-16\" style=\"margin: 8px 0;clear: both\">\n<div id=\"sb-newsletter\" style=\"background:#2B2E3A;border-top:3px solid #D7424E;padding:26px 24px 22px;margin:28px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;width:100%;display:block\">\n<p>    @media (max-width:600px) {<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter { padding:18px 20px 14px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter h3 { font-size:14px !important; white-space:nowrap; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-body { font-size:12px !important; margin-bottom:8px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-proof { font-size:11px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row { flex-wrap:nowrap !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row input { font-size:12px !important; padding:9px 10px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row button { font-size:12px !important; padding:9px 12px !important; }<br \/>\n    }<\/p>\n<div id=\"sb-form-wrap\">\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:2px;text-transform:uppercase;color:#D7424E;margin:0 0 9px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">SnowBrains Newsletter<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:19px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 6px 0;line-height:1.25;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">The snowsports journalism skiers trust.<\/h3>\n<p class=\"sb-body\" style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 8px 0;line-height:1.5;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Award-winning journalism, resort reports, powder forecasts and industry deep dives from the world&#8217;s largest independent snowsports outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sb-proof\" style=\"color:#9ca3af;font-size:12px;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 12px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Join thousands of snow lovers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sb-form-row\" style=\"display:flex;gap:8px;flex-wrap:wrap\">\n<p>      <button style=\"background:#D7424E;color:#fff;border:none;border-radius:4px;padding:10px 20px;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;cursor:pointer;white-space:nowrap\">Subscribe free \u2192<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:11px;margin:10px 0 0 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">No spam. Unsubscribe any time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"sb-success\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:26px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 8px 0;line-height:1.2;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">You&#8217;re in!<\/p>\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:15px;margin:0;line-height:1.5;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Thanks for signing up. The best ski news is on its way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>function sbSubscribe() {<br \/>\n  var email = document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-email&#8217;).value;<br \/>\n  if (!email || !email.includes(&#8216;@&#8217;)) {<br \/>\n    document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-email&#8217;).style.borderColor = &#8216;#D7424E&#8217;;<br \/>\n    return;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n  var url = &#8216;https:\/\/snowbrains.us5.list-manage.com\/subscribe\/post?u=1f247afab0a546e393c022f9a&amp;id=bcbf6caf6b&amp;f_id=003bf2e0f0&#8217;;<br \/>\n  var data = new FormData();<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;EMAIL&#8217;, email);<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;tags&#8217;, &#8216;2188762&#8217;);<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;b_1f247afab0a546e393c022f9a_bcbf6caf6b&#8217;, &#8221;);<br \/>\n  fetch(url, { method: &#8216;POST&#8217;, body: data, mode: &#8216;no-cors&#8217; });<br \/>\n  document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-form-wrap&#8217;).style.display = &#8216;none&#8217;;<br \/>\n  document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-success&#8217;).style.display = &#8216;block&#8217;;<br \/>\n}\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Judging and Scoring<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Unlike traditional Olympic events that are highly structured and formatted, freeriding brings a fresh dose of creative freedom.\u00a0<\/strong>Judges will score athletes based on their creative line choice, control, fluidity, and technical style. There is no clock involved, giving athletes all the time they need to set up for turns and tricks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Difficult, high-scoring lines can include steep terrain, narrow chutes, cliffs, and small, technical riding areas.\u00a0<\/strong>Harder lines generally earn high scores if executed well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Throughout the runs, judges closely watch riders for control and technique, including smooth landings, turn quality, jump execution, and stability at speed.\u00a0<\/strong>Air and style are a large part of an athlete\u2019s score, with cliffs and rollers giving them opportunities for spins, grabs, flips, and straight airs.<\/p>\n<h2>Freeride World Tour<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freerideworldtour.com\/\">Freeride World Tour<\/a> is widely regarded as the sport\u2019s premier international circuit.\u00a0<\/strong>Each winter, the world\u2019s best freeriders travel the world, competing against each other at the best freeride destinations on the globe. Athletes earn points at each stop, and only the top-ranked riders make it to the latter half of the season after a cut. The tour makes several stops before its annual championship event, where the freeride World Champions are crowned.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/2026-fwt-final-at-verbier-usas-mia-jones-wins-womens-snowboard-while-victor-de-le-rue-secures-record-5th-mens-title\/\">2026 FWT Final at Verbier: USA\u2019s Mia Jones Wins Women\u2019s Snowboard, While Victor de Le Rue Secures Record 5th Men\u2019s Title<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The tour played a key part in freeriding\u2019s path to the Olympics.\u00a0<\/strong>In 2022, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) acquired the Freeride World Tour. FIS oversees alpine and freestyle skiing and snowboarding, bringing freeriding under the same body as the sports that are already included in the Olympic Games. The FIS recognized freeriding as an official discipline in 2024, ultimately leading to its inclusion in the 2030 Olympic program.<\/p>\n<h2>Olympic Debut<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Freeriding at the 2030 Olympics will feature four events: men\u2019s ski, men\u2019s snowboard, women\u2019s ski, and women\u2019s snowboard. <\/strong>A total of 44 elite riders\u201422 men and 22 women\u2014will get the chance to compete for an Olympic medal for the first time in freeride history. Freeriding at the Olympics feeds directly into a broader milestone for the Alpes 2030 Games, which the IOC notes will make history as the very first Winter Olympics to achieve total 50-50 gender parity across its entire athlete quota.<\/p>\n<h2>Athletes to Watch<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>NEW ZEALAND\u2014Benjamin James Richards, Men\u2019s Ski: 2026 Freeride World Tour World Champion<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>FRANCE\u2014Lou Barin, Women\u2019s Ski: 2026 Freeride World Tour World Champion<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>FRANCE\u2014Victor de Le Rou, Men\u2019s Snowboard: 2026 Freeride World Tour World Champion<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>U.S.A\u2014Mia Jones, Women\u2019s Snowboard: 2026 Freeride World Tour World Champion<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_415420\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-415420\" style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-415420 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAGrAQMAAABqgLQIAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADhJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T+1tB6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADgDIcbAAEnbF1FAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt=\"lou barin fwt\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lou-barin.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lou-barin.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lou-barin.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lou-barin.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lou-barin.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lou-barin.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lou-barin.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"427\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-415420\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lou-barin.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"lou barin fwt\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-415420\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">2026 Freeride World Tour World Champion Lou Barin is a key athlete to watch at the 2030 Olympics. | Credit: Freeride World Tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Freeriders navigate steep big mountain terrain, performing tricks on their way down using the mountain\u2019s natural features. | Credit: Tony Harrington The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced it will be including a new sport at the 2030 Alps: freeride skiing and snowboarding.\u00a0With its inclusion, the IOC brings one of the sport\u2019s most exciting disciplines [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-2035155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2035155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2035155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2035155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2035155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}