One of the world’s most thrilling winter sports is finally coming to the world’s biggest stage. Freeride skiing and snowboarding has been steadily growing in popularity since at least the 1990s, when this gnarly alpine discipline was codified with official contests in the U.S. and Europe. It’s a rough-and-tumble sport that’s also fun as hell to watch.
And now it’s coming to the Olympic Games.
On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that freeride skiing and snowboarding will debut at the Alpes 2030 Olympic Winter Games. This is a major milestone for a sport that relies on natural terrain, with each athlete judged by the line they choose as they descend.
Freeriding is a far cry from traditional winter sports at the Olympics, which usually rely on purpose-built courses repeated by every competitor. The more subjective nature of freeride skiing and snowboarding also makes it a joy to watch, as the athletes are facing the danger and uncertainty of ungroomed mountains. As the Freeride World Tour says, “It’s arguably the most exciting snowsport competition of the 21st century.”
Years in the Making
Though the annual competition of the Freeride World Tour technically began in 2008, its roots date back to the 1996 launch of the Xtreme Verbier contest in Switzerland. Freeride competitions began as snowboard-only events, with the single-plank approach to mountain descents offering stability for big-air drops. Eventually, skiing was added as well.
As for the Olympics, the plan to bring it to the world’s biggest athletic competition has been years in the making.
In 2022, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) acquired the Freeride World Tour. The FIS is the largest winter international federation in the world and is recognized by the IOC. Freeride fans hoped the merger would lead to the Olympic Games, and four years later, they’re getting their wish. Acceptance by the Olympic Committee reflects the sport’s growth from “a small competitive scene into a worldwide discipline with a fast-expanding base of athletes and fans,” Freeride World Tour organizers said Tuesday.
“I’m really stoked Freeriding is now part of the Olympics. This is such a huge opportunity for all the athletes and the entire sport,” said Mia Jones, the 2026 FIS Freeride World Champion and 2026 FWT Champion. “The energy surrounding the Olympics is truly unlike anything else, so I can’t wait to see it all go down!”
Olympic Inclusion & Gender Parity
Though freeride’s origins lie mostly in the U.S. and Europe, the global stage of the Olympics means these athletes will now be representing their nations. It’s a fitting upgrade for a sport that has long since been embraced by winter sports professionals all over the globe.
As for the competition itself, the Olympic freeride contest will comprise four events. These include men’s ski, women’s ski, men’s snowboard, and women’s snowboard. The inclusion will also provide an opportunity for 44 athletes (22 women and 22 men, skiers and snowboarders) to compete at the Olympics for the first time.
And in a separate but equally notable announcement Tuesday, the 2030 Winter Olympic Games will also be the first Winter Games to achieve gender parity, with roughly equal numbers of both male and female athletes. Some 3,046 athletes (1,525 female and 1,521 male) are set to compete across 126 events (56 for women, 55 for men, and 15 mixed).
As freerider skiers and snowboarders of both genders compete in the next few years as part of the Freeride World Tour, they’ll be able to move closer to an ultimate goal of many athletes: an Olympic medal.
“Competing in Freeride at the Olympics is the dream, honestly,” said Toby Rafford, the 2026 FIS Freeride World Tour Vice Champion for Ski Men and FWT’s 2025 Rookie of the Year. “It would be an honor to represent Team USA, but beyond that, it would be massive for the sport overall. Now that it’s officially on for 2030, I’m super excited to put a lot of my energy into qualifying.”
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