What is freeride skiing?
Spend enough time in the mountains, and you’re bound to hear the ‘F’ word bouncing around. Yep: freeriding. But what is freeride skiing? And how and when did it become a part of the skiing landscape? Find out the answers and more in our quick-fire guide.
Let’s cut to the chase: freeride skiing involves riding on natural, ungroomed terrain, often with a dash of air time and creativity. It’s all about adventure and exploration, heading out of bounds, and interpreting the line in front of you.
There are zero rules in freeriding. Basically, you descend how you want – usually with style ‘n’ creative hits. If you charge an untouched face or jib a natural pipe in the backcountry, congrats: you’re freeriding. But where did it come from, and are there any specific techniques? Wonder no more – our lil’ guide has all the answers. Oh, and our collection is full of high-performance styles to handle those big lines and raw, technical terrain. Check it out below.
Find out more about freeriding
The freeride evolution
Not to get too hippy, but freeriding involves unleashing your creativity and flowing as one with nature and the mountain, man! It’s all about feeling free (the clue’s in the name), soaking up the fun, and exploring in a way that suits you.
As a discipline, freeriding was born as a kind of push-back from the regimented, ordered routine of alpine ski competitions. Freeriders ripped up the rule book, scoffed at implemented resort boundaries, and said ‘bye’ to groomed runs and corduroy. Instead, they embraced freedom, adapting and flexing their style to the curves, bumps, and challenges of natural terrain. Oh, and injecting air time, too.
Then, in 1996, the Verbier Xtreme was born. Today, it’s known as the Freeride World Tour (FWT), an annual series where the world’s top freeriders compete for individual event wins and the overall World Champion title. These skiers and snowboarders conquer steep, untouched terrain in formidable spots such as Verbier, Kicking Horse, Ordino Arcalís, and Fieberbrunn. Only a few ‘rules’ exist encouraging style, play, and rider interpretation. Past and present FWT riders include Xavier de Le Rue, Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Cody Townsend, Candide Thovex, Angel Collinson, Julia Mancuso, Travis Rice, and other legends.
Freeriding then had another monumental moment. Yep, in 2024, the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) recognized Freeride Skiing and Snowboarding as an official discipline. This development rolled out global opportunities and athlete support alongside the inclusion of a Freeriding discipline in the Winter Olympic Games. But what does this discipline mean for the everyday rider? Let’s take a look…
Terrain
Freeriding involves choosing your line on varied, unpatrolled terrain – basically, far away from the groomers. That’s why you might hear some riders refer to the discipline in the context of riding off-piste or heading into the backcountry (or sidecountry).
Accessing a remote line might require skinning, traversing, or bootpacking. However, once at the top, you can do more than straightline down the fall line. Freeriders often jib, stomp tricks, and catch air off the mountain’s natural features, such as couloirs, glades, gulleys, chutes, and bowls.
In that sense, you’ll notice elements of freestyle within freeriding. However, whereas freestylers stick to manmade terrain parks and features, freeriders like things au naturel, using the whole mountain as their playground.
As unmarked terrain can be unpredictable, it’s not unusual for riders to plot out their route before attempting – especially in comp scenarios. No one wants to drop off a cliff because they didn’t prep their line! Of course, preplanning your descent isn’t always possible or entirely necessary. And this is where specific techniques come into play…
Freeride skiing techniques
You might wonder how freeriding differs from your standard off-piste shredding. Well, typically, a freerider chooses to drop in to more extreme, stomach-churning steeps and exposed faces. They charge hard, fast, and aggressively while boosting features and side hits. This advanced technique and adventurous approach is why some people interchange the term ‘freeride skiing’ with ‘big mountain riding’.
Adaptability is key. That’s because there’s no set route or goals in off-piste skiing. And, as a result, you need to be ready to adapt to technical terrain and what it holds below. This technique and terrain variety is 100% the spice of the sport. And nothing quite beats leaving your tracks on a previously untamed canvas.
In freeriding, you might encounter unexpected obstacles or challenges at every turn. For example, one minute, you’re slashing knee-deep, dreamy pow with fast, lengthy turns. The next, you’re tackling surprisingly crusty snow on a gnarlier-than-anticipated section before throwing in a cliff drop and working your way through tight trees. A firm but soft stance with unlocked knees helps cushion and absorb those mountain-made bumps, dips, and rises. Having speed on your side is a huge plus, too.
Ultimately, it’s essential to dial your technique all the way to ‘advanced/expert’ before tackling this type of terrain. So, spend time off-piste or in the backcountry to hone the skills, speed, and confidence needed to tackle varying levels of steepness and demanding complex routes.
Freeriding gear and equipment
Because so much of freeriding involves riding in unpatrolled, unmarked terrain – and often on gradients over 30 degrees – it’s essential you carry your avalanche safety equipment with you. That means having an avalanche beacon, probe, and shovel in your pack. Some freeriders ride with an airbag pack/avalanche airbag, too. And don’t forget to hire a certified mountain guide – especially if you’re a newbie or exploring fresh areas.
More often than not, you’ll also be in deep, ungroomed snow. So, it’s handy to have planks made for these conditions. Freeride skis typically have a wider waist (more than 100mm), which distributes weight over as much surface area as possible. The result? Dreamy float in the deep stuff. Tip rocker often enhances float while simultaneously helping absorb bumps. There might be a degree of tail rocker, too. This adds maneuverability and makes it easier to control your sticks.
Freeride ski designs are often longer and heavier with stiffer flex than your average slope ski. That’s so they can stomp massive airs and provide stability at speed. Some skiers, though, have different skis for different riding styles. For example, they might own lighter, narrower freetouring skis (also known as freerando) to climb up and drop off the back. They might then have fat skis for deep powder days when float is 100% needed.
As mentioned, some riders skin up to their lines. So, they might use a touring setup (with lightweight pin/tech bindings) and flexible, light touring boots. There’s nothing to say you can’t freeride using lifts, though. In this case, you might prefer a heavier downhill setup with alpine boots alongside frame or hybrid bindings. Your choice is usually down to personal preference and the type of terrain you ride.
Wrapping up
With freeriding, you carve your own path, explore, and show the mountain your individual style. And that’s piquing the interest of more and more riders across the world – especially those looking for a bit of an adrenaline boost outside the marked trails. So, what do you think? Are you ready to give it a go?
Want more tips? Or keen to chat about outerwear, skis, certain resorts, and more? Reach out to our super-friendly (and super-ski-obsessed) team via our online chat or crew@dopesnow.com. Whether you freeride, hit the park, lap the groomers, or are just starting out, our team is always stoked to talk shop ‘n’ snow.
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