Freeride Events 2025/26 – All the information about the highlights of the season

Gliding through fresh powder snow on the steepest slopes and performing spectacular tricks on rugged rocks – that’s what freeride pros live for. And they want to convey this feeling of weightlessness and adrenaline to ski fans all over the world. Their stage is the world’s best Freeride Events, and SnowTrex shows you which top ski resorts will be hosting them in the 2025/26 season.

© Dmytro Vietrov/shutterstock.de

Professional freeriders feel at home in deep snow on the steepest and most surreal mountain slopes in the world – whether on snowboards or skis.

An overview of the best Freeride Events in 2025/26

Open Faces 2025 – Kappl

On 25 January 2025, the first contest of ‘Open Faces 2025’ will take place in the backcountry of the Ski area Skischaukel Kappl & See. Around the Quellspitze (the ‘Face’), freeride pros from all over the world will tackle the rough, intimidating and at the same time fascinating slope. The runs of the top freeride event start at an altitude of 2,690 metres. And before the spectacular descent after the ascent, the freeriders have to decide on a route right at the drop-in because there is no test run! This makes it all the more impressive when they race down the untouched slope with a gradient of up to 60 per cent at breathtaking speeds, casually performing giant jumps with turns and somersaults in the deep snow.

The best freeriders from around the world will once again be competing in the new season at the Open Faces in Austria’s deep snow paradise. They will be filmed by numerous cameras recording the freeride event so that fans can watch the best lines again online via live stream. And if you want to be there live, you can get an excellent view of the riders from the public areas in the finish area of the Blankenabfahrt and from the Ablittkopfbahn. As always, the freeriders’ runs will be judged by a professional jury, which will focus on control, air & style and technique in addition to the chosen line and flow.

© mRGB/shutterstock.de

In ‘Open Faces’, freeride pros compete to kick up pure powder and find the most spectacular lines in deep snow.

Further Open Faces Freeride Events in 2025

There are five Open Faces events in total, three of which are official qualifying competitions for the Freeride World Tour (FWT). To earn points for FWT qualification in the contests, freeriders have to give it their all. This is because the descents or ‘faces’ at the freeride ski events are rated from one to four stars depending on their degree of difficulty. And the more stars a qualifying event has, the more points the athletes can earn there.

After the season opener in Kappl (3 stars), the action moves to the deep snow of the Ski area Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau. The 1-star qualifier in the Tyrolean lowlands is mainly suitable for beginners and juniors to gain their first competitive experience and collect important ranking points. Spectators can follow the action from the Wiedersbergeralm, where an LED video wall has even been installed.

The next Open Faces event will take place in the Ski area Silvretta Montafon. And, of course, it will be held off-piste on the slopes of the small Heimspitze peak. Starting at an altitude of 2,420 metres, the pros will demonstrate their skills and conquer the mountain on adventurous lines. In some cases, they will have to overcome gradients of around 60 per cent. In the ‘Nova Stoba’ public area, spectators have the best view of the face and can admire details or replays on the LED video wall. The penultimate of the five Open Faces freeride competitions will take place in the Salzburg region in the Ski area Obertauern, which is considered particularly versatile and therefore offers optimal conditions for varied lines.

© Tourismusverband Obertauern

The penultimate stop of the ‘Open Faces’ will take place in 2025 on the deep snow slopes around the Obertauern ski resort.

On 12 April 2024, the final of the popular freeride series will finally take place in the Ski area Kaunertal Glacier – Fendels, where the 1-star qualifier will start at an impressive altitude of 3,218 metres on the Weißseespitze. The finish line of the slope, which has a gradient of up to 45%, is 400 metres lower. The spectator area is also located in the chill area at the Falginjochbahn.

Freeride World Tour 2026

The Freeride World Tour (FWT) is the ultimate event for the world’s best freeriders! This is where the world’s best freeriders compete on slopes of the highest calibre. Since 2008, the World Championships for freeride skiers and snowboarders have also been held on the world’s steepest deep-snow slopes as part of the tour. A total of six competitions await freeride enthusiasts as part of the FWT 2026.

The first Freeride Tour event will take place at the end of January in Baqueira Beret in the Spanish Pyrenees. The second event will take place just under a week later, starting on 24 January, in the world’s largest ski area, Les 3 Vallées, in Val Thorens, France. After that, freeride fans will head straight to the next FWT event in Europe, when the Georgia Pro takes place in Tetnuldi in the Georgian Caucasus. In March, an alpine treat awaits the deep snow stars before the finals. The third-to-last tour stop is in Fieberbrunn from 5 to 10 March 2026. In the freeride mecca in the Kitzbühel Alps, the terrain around the legendary Wildseeloder (2,119 m) is waiting to be conquered.

This is where the top 60 per cent of freeride athletes for 2026 will be decided, who will be allowed to compete in the two major final events of the Freeride World Tour in the USA and the Swiss canton of Valais. From 15 to 22 March 2026, the tour will return to the wild American backcountry in Haines, Alaska, for the first time since 2017!

Before the glorious FWT finale awaits the world’s best freeriders at the ‘YETI Xtreme Verbier’, where they should show off their most spectacular rides over jumps and drops of the season. As always, the venue is the famous Bec des Rosses, where the start is located at an altitude of 3,223 metres. Before the finish line at 2,700 metres, the slope has a gradient of over 60 per cent in places, making it one of the steepest on the entire tour. In addition to the freeride contest, riders and fans can look forward to a whole week of parties and events in the village from 28 March to 5 April 2026.

FAQ about Freeride Events

Which Freeride Events are part of the Freeride World Tour (FWT) in 2026?

In 2026, the Freeride World Tour will comprise six high-calibre competitions in which the world’s best freeriders will compete on extreme deep snow slopes. The tour kicks off in January in Baqueira Beret (Spain), followed by Val Thorens (France) and Tetnuldi (Georgia). In March, the tour continues to Fieberbrunn (Austria) before ending with two final events in Haines (USA) and the spectacular finale at the ‘YETI Xtreme Verbier’ in the Swiss canton of Valais. Here, the best freeriders will battle it out for the world championship title on the Bec des Rosses.

When and where will the Open Faces Freeride Events 2025 take place?

The Open Faces Freeride Events 2025 will start on 25 January in Kappl (Austria) and comprise five contests, including three qualifying events for the Freeride World Tour. Further events will take place in Alpbachtal (1 February 2025), Silvretta-Montafon (22 February 2025), Obertauern (22 March 2025) and on the Kaunertal Glacier (12 April 2025). Particularly exciting for spectators are the steep slopes and spectacular jumps, which can be easily followed from public areas or via LED video walls. Freeriders collect important points for FWT qualification at these events.

Where can I see the freeride pros live in 2026?

Freeride fans can see the world’s best riders live at various events in 2026. The Freeride World Tour will stop in Baqueira Beret (Spain, 16 to 21 January 2026), Val Thorens (France, 24 to 29 January 2026), Fieberbrunn (Austria, 5 to 10 March 2026) and Verbier (Switzerland, 28 March to 5 April 2026). The Open Faces events in Kappl, Silvretta-Montafon and on the Kaunertal Glacier also offer exciting opportunities to watch the riders on action-packed descents. Spectators have the best view of the spectacular freeride runs from public areas such as the Nova Stoba in Silvretta-Montafon or the Falginjochbahn on the Kaunertal Glacier.