The first-ever FIS Freeride World Championships will take place this week at Ordino Arcalís in the Pyrenees Mountains of Andorra with a weather window of February 1st – 6th. Although the World Championships are run by the Freeride World tour, they differ in the sense that the Freeride World Tour is a season-long circuit where the World Championships will name a World Champion with just a single stand-alone event. This event will be sanctioned by FIS (International Ski & Snowboard Federation), “officially integrating freeride skiing and snowboarding into the FIS framework and elevating it to the highest level of international competition.” which is a necessary step in Freeride Skiing becoming an olympic sport in the future.
65 athletes from 17 different countries will compete across the four disciplines (Ski Men, Ski Women, Snowboard Men, Snowboard Women). After the day of competition, one winner from each of the four categories will be crowned the first ever World Champion. In addition to the World Champion, the top nation, collectively across all disciplines, will be recognized. “Points will be awarded to the top five finishers in each category, with a maximum of 100 points for first place, contributing to a Medal Standing that will determine the overall top-performing nation.”
There’s been over a meter of recent snowfall in the area and with more in the forecast. Keep an eye out for which day the World Championships comp will go down and which venue they’ll choose based on the conditions for the event. We’l be streaming the event live on Powhub.
See below for a teaser video, the full athlete roster by category & country, and a breakdown on how of qualifying works for this event.
Weather window: February 1–6, 2026, with one competition day selected for optimal conditions
Location: Ordino Arcalís, Andorra, in the Pyrenees Mountains
Format: Four competitions: Ski Men, Ski Women, Snowboard Men, Snowboard Women. One run per athlete. One winner per discipline.
Total number of athletes: 65 athletes from 17 nations
Roster
Below is the final roster for the first-ever FIS Freeride World Championships. 47 riders earned their spots through Groups 1 & 2 based on FWT Pro Rankings and Continental quotas. The remaining athletes earned their spots through Groups 3, 4 & 5 which is all explained down below the roster graphics. This roster shows the final list of 66 athletes qualified to compete, however due to and injury, Virgile Didier of France will have to sit this one out which makes the total 65 total athletes who will compete for the first-ever World Championship title.
How Qualifying Works
This can be a bit confusing at first but we laid out how all five groups in which athletes have qualified for the event. To keep things simple we left it to the pros at the Freeride World Tour who explained the process as efficiently as possible quoted below.
Groups 1 & 2 – FWT Pro Rankings and Continental Quotas
“The first wave of qualified athletes for the 2026 FIS Freeride World Championships was determined through Groups 1 and 2, representing the top freeriders from the 2025 FWT season and the highest- ranked athletes from each continent.” – FWT
Group 1 – FWT Pro Ranking:
“The top-ranked riders from the 2025 FIS Freeride World Tour Pro standings earned direct qualification for the World Championships. All Group 1 athletes meet the official FIS eligibility criteria and were invited by FIS following the conclusion of the 2025 season. Should any athlete be unable to participate, their National Ski Association (NSA) is responsible for selecting a replacement within the same competition category.” – FWT
Group 1 – Qualified riders:
Ski Men:
Valentin Rainer (AUT)
Martin Bender (SUI)
Weitien Ho (CAN)
Marcus Goguen (CAN)
Benjamin James Richards (NZL)
Oscar Mandin (FRA)
Virgile Didier (FRA) – Out due to Injury
Ross Tester (USA)
Toby Rafford (USA)
Tiemo Rolshoven (GER)
Abel Moga (ESP)
Carl Regnér Eriksson (SWE)
Ski Women:
Jenna Keller (SUI)
Justine Dufour-Lapointe (CAN)
Astrid Cheylus (FRA)
Lily Bradley (USA)
Molly Armanino (USA)
Lena Kohler (GER)
Snowboard Men:
Liam Rivera (SUI)
Jonathan Penfield (CAN)
Enzo Nilo (FRA)
Victor de Le Rue (FRA)
Holden Samuels (USA)
Cody Bramwell (GBR)
Snowboard Women:
Noémie Equy (FRA)
Michaela Davis-Meehan (AUS)
Núria Castán Barón (ESP)
Group 2 – Continental Quotas:
“To ensure global representation, five continental quotas (Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America) were added to the start list. Each quota was awarded to the highest-ranked rider on the Qualifying Global Seeding List, excluding injured athletes with frozen points. All Group 2 athletes were personally allocated by FIS, in communication with their respective NSAs, which also oversee
potential replacements if necessary.” – FWT
Group 2 – Qualified riders:
Ski Men:
Kristofer Turdell (SWE)
Tenra Katsuno (JPN)
Fynn Powell (NZL)
Kelly Hilleke (USA)
Dante Ginaca (ARG)
Ski Women:
Zuzanna Witych (POL)
Chisato Sasada (JPN)
Zanna Farrell (AUS)
Wynter McBride (USA)
Agostina Vietti (ARG)
Snowboard Men:
Cesar Barin (FRA)
Asato Yoshida (JPN)
Conrad Niven (NZL)
Michael Mawn (USA)
Tomas Castelli (ARG)
Snowboard Women:
Anna Martinez (FRA)
Hana Kinoshita (JPN)
Briony Johnson (AUS)
Natalie Allport (CAN)
Isidora Assler Escala (CHI)
“Together, Groups 1 and 2 account for 47 athletes, forming the core of the roster and representing the very best of the 2025 freeride season worldwide.”
Group 3 – NSA Quotas: broadening global representation
“14 riders have earned their place via National Ski Association (NSA) quotas, granted to countries that do not already have qualified athletes (or only one in Ski Men) from Groups 1 and 2. These quotas were distributed based on a Nations Ranking, calculated using international results from the top 100 athletes in each discipline.”
“Each eligible NSA was invited to nominate one rider, who must meet FIS Freeride eligibility criteria. This system ensures increased global representation while maintaining the competition’s elite standards.” – FWT
Group 3 – Qualified riders:
Ski Men:
Victor Hale-Woods (SUI)
Max Hitzig (GER)
Jacob Muller (AUT)
Jokin Ruiz de Larramendi (SPA)
Koga Hoshino (NOR)
Andreas Bakke (JAP)
Ski Women:
Elly Olsson (SWE)
Jessica Hotter (NZL)
Ulla Gilot (AUT)
Elisabet Marina (SPA)
Snowboard Men:
Vaughn Hardwick (AUS)
Timm Schröder (GER)
Pol Sabidó Juvé (SPA)
Snowboard Women:
Mia Jones (USA)
Group 4 – Wildcards: four athletes added to the lineup
“Alongside the NSA Quota Riders, four wildcard athletes (one per discipline) have been awarded a place at the 2026 FIS Freeride World Championships. These Group 4 Wildcards are allocated directly by FIS Freeride to address needs such as injuries, media visibility, or national interest. FIS Freeride confirmed the allocation of four wildcards, awarded to the following athletes:” – FWT
Ski Men:
Kai Jones (USA)
Ski Women:
Manon Loschi (FRA)
Snowboard Men:
Blake Moller (USA)
Snowboard Women:
Marion Haerty (FRA)
Group 5 – Host Nation Wildcard: the final spot
“The final and 66th rider spot comes through the Host Nation Wildcard, allocated by the Andorran Ski Federation (FAE). This final selection ensures representation for the host country and officially completes the lineup.” – FWT
Ski Men:
Joan Aracil (AND)
