The “Home of Freeride” hosted their IFSA Adult 2* & 4* Qualifier events at Snowbird in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains on March 9th & 10th, just before spring came in heavy across the West. This was the final Region 2 (Americas) 4* event this season which means it was the last chance for freeride athletes across North America to qualify for the Challenger Series where the top finishers will qualify for next season’s Freeride World Tour. The Challenger series will take place this week and next week at Whitewater and Kicking Horse, BC, with the Kirkwood comp also being restaged in Kicking Horse due to unfavorable conditions at Kirkwood.
The Silver Fox venue, just under the iconic Snowbird tram, stepped up and delivered big time as this season’s conditions unfortunately didn’t allow the comp to run on the famed North Baldy venue. One of the most consistent faces in Utah, Silver Fox provided countless hits and technical line choices for the athletes despite this season’s low tide. Below we have the comp results along with a a short recap video and a brief interview with the Ski Women 4* winner, and Snowbird local, Hannah Baldwin.
Snowbird 4* Podium Results
Snowboard Women
1) Kiana Putnam – Skeetawk, Alaska
2) Carling Strayer – Panorama Canada
3) Willow Newton – Palisades Freeride
Snowboard Men
1) Matt Carter – Utah
2) Aaron Smiley – Breckenridge
3) Jordan Tripp – Montana Snow Bowl
Ski Women
1) Hannah Baldwin – Snowbird
2) Kestrel Sullivan – University of Utah
3) Elsa McAllister – Sugar Bowl
Ski Men
1) Stellan Lane – Crested Butte
2) Nathan Pruzan – Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
3) Louis Overton – Bridger Bowl Freeride Team
Full Snowbird 4* results
Full Snowbird 2* results
Interview with Ski Women 4* Winner Hannah Baldwin
Powhub: Congrats on placing first at the Snowbird 4* and qualifying for Challengers. What’s it like competing and winning at home at Snowbird vs on the road at other venues?
Hannah: Competing at home at Snowbird is really special. There’s a lot more support from people who call Snowbird home, whether that’s local friends or longtime community members. Winning there is super rewarding, especially because I get to share it with my favorite people. My parents don’t get to watch me compete in person very often anymore, so having them there for my win was super rad!
Powhub: How did this year’s low tide come into play when choosing & executing your line on Silver Fox?
Hannah: The low tide didn’t impact my line choice too much, but it definitely influenced how I approached it. With the snow coverage and conditions, I chose to ski a line through North Chute instead of skier’s right because it looked smoother. I wanted to prioritize a fast, clean line over something technical with a choppy outrun.
Powhub: What’s your headspace like as you head into the three Challenger events at Whitewater & Kicking Horse? Is there anything particular that you’ll be looking for when scouting lines on the Challenger venues?
Hannah: I’m really excited for Challengers and the whole experience. I’m definitely a little nervous about Whitewater, especially since last year’s conditions were pretty intense, but I’m hoping we get to compete because it’s such a cool venue. When I’m scouting lines, I usually start by looking at landings and making sure they’re clean or that I have a good trajectory to hit them properly. Beyond that, I try to choose lines that look the most fun to me. The more excited I am about a line, the less I stress, and that usually leads to better skiing.
Snowbird 4* Recap Video
‘Home of Freeride’ and a Look to Freeride’s Future
For over 30 years, Snowbird has been the proving ground for freeride competitors, from the US Freeskiing Nationals in the late 1990’s, the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour and the North Face Masters of Snowboarding in the mid 2000’s, to the Freeride World Tour and current IFSA sanctioned freeride events. The IFSA (International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association) operates as the governing sanction body for all freeride events throughout North and South America.
These sanctioned events are the freeride competitors gateway to qualify for the FIS Freeride World Tour. Recently, with the completion of the first ever FIS World Championships in Andorra on February 3, 2026, there is momentum towards a potential Olympic involvement.
“The sport of freeride couldn’t be at a more exciting point than it is right now. With the completion of the FIS World Championships earlier this month, and the Winter Olympics just concluding in Italy, there are many questions as to what the future holds for the sport of freeriding. We are patiently waiting a decision.” - 'Home of Freeride' event organizer Max Kuszaj
The “Home of Freeride” events operate seasonally in partnership with host resort, Snowbird and is supported by; The Utah Sports Commission, Kuhl, Maverik, Dynastar, Lange, Look, Nitro Snowboards, Arva Equipment and Reflex Ski Poles.
