FREERIDE WORLD TOUR 2027: A New Generation Challenges Legends

Global freeride begins to chart its next great chapter. The Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance has unveiled the selection of 53 athletes who will compete during the 2027 season, an edition promising to bring together some of the most influential figures in backcountry skiing and snowboarding. With historic champions returning to competition, young talents eager to transform hierarchies, and a discipline that continues to expand its presence in the international sporting landscape, the circuit faces a particularly significant winter. Among the confirmed names, Spanish athlete Abel Moga stands out, who will once again represent Val d'Aran in the highest category of global freeride.

The composition of the new circuit reflects the evolution this sport is undergoing. Of the 53 participants, 36 retain their classification from the previous season, while the remaining spots are distributed among athletes from the FWT Challenger and those invited by the organization. Eleven competitors will debut in the elite, a figure confirming the dynamism of a generation no longer content with learning from their role models but now vying for victories. The precedent of 2026 is telling: thirteen debutants reached the Grand Final in Verbier, demonstrating that experience no longer guarantees a privileged position when it comes to interpreting a mountain.

Abel Moga, Spanish ambition at the freeride elite

Abel Moga from Val d'Aran will face a new season among the planet's top specialists, solidifying a career built on a combination of creativity, technique, and a unique interpretation of terrain. His participation in 2027 takes on special relevance as he becomes the sole Spanish representative on the main circuit, following a 2026 winter where he achieved three top-ten results and again demonstrated his ability to excel in some of the calendar's most demanding venues.

His performance on Verbier's legendary Bec des Rosses was one of the most memorable moments of his season. There, on a mountain that has become one of international freeride's great symbols, Moga executed a jump that earned him recognition for the best of the 2026 season. Added to this achievement was the distinction for the most original line during the first FIS Freeride World Championship, an acknowledgment highlighting one of this discipline's most important qualities: the ability to find a personal reading of the mountain, beyond speed or technical difficulty.

Spanish representation will, however, have a significant absence. Núria Castán will not be part of the main roster in 2027 and will compete in the Challenger circuit, from where she will seek to regain her place among the world's best snowboarders for the 2028 season.

Ben Richards and the return of the great champions

In the men's ski category, all eyes will be on New Zealander Ben Richards, the absolute star of 2026 after winning both the Freeride World Tour title and the FIS Freeride World Championship. His dominance places him among the main favorites, though defending his position will require overcoming a particularly competitive field of rivals. Canadian Marcus Goguen, circuit champion in 2025, will once again aim for the title, while Americans Toby Rafford and Ross Tester, second and third respectively in the last overall standings, will try to convert their consistency into an outright victory.

One of the major attractions will be the return of Swiss athlete Maxime Chabloz, champion in 2022, who re-enters top competition after his stint in the Challenger. His presence adds a special dimension to a category that will also feature Max Hitzig, circuit winner in 2024. The combination of former champions and new contenders anticipates a season where experience must coexist with a generation increasingly aggressive in its approach to big lines. Martin Bender and Max Palm complete some of the notable returns thanks to invitations granted by the organization.

Female talent redefines the competitive balance

Women's skiing presents one of the most open scenarios for the upcoming season. French athlete Lou Barin, reigning Freeride World Tour champion, will defend a crown earned during an extraordinary first elite campaign, culminating in a victory in Verbier. Facing her will be Swiss Sybille Blanjean, runner-up in 2026, and Canadian Justine Dufour-Lapointe, circuit winner in 2023 and 2025, whose experience once again makes her one of the top contenders.

Renewal will also play a leading role. Among the new additions, Mila de Le Rue, niece of legendary snowboarder Victor de Le Rue, arrives from the Challenger circuit to begin her career in elite skiing. Joining her will be debutants Hannah Baldwin and Mia McNab, while French athlete Astrid Cheylus and Polish Zuzanna Witych, 2026 FIS Freeride World Champion, will compete thanks to full-season invitations. A combination of youth and experience promises to elevate the technical level of the category even further.

Victor de Le Rue, poised to extend his legend

If there is one name that represents the recent history of freeride snowboarding, it is Victor de Le Rue. The Frenchman will face 2027 with five Freeride World Tour titles to his name and a streak of three consecutive crowns between 2024 and 2026. His goal will be to extend a record that already places him among the most important athletes in the competition's history. However, the path to his sixth title will be far from easy. Frenchman Sacha Balicco, recognized as Rookie of the Year in 2026, and Swiss Liam Rivera, FIS Freeride World Champion, lead an opposition that will also include César Barin and new additions like Kealan Venning and Johnny Duty.

In women's snowboarding, American Mia Jones will return to defend the title won in 2026, a season in which she also became FIS Freeride World Champion. The category will bring together figures such as Noémie Equy, champion in 2025, Katie Anderson, winner in 2023, and Tiphanie Perrotin, winner in 2022. Unlike the other divisions, no athlete will debut in this category, a particularly significant fact after three consecutive seasons in which a rookie claimed the title.

A circuit entering a new international dimension

Beyond sporting results, the 2027 season presents itself as an important moment for the global positioning of freeride. The integration of the Freeride World Tour into the structure of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation since 2022 and the growing link of the discipline with the Olympic movement have contributed to strengthening its institutional and competitive projection. A process that presents new opportunities for athletes, brands, and mountain destinations, but also opens a debate on how to preserve the identity of a sport historically associated with freedom, creativity, and individual interpretation of terrain.

With the 53 protagonists now confirmed, the next big unknown will be the official calendar, whose venues are still awaiting announcement. The mountains will once again become stages where each descent is unrepeatable and where the choice of a line can separate a memorable performance from an elimination. The Freeride World Tour 2027 promises much more than a new battle for titles: it will be another chapter in the transformation of a discipline that has turned the mountain into one of the most spectacular sporting arenas in the world.