Freeride: Where the Mountain Decides

By: Tyler S., Grade 8

What is Freeride?

Freeride is one of the most natural and creative forms of skiing. It demands a high level of skiing thanks to unpredictability and the amount of raw skill needed. Competitions are held on natural, un-groomed slopes with plenty of cliffs and wind lips. The goal is to impress the judges with a fast paced and difficult run. The panel of judges (typically 3-4 plus a head judge) score competitors in five categories.

1)      Line: Arguably the most important category. Each participant is given a line score based off of difficulty, creativity, steepness, exposure, and the use of natural features.

2)      Control: Participants are required to maintain control throughout their run with points being deducted from loss of control such as a backslap, hand drag, etc. The largest penalty is for a full crash that bring your run to a stop. The loss of a ski results in a full DNF (did not finish) tying you for last with anyone else who gets DNF, DNS (did not start (if something stops you from even having a run)), or DSQ (disqualified (if you break a rule)).

3)      Technique: The evaluation of the rider’s form, and the broad execution of their run. Points are deducted for things such as backseat skiing or leaning on your uphill ski.

4)      Fluidity: The rider must keep up a relatively constant speed (preferably on the mid to faster side) and link the components of his run in a direct manner without too much time/skiing in between each part. Points are deducted for hesitation and excessive traversing with the worst penalty being for a full stop.

5)      Style/Energy: Points are awarded for tricks and such. The goal is to keep runs from being boring or bland. Some judges will even reward you for celebrating at the end of your run because it shows you’re proud and had fun.

How do I get started in Freeride?

The easiest way is to join a Freeride team, but you don’t need one. If you just want to try a competition then you will need to get a liveheats account and either an IFSA junior membership for America or a Freeride World Tour junior membership for Europe (liveheats link down below). Register for whichever competition you want and make sure to register as an independent athlete (or just leave the coach section blank).