Freeride for the Winter Olympics?
4th March 2025
Last modified on May 11th, 2025
Hopes are rising that freeride skiing and snowboarding will be included in the 2030 Winter Olympics. All the signs are good and the freeride community is lobbying hard to gain approval.
It’s not so long ago that freestyle joined the Olympic programme.
First came slopestyle – both skiing and snowboarding – introduced for the 2014 Sochi Games.
Then it was big air, with snowboarding getting its debut at Pyeongchang in 2018 and skiing following at Beijing in 2022.
Could freeride be the latest snowsports discipline to get the nod from the International Olympic Committee in time for the 2030 Games?
“We’re not there yet, because you never know, but we are optimistic.”
The words of Nicolas Hale-Woods, the founder and CEO of the Freeride World Tour, in an interview with PlanetSKI.
Freeride World Tour, 2025. Image © Júlia Miralles
There may even be some British contenders as last weekend the GB snowboarder Cody Bramwell won the event in Georgia:
So, why the current optimism of Nicolas Hale-Woods?
Firstly, in 2022, the Freeride World Tour – in essence, the World Cup of freeride – was acquired by the governing body, the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS).
Then, in June 2024, at its General Assembly in Reykjavik, FIS recognised freeride skiing and snowboarding as an official discipline.
So, freeride is now firmly part of the FIS family.
That’s important because only a recognised federation can propose a sport or discipline for the Olympics.
And freeride ticks the boxes.
“To enter the Olympics, you need, first of all, an international sports federation that is recognised by the IOC to want and to propose to the IOC to include the sport in the programme,” Nicolas Hale-Woods told us.
“FIS has this on the agenda because freeriding is a part of snowsport that is big, growing and appealing to a young audience.
“FIS has already mentioned this wish and the formal integration and documentation that needs to be done will be happening in February and March this year.”
Nicolas Hale-Woods, founder & CEO of the Freeride World Tour. Image © PlanetSKI
That’s the first hurdle.
Next, the IOC has to agree.
It will meet in September this year to vote on which disciplines to include.
“The IOC has told us that – just like they did with surfing, skateboarding and sports climbing – they are willing to integrate freeriding because it’s appealing to a young audience, because it’s very telegenic and because one of their media partners, NBC, is saying ‘we’d love freeriding in the grid of the Olympics programme,” Hale-Woods says.
Finally, the Local organising committee (LOC) of the Olympic Games has to support freeride.
The 2030 Games will be in France and the relevant LOC, French Alps 2030, will organise it and foot the bill.
Hale-Woods says they’ve had ‘green lights’ from FIS, the IOC and the stakeholders that are currently building the French Alps 2030 committee.
Hence his optimism.
It may help that the Freeride World Tour returned to France for the first time since 2017 in January this year, with the Val Thorens Pro.
PlanetSKI was there.
Val Thorens Pro, FWT 2025. Image © J Bernard/Freeride World Tour
Val Thorens and the Vallée de Belleville have told the LOC that they are keen to be the hosting destination in 2030.
La Rosière has also expressed an interest.
Chamonix could also put its hat in the ring.
Next February, the inaugural Freeride World Championships will be held in Andorra, further solidifying the credentials of freeride skiing and snowboarding.
So, it’s all looking positive.
Watch this space!
If you’ve never seen it, freeride is worth a watch.
It is extreme, spectacular and unpredictable.
Here’s the highlights video compilation from the stop in Kicking Horse, Canada, earlier in February.
Follow the updates and more videos on the Freeride World Tour website..
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