FWT Finals in Verbier on Thursday
18th March 2025
Last modified on March 19th, 2025
The world’s best freeride skiers and snowboarders are preparing to take on the iconic Bec des Rosses as Xtreme Verbier celebrates its 30th anniversary. The climax of the Freeride World Tour is set for Thursday this week. UPDATED
Three titles are still up for grabs, with GB’s Cody Bramwell one of those challenging for the Men’s Snowboard crown on the steep and technical face in the Swiss resort.
Cody Bramwell. Image © PlanetSKI
The weather window, initially set from 22 to 30 March, has been brought forward due to challenging weather expected later in this week.
Rising temperatures, strong winds and possible rain up to 3,000 metres could hit Verbier by Friday.
With the weekend looking stormy and overcast and uncertain conditions in the following days, the competition has now been confirmed for this Thursday, 20 March.
The YETI Xtreme Verbier by Honda marks the highly anticipated conclusion of the FIS Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance.
This year’s edition is the 30th in the history of Xtreme Verbier.
It started out as a snowboard-only contest in 1996 before welcoming male skiers in 2004 and female skiers in 2006.
In 2008 it evolved into the official Freeride World Tour Finals.
Bec des Rosses
Bec des Rosses, Xtreme Verbier. Image © Freeride World Tour/Lévy Loye
The Bec des Rosses is synonymous with extreme freeriding.
At 3,223 metres, with a 600m vertical drop and 50-degree slopes, it is the steepest, most complex terrain on the FWT circuit.
Riders will navigate a labyrinth of tight couloirs, exposed ridges and massive cliffs, choosing lines that balance technical precision and progressive freestyle elements.
The high-stakes nature of the FWT Finals means competitors must take risks—but only those who execute flawlessly will claim victory.
“Due to limited snow coverage at the summit, the competition will feature three alternate start positions – two on the Petit Bec and one midway down the Central Couloir,” the organisers said on Tuesday.
Snowboard
Noémie Equy of France has already secured the Snowboard Women’s title but, in the remaining categories, everything is still to play for.
Victor de Le Rue of France remains at the top in Snowboard Men as he chases a record-breaking fourth FWT title, but he still needs a strong result to claim it.
Swiss rider Liam Rivera and Cody Bramwell of Great Britain have been unstoppable in the last two events, swapping first and second places at the Georgia and Fieberbrunn Pro.
They are both serious contenders heading into the final showdown.
Xtreme Verbier. Image © Freeride World Tour/J Bernard
Ski
In Ski Men, Marcus Goguen of Canada leads the standings after an exceptional season with two victories and a podium, yet the title is far from decided.
Swiss rider Martin Bender is closing in fast with strong momentum and 2023 FWT Champion Valentin Rainer (Austria) is always a threat.
In Ski Women, Canadian Justine Dufour-Lapointe and Astrid Cheylus of France are locked in a tight battle, with the Canadian holding a slight advantage.
Meanwhile, Jenna Keller (Switzerland) has been on a late-season charge and will have the home crowd behind her as she fights for a spot on the podium.
Where to Watch
If you’re not lucky enough to be in Verbier, then you can watch the whole thing live here.
Keep an eye on the FWT website for updates and all the results.
The first athlete is due to drop in at 0945hrs local time (0845 GMT).
The dropping order is:
- Snowboard Men
- Ski Men
- Ski Women
- Snowboard Women
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