Welcome to The Freeride Forum
A short intro into the world of freeride skiing.
👋 Howdy freeriders and freeride enthusiasts. Welcome to your weekly digest into all things freeride. This is the Freeride Forum, a weekly newsletter about the in and outs of freeride skiing.
But first…
A brief history of freeride ⛷
The roots of freeride skiing first anchored in rebellion against the established structure of alpine skiing. Skiers were looking for a fluid style of skiing and a freedom of movement contrary to the regimented nature of ski competitions at the time. However, the sport was truly attractive due to its ability to induce an adrenaline-rush experience amidst majestic mountains.
▫️ Freeride first began as early as the 1940s in France. Legendary French skiier Emile Allias and his ski groupies were already shredding coulouirs and gullies around the summits of Mt. Blanc. As a legendary ski champion, Emile Allias’ approach to freeride was seemingly uncalled for and his death-defying descents were proven noteworthy, according to Freeride World Tour.
▫️ However, it wasn’t until the late 1960s and 1970s that freeride really began to attract global attention. The ambitious nature of freeride fit in well during the tumultuous environment of the late ‘60s and ‘70s where defiance was encouraged. Mountain men like Sylvain Saudan and Patrick Vallencant were testing the limits of downhill skiing like never before.
▫️By the 1960s-80s, the freeride scene had entered the US. A new generation of freeriders broke into the slopes of the Rockies, the Wasatch and Sierra Nevadas. Bill Briggs and Steve McKinney broke the trail for this form of extreme skiing that the US had never seen before. Skiers like Glen Plake and Scot Schmidt brought new style and swagger to the American ski experience that brought about a whole new entertainment aspect to freeride.
▫️The FIRST freeride championships launched in 1991 in Valdez, Alaska. The following year in 1992, the US Extreme Ski Championships were held in Crested Butte, Colorado. The extreme faces of Crested Butte created a highly competitive atmosphere for skiers like Brant Moles and Dave Swanwick.
Two time World Extreme Skiing Champion and freeride pioneer Chris Davenport reminisced on that competition in Crested Butte:
“No question it was one of the most influential events in the history of skiing. It changed everything.”
And, that’s all she wrote. The art of skiing would never be the same.
What Makes Freeride Different
Here is a curated breakdown on six primary modes of skiing, and why freeride is different:
⛷ Downhill skiing, also known as Alpine skiing, is the most common form of skiing in the world. This mode of skiing typically takes place on hills where skiers simply go from top to bottom.
❌ Cross country skiing encourages skiers to reach their destination by themselves, without any sort of transportation like lifts or gondolas. This mode of skiing happens mostly on flat terrain.
🗻 Backcountry skiing requires skiers to cover distance on foot, similar to cross country skiing. However, backcountry terrain will vary and is also commonly considered dangerous.
⭐️ Freeride is skiing performed on natural, ungroomed terrain. There are no rules or set courses within Freeride.
❄️ Telemark skiing allows for skiers to move more freely as telemarking requires special skis where your heels do not stick to the skis. The lack of a solid binding between the skier and the skis creates a different technique than traditional skiing.
🎿 Park Skiing is a type of skiing done explicitly within a terrain park. Park skiing consists of obstacles such as jumps, rails, boxes, and more.
So… why is freeride different?
Freeride provides the freedom to make the most of any terrain that comes your way.
It’s a much more fluid mode of skiing as there is no set plan or course.
It provides freedom of expression and independence compared to other more regimented modes of skiing.
It’s a very pure form of skiing, as it takes place on off-piste terrain and far from groomers.
There are ZERO expectations. Freeride has minimal regulations and can be done in different ways. There's a world of free reign.
It gives the ability to venture deep into the mountain and better connect to the outdoors.
“Skier Ben” on why he skis Park vs. Freeride
“There’s a lot more to skier Ben than just skier Ben.”
I recently interviewed Ben Bodett, or coined by his peers, “skier Ben.” Bodett is a current Colorado College student and the recent 1st place winner of the Shred Fest Rail Jam in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Rail Jam featured fifty of the best up and coming skiers and snowboarders, where Ben took the prize. Bodett specializes primarily in park skiing, where he tends to ski explicitly in terrain parks. Bodett and I spoke about is park-specific ski experience on Wednesday. Below are excerpts of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.
Why did you never get into freeride?
I never got into freeride because I am from the East Coast, where the mountains are pretty small. I initially got into park when I was about 11. Even now that I am out in Colorado, I am not opposed to freeride. Colorado has some pretty famous park terrain. But truthfully, I am not just a park skier. For me, any type of skiing is fun, so I like to try it all out.
What is the biggest appeal for you about park skiing? What do you find special about it?
I like to go fast, plus it’s also really fun to ski with your friends and film each other. I’ve also met a ton of cool people doing it. I first took to the park because a lot of my older friends were into it. Nowadays, I’ve got lots of friends who ski park and it’s a really nice community.
What is your highlight of your ski career so far?
Definitely the Rail Jam. That was a pretty big deal for me. I got to meet and compete with and against some of the best amateur skiers right now. I won a thousand bucks, bought a new pair of skis.
What I found most interesting about this interview was how geographically, Bodett was limited in what modes he could ski. With meager snow on the east coast and less mountainous terrain, Ben skis park, rather than freeride.
Remember the name, Ben Bodett, or “skier Ben.” His career should be interesting to follow as his potential is seemingly limitless. It will also be interesting to see wether or not the pipeline from park to freeride will be in his near future.
Check out Ben’s Instagram here
Thank you for reading the Freeride Forum. Next week, we will deep dive into some skiers competing in the Freeride World Tour, as well as have a ski documentary review. I look forwards to seeing you all next week.