Today, the best skiers and snowboarders in the country get their last chance to compete in one of the biggest tours in snow sports. This week marks the final stop of the IFSA Challenger Series, a qualifying event for the Freeride World Tour. That means 80 athletes will battle it out on Arapahoe Basin’s East Wall, showing their best moves on some of Colorado’s most famous snow terrain.
The Freeride World Tour is a global circuit of snowboarding and freeride skiing that includes some of the best athletes on the planet. So it’s safe to say that this week’s competitors will give their all for a chance to perform on the international level.
Yesterday saw the first day of the competition, with a livestream of the event still available for viewing on Freeskier.com. The second and final day of the A-Basin competition kicks off this morning at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
The livestream for today’s event is available above, so you can watch some of the country’s best athletes facing off in real time.
“The pressure on all riders is intense, but this series offers a golden opportunity for relegated FWT riders to requalify — or for others to qualify for the first time,” Arapahoe Basin says of the IFSA Challenger Series.
A Path to Olympic Glory?
Getting a spot on the Freeride World Tour (FWT) could represent a life-changing achievement for the athletes competing this week. That’s because the 2025 FWT will qualify athletes for the first-ever FIS Freeride World Championships in 2026. It’s part of freeride’s path to becoming an Olympic sport — an exciting prospect that could change the landscape of freeriding.
On average, FWT includes five top-level events that take place throughout the ski season, as well as 200+ “development events.”
“The pressure on all riders is intense, but this series offers a golden opportunity for relegated FWT riders to requalify — or for others to qualify for the first time,” Arapahoe Basin says of the IFSA Challenger Series.
The tour sees thousands of athletes compete in three different tiers: Challenger, Qualifier, and Junior. Athletes can work their way up to the top level. More than 1 million viewers tune in to watch Freeride World Tour events every year.
“The East Wall sets the perfect stage for an unforgettable stop on the FWT Challenger series with its exposed faces, tight chutes, and a towering peak of over 13,000 feet,” a spokesperson for Arapahoe Basin said Tuesday.
Check out the athlete start list above to see who’s competing today, and stay tuned to find out which snowboarders and skiers come out on top.
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