The 2026 season of the Freeride World Tour (FWT) – the 19th edition of this prestigious global freeride skiing and snowboarding circuit – promises to be intense and full of new features. Six stages, two finals, one title: the 2026 programme promises to be thrilling. For the first time since 2017, riders will return to tackle the slopes of Alaska at the end of the season, proof of the international scope of this championship. However, it all begins in Europe: Baqueira Beret, nestled in the Aran Valley in the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees, has been chosen to kick off the season. This is a strong strategic choice, reflecting the growing status of this Pyrenean resort on the world freeride scene.
An ambitious global freeride tour in 2026
The 2026 Freeride World Tour will bring together the world’s elite freeride skiers and snowboarders on a demanding itinerary of six competitions across Europe and North America. During the four stages of the regular season, each athlete will attempt to accumulate points by targeting their three best results. Only the top 60% will qualify after this mid-season ‘cut’, eliminating the remaining 40% before the final events. This drastic selection process will lead to the Tour’s two grand finals: first in Alaska, then in Verbier, Switzerland. These two final events will offer radically different challenges – the wild backcountry of Haines versus the technical terrain of Bec des Rosses – to crown the 2026 world champions. Suffice to say that the level of competition will be extremely high and the road to the title will be fraught with obstacles.
Behind the public’s enthusiasm, the FWT has become the ultimate showcase for professional freeriding over the years. Since its launch in 2008, this world tour has gone from strength to strength, now incorporating the International Ski Federation (FIS) and multiplying prestigious partnerships. In 2026, the return of a stage in Alaska – a historic hotspot for freeriding – illustrates the desire to reconnect with the roots of the discipline while maintaining a balanced calendar between iconic sites and new destinations. It is in this context that the opening of the season in Spain, at Baqueira Beret, takes on a special significance.
The Pyrenean setting: Baqueira Beret between snow and passion
A freerider hurtles down the Tuc de Bacivèr slope during the 2025 edition of the Baqueira Beret Pro (Val d’Aran, Spanish Pyrenees). This slope, the venue for the inaugural stage in 2026, offers around 424 metres of ultra-technical vertical drop with an average gradient of 40°. Dominated by the Tuc de Bacivèr, which rises to an altitude of 2,644 metres, this varied terrain requires skiers and snowboarders to demonstrate precision and courage. Between steep slopes, rocky outcrops and changing snow conditions, each descent on this face is a real test of creativity and skill for the athletes.
Located in north-western Catalonia, Baqueira Beret has always been synonymous with high-quality snow and generous terrain. Its climate, influenced by the Atlantic, ensures regular heavy snowfall, making the resort a premier freeride playground. The FWT competition usually takes place there in January, when the Pyrenean snow cover is well established. Riders tackle the famous virgin slopes of the Bacivèr sector, known for their varied snow conditions and technical couloirs. The spectacle is guaranteed for both participants and spectators alike, as the site offers an ideal balance between beautiful scenery and sporting challenge.
Above all, the atmosphere in Baqueira during the FWT is often described as exceptional. The Aranese event benefits from local enthusiasm, making it one of the best atmospheres on the entire circuit. Hundreds of enthusiasts gather at the bottom of the run or on the surrounding ridges to cheer on the riders, creating a unique festive spirit. Improvised fanfares, Catalan flags and cheers from the crowd accompany every jump and every successful trick. It is widely agreed that this Pyrenean energy, fuelled by an afición devoted to freeriding, pushes the competitors to excel. Whether they are rookies discovering the elite or Tour veterans looking to kick off their season with a bang, everyone enjoys this warm welcome from the crowd. Baqueira has thus become a ‘fan favourite’, a stop acclaimed by the public and athletes alike for its electric and friendly atmosphere.
Baqueira Beret, a strategic season opener
Although Baqueira Beret is now the starting point for the FWT, this has not always been the case. Historically, the Tour launched its season in the Alps (Chamonix, Verbier) or even in Asia or North America. The arrival of Baqueira in the prestigious circle of the Freeride World Tour 2022 as the inaugural stage marked a turning point, anchoring the start of the Tour in the Pyrenees. This opening on Spanish soil breaks with the habits of previous years and reflects a genuine strategy of geographical diversification. Since 2022, Baqueira has established itself as an ideal prologue, to the point of renewing its partnership with the FWT until 2027. In other words, the Pyrenean resort has won over the organisers with the quality of its hospitality and terrain, to the point that it is now assured of being at the top of the Tour’s bill for several seasons.
Several factors explain this strategic choice. On the one hand, Baqueira Beret is the largest ski resort in Spain with 173 km of marked slopes and a domain covering three sectors (Baqueira, Beret, Bonaigua). Its modern infrastructure (efficient lifts, accessibility, services) enables it to manage the influx of teams, spectators and media during an event of the scale of the FWT. Secondly, the resort and local authorities have demonstrated flawless organisational expertise: well-oiled logistics, off-piste safety supervised by professionals, and close collaboration with the Tour team. Despite a cancellation in 2024 due to unfavourable conditions, Baqueira bounced back in 2025 with a spectacular competition, proving its ability to adapt (a fallback slope, nicknamed ‘La Bomba’, was even opened as a last resort that year). This spirit of initiative and the quality of the resort’s overall offering – both in terms of sports and tourism – finally convinced the FWT to launch the 2026 season there. Opening the Tour in Baqueira is a guarantee of a flying start: according to the organisers, the resort offers ‘the best place for everything to begin year after year’.
A six-stage 2026 season, from the Pyrenees to Alaska
After the spectacular opening in Baqueira Beret, the Freeride World Tour 2026 caravan will continue its journey through a variety of destinations, each bringing its own local colour and set of challenges. Here is the complete FWT 2026 calendar:
- Baqueira Beret Pro (Spain) – 16 to 21 January 2026. First stage in the Pyrenees in the Val d’Aran, on the slopes of Tuc de Bacivèr. Festive atmosphere and big commitment right from the start.
- Val Thorens Pro (France) – 24 to 29 January 2026. Second consecutive year in the French Alps, on the steep face of Cime Caron. A highly anticipated return to France, with powder snow that provided memorable lines in 2025.
- Georgia Pro – Tetnuldi (Georgia) – 22 to 28 February 2026. An exotic stopover in the Caucasus Mountains. The Kakhiani slope offers steep and technical runs in the heart of an isolated landscape, but with warm Georgian hospitality.
- Fieberbrunn Pro (Austria) – 5 to 10 March 2026. The last stop of the regular season on the famous Wildseeloder face. This is the last chance to qualify for the finals, in an electric atmosphere where every trick counts double.
- Final 1: YETI Alaska Haines Pro (United States) – 15 to 22 March 2026. The Tour returns to Alaska, the birthplace of extreme freeriding, which it has not visited since 2017. The finalists will tackle the immense virgin slopes of Haines, its legendary spines and deep snow, hoping to score big points before the final event.
- Final 2: YETI Xtreme Verbier (Switzerland) – 28 March to 5 April 2026. The traditional grand finale on the Bec des Rosses in Verbier, the world’s freeride mecca. Slopes of over 50° and a maze of rocky outcrops make this the ultimate judge to decide the champions. The tension will be at its peak, with the world title at stake on this legendary face.
This three-month course highlights the dynamics of the Tour: starting in Spain allows the season to kick off on terrain accessible to the European public, before gradually raising the technical bar. After the festive stage in Baqueira, riders will find more classic but equally demanding alpine configurations in Val Thorens and Fieberbrunn, while the Georgian stopover will add a unique cultural and wild touch. Finally, the Finals in Alaska and Verbier will guarantee maximum suspense right up to the end, in two diametrically opposed environments. In this progression, Baqueira Beret acts as a springboard: it sets the tone for the season and launches the sporting dynamic, allowing the favourites to gain confidence or the outsiders to create surprises right from the start.
The inaugural stage of the 2026 Freeride World Tour in Baqueira Beret symbolises both the strategic evolution of the circuit and the rise of the Pyrenees in the international freeride landscape. By capitalising on the quality of the Aranese welcome, the diversity of the Tuc de Bacivèr terrain and the enthusiasm of its audience, the FWT is off to a promising start to the season. This spectacular kick-off in Spain sets the tone for what promises to be a memorable season, from the sunny slopes of Baqueira to the vertiginous faces of Alaska and Verbier. The eyes of the freeride world are on the Aran Valley at the start of 2026, and there is no doubt that Baqueira Beret will live up to its role as a showcase for European freeriding, to the delight of riders, industry professionals and the general public.
