ross tester freeride world tour

• Freeride World Tour
• FWT Challenger
• FWT Qualifier

Ross Tester

25 years old

Snowbird/Alta

A.K.A BOSS ROSS

His debut on the Tour started off impressively, securing a spot on the top tier of the podium not once, but twice. Ross Tester, an American native, was born with a passion for skiing, and it remained the central focus of his life during his formative years. His journey into big mountain skiing and competitive skiing began through his involvement with the local freeride club.

As the years passed, Tester honed his skills, adding both speed and a repertoire of thrilling tricks to his skiing repertoire. His outstanding performance culminated in him earning the prestigious "Rookie of the Year" title during the FWT21 season.

02 Feb 2023

Ross Tester Second Place Run FWT23 Ordino Arcalís Pro

13 Mar 2021

FWT21 Fieberbrunn Ross Tester Winning Run

19 Feb 2021

FWT21 Stop #1 Ordino Arcalís Andorra Ross Tester Winning Run

The journal - ross tester.

Take a glance back in time at some of the ski highlights of Freeride World Tour skier, Ross Tester.

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Ross Tester Left The Freeride World Tour At The Top Of His Game- What's Next?

Rookie Freeride World Tour skier Ross Tester introduced himself to the skiing world with an incredible 1st place finish on the dust-covered snow of Andorra back in 2021.

Now, at just 25 years old, and seemingly on top of the Freeride competition scene, Tester has decided to step away from the Tour. Check out his Instagram post making the announcement earlier this year (keep scrolling for our Q&A):

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ross Tester (@ross_tester)

I was admittedly perplexed when I first heard that Tester wouldn't be competing.

The Freeride World Tour has plenty of one-off competitors that dip their toes into the competition for a season or two, but with Tester's proven track record and young age, I assumed (and hoped) he would be a staple for many seasons to come.

I reached out to Tester to learn more about what went into his decision, what he's up to this season, and what his fans can look forward to for seasons to come.

Check out my quick Q&A with Ross Tester below:

© Freeride World Tour/Jeremy Bernard

What led to the decision to not compete this season?

"My decision against competing this winter is sort of complicated. The first year I got on Tour, I told myself I would only spend three winters competing, so I wanted to stay true to that. Unfortunately, the last season I spent on the tour had a disappointing finish; with the Xtreme Verbier finals getting canceled, I was left with a 5th place overall, and a lot more gas in the tank. That said, I would have really liked to have done a fourth season. Ultimately, the travel aspect, time away from a steady routine, friends, and family made me decide to step away. But maybe not indefinitely..."

What will you take from your time on the Freeride World Tour into this next chapter of your career?

"Over the past 3 years on tour, I made connections with some rad people in the community that I will carry for the rest of my life. Other than that, I want to use the platform that the tour helped me create as a bit of a jumping-off point into the film world and share my love for the outdoors with others, and try to inspire people to get out, be healthy, and appreciate the outdoors."

Who has supported you through this process?

"I have had incredible support from my communities, friends, family, and sponsors. I can't explain how grateful I am to have had such awesome support. I know this is a buzzphrase, but I really couldn't do this alone. I want to give a special shout out to my Mom and Dad for always supporting me and driving me all over the place to do my junior comps that gave me an outlet to progress and make connections in the community. Big shoutout to the Tahoe/Truckee community, the Palisades Tahoe Big Mountain team and coaches, and friends for making skiing fun and pushing me. And, of course, shout out to my sponsors, Tahoe Sports Hub, Flylow, BCA, Marker, Dalbello, and Volkl. Thank you all for believing in me through all this."

What can POWDER  readers expect to see from you moving forward?

"Moving forward, I plan to get much more into the media production scene. I want to experiment with personal projects, YouTube series, and major production ski movies. And in terms of my skiing, I'll be doing much more experimentation with my style, tricks, and vision in the mountains."

What have you been up to this season?

"So far this season, I've started a job coaching the Alta/Bird Freeride team, began production on my first major ski project, and otherwise just have been having fun in the mountains with friends!"

Related: Ross Tester Goes Huge In The Spring Sunshine

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27 Sep It Takes a Village to Raise a Freerider

From the local contest circuit to the pinnacle of big-mountain competition, ross tester’s rise to elite status can be traced back to the deeply nurturing tahoe ski community that raised him well.

Ross Tester skis with what seems like wild abandon. Huge double backflips and enormous cliff drops punctuate fluid and fast lines that have landed him on the podium of the world’s most prestigious freeskiing competitions. But behind the Tahoe-raised skier’s daredevil achievements is a calculated mindset and wise-beyond-his-years approach to the sport.

Ross Tester, courtesy photo

It’s this maturity that makes Tester both a young phenom and a mature veteran at age 22, with sensible advice for the next wave of talent coming up behind him.

“I want to make sure the kids know that if they’re an athlete, they have to move on to something else at some point. I’m always advocating for kids staying in school,” says Tester, an undergraduate student at University of Utah.

Consider what Tester has already accomplished: 50-plus contests, tons of podiums, a junior world championship title, a segment in a major ski film and, most recently, a second-place overall finish on the Freeride World Tour (FWT) in his rookie season.

He’s got an old man’s level of experience about the ski industry, but with the springy legs and steady confidence of an early-20s Tahoe prodigy who is still on the rise.

“Ross is the classic Squaw progeny—the skier who can do everything,” says Scott Gaffney, director of Matchstick Productions, which showcased Tester’s ability in the 2017 film Drop Everything .

“He’s got serious skills in every freeskiing facet, and he mixes it all with such a playful, smooth, floaty style, whether he’s flipping, spinning, buttering or pinning it through gnarly terrain,” adds Gaffney. “Maybe that’s partly because he goes so big all the time—he gives himself time to float. He operates with a ‘full send’ comfort level that is both impressive to watch and a little bit scary, but things usually end up just fine because he’s so damn good.”

After alpine ski racing as a kid, Ross Tester excelled throughout his teenage years in the local Tahoe Junior Freeride Series, photo courtesy Chris Saito

A Freeskier in the Making

Tester’s parents, Julie and Dan, met in college and moved to Tahoe in 1990. They landed swing shift jobs at Squaw Valley and skied all the time. The couple had Ross in 1999 and his younger brother Alan a few years later. They put Ross on skis at age 3 and enrolled him in the resort’s Mighty Mites learning program. He got good fast.

“He could outski both his parents by the time he was 10 and quickly matched the abilities of the older kids,” says Tester’s father, who works as the VP of business development at Granite Peak Management.

Skiing remained the focal point through adolescence, but Tester had a passion for sport in general. Tall, skinny and athletic, he excelled in cardio-heavy sports. He played soccer, ran cross-country and track, and mountain biked all over Tahoe.

“I love taking any inspiration I can from other sports. Even soccer, for example, can play into my skiing strategy, and how you move down the mountain,” says Tester, an all-state talent on his North Tahoe High soccer team before graduating in 2017.

Tester was a successful ski racer in his youth, but he found it “boring.” His father says he was “pissed he had to race gates,” as he was always a bit of a daredevil and leaned toward jumping off things. Around 9 years old, Tester made a deal with his parents: If he won his upcoming race, he would never have to race again. He summoned a budding ball of competitive fire, won the race and moved on to the steeps, cliffs and general insanity of the big-mountain realm. 

In the winter of 2007-08, former professional big-mountain skier Eric DesLauriers started the Squaw Valley Big Mountain Team, a formalized path for young skiers and boarders to experience an all-mountain ski education while competing in the Tahoe Junior Freeride Series (TJFS). The local big-mountain series appealed to Tester and a generation of like-minded young skiers who didn’t want to be confined to racing, or even the terrain park.

At the same time, the junior competition scene was ramping up beyond the Tahoe Basin as well, providing Tester and his teammates the chance to compete on other big, steep, gnarly mountains across the West.

DesLauriers, who spent many years coaching Tester, describes his skiing as “creative, sound and inspiring.”

“He always pushed himself, but could temper himself when needed, more so than a lot of the other kids,” says DesLauriers, who, like others who have worked with Tester, describes him as coachable and humble—and someone who always internalizes the advice of coaches and peers.

“At a certain level, [coaching Tester] came down to a consulting role,” says A llie Donavon, a coach through his earlier years of competition. “It got to a point where he was so well-versed in line selection that he was more running his ideas by us and seeking input on what to do.”

And he simply loved it. Donavon recalls a day when she filled in to coach the group of young high-level boys on the big-mountain team. It happened to be pouring rain that day, and she figured the kids might not show up. All the boys canceled except Tester, who was waiting for Donavon at the Funitel, fired up to ski. 

Scoping Tester’s Instagram or FWT runs, it may seem like a headscratcher that double backflips, 60-foot cliffs and hyper-aggressive comp lines correlate with being calculated, but that’s simply the level he has achieved. That is under control. Even dad agrees.

“I’m comfortable to this day with Ross’ training and decision-making, and that’s due to the team’s emphasis on solid decision-making,” he says. Even so, he admits that he gets stricken with anxiety, and a touch of nausea, when watching his son compete.

Fellow competitors watch Ross Tester perform a trick over exposed rock during a Tahoe Junior Freeride Series event at Kirkwood, photo courtesy Chris Saito

Rising Talent

Tester ascended through the junior freeride scene, gaining recognition as an early standout and becoming a recognized name worldwide among the junior ranks.

He picked up numerous sponsors, such as Volkl, Marker, Dalbello, Backcountry Access and Flylow, while he hopes to gain sponsorship this season from Arcade Belts. The latter would connect him to local big-mountain legend and Arcade Belts co-founder Cody Townsend, one of Tester’s ski heroes along with Elyse Saugstad, Tanner Hall, the Gaffney brothers, Shane McConkey, Erik Roner and others.

Tyler Curle, 23, a fellow big-mountain competitor and friend from Tahoe, remembers Tester consistently vying for the top spot in his competitive TJFS age division, which included Sugar Bowl Freeride Team standout Xander Guldman, as well as Curle.

“He’s soft-spoken but has a huge inner competitive drive to achieve self-satisfaction,” Curle says of his friend.

Toward the end of his grommet years, at 17, Tester gained international acclaim by winning the Junior Freeride World Championships in Andorra, an invite-only event reserved for the best junior skiers and boarders in the world. Kerry Lofy, Tester’s coach during his later teenage years, was at the bottom of the venue with a radio. He relayed to Tester that most kids were crashing due to the low light and funky snow.

“I told him to just do his thing, keep it mellow, and he’d win,” says Lofy, who encouraged Tester to back off the big tricks and features he’d been obsessing over for days.

Naturally, Tester wanted to go full bore on what was his biggest stage yet, but he decided to oblige his coach, and ended up winning the day.

“At first he was bummed about it, and he didn’t think he deserved to win, but later came to see that he skied the best out of the field that day,” says Lofy.

After turning 18, Tester battled it out for a few years on the Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) circuit, the feeder series for the pinnacle of big-mountain competition—the Freeride World Tour. He took a few too many crashes and didn’t place well initially, but he found his groove again in the 2020 season and was in first place in the overall North American rankings when COVID-19 cut short the last events, thereby punching his ticket to “the big-boy tour.”

“Through my upbringing, through the freeride scene, I definitely felt confident that I could make the tour. It lined up well, I guess,” says Tester in a chill and humble Tahoe tone of voice. He sometimes adds “I guess” at the end of a sentence, which doesn’t come across as flippant, but more that he’s still making sense of how lucky he is.

Ross Tester sends a huge inverted air en route to winning the third stop of the 2021 Freeride World Tour in Fieberbrunn, Austria, photo by D. Daher, courtesy Freeride World Tour

A Year to Remember

During his first year on the FWT, Tester faced heaps of adversity. Snow levels were low in Europe, the events in Japan and Canada were canceled due to COVID and restrictions made traveling difficult. Additionally, he had to switch from on-venue inspection—the standard in all comps he’d done thus far (except for Junior Worlds)—to visual inspection. In the latter, competitors don’t get to ski on the venue beforehand to survey the features and the snow quality. This conserves snow conditions and makes for a better, powder-laden show, but also requires an intense self-trust to know where you are going.

Tester’s peers remained optimistic about his odds.

“He’s just competing against himself when he’s on,” says Curle. “He’s basically in that category of athletes where if he doesn’t fall, he will win.”

At his first FWT event in Andorra, Tester blasted a technical 360 at the top of the line into a pinpoint landing between rocks, then rounded out the run with powerful skiing and stylish airs. He placed first. He crashed at the second event, but came back to win again at the third stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria. Three stops in, his crash-or-win record was flawless.

The FWT always concludes in Verbier, Switzerland, on a rocky, globally feared face called the Bec des Rosses. The athletes started from an alternative start gate in 2021 due to low snow, but it was still serious business.

Entering Verbier, Tester was ranked first overall, and if he finished anywhere on the podium, he’d be guaranteed the overall tour win. He had a line picked out but had to change plans mid-run. Winging it, he found a clean ramp and threw about as big a backflip as anyone on the tour did all year, with a flawless four-point landing.

“I briefly scoped out a cliff slightly to the right of where I was going but bagged it because it looked too big and flat. But when I found myself pointed straight at it, I thought it would be the wow factor I needed, so I went for it,” says Tester.

He earned fourth, missing third by .67 points (out of a 100-point scale), and thus finished the season in second place to Kristofer Turdell. Tester was named Rookie of the Year.

Onward and Upward

Tester is psyched to go back on tour in 2022 and has ramped up training in his new home of Salt Lake City this summer and fall. He entered a grueling 7-mile trail race in July, his first running event in 10 years, and finished 26th out of 500 runners. He bikes and hikes around Salt Lake and Park City as well, and uses the gym and Park City Woodward’s trampoline facilities. It’s casual intensity.

“I try to keep to a semi-formal plan, but obviously freeride has that aspect to it where things are constantly changing, so you have to prepare yourself for that too,” says Tester, who also started a freeride club at University of Utah.

Tester wants to do more tricks in his runs this season and up the freestyle influence that is progressing every year. He hints that if he accomplishes his goals for 2022 on the FWT, he may want to move on to other objectives outside the competitive realm, but he is without set details. He is also close to finishing a degree in strategic communication, and is pondering where college might take him.

Whatever the future holds for Tester, the support that started on day one and got him where he is now isn’t going anywhere.

“At one point I was hoping he’d get into Nordic skiing,” says his dad half-jokingly, relishing the safety of staying on the ground. “But I just want him to be happy. If skiing is his dream, we support that, and we say, ‘Get after it.’”

When learning about skiers like Ross Tester, Tahoe-based writer and snowboarder Dave Zook feels both inspired to get rad on the slopes and also very old.

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[Freeride World Tour] Full FWT 2021 Rundown

Just like that—in a flash of cold smoke—it was over. With the completion of Xtreme Verbier, the 2021 Freeride World Tour has come to a close. There were cheers, gasps, hugs, tears… and what other way would you want it? But all in all, every stop left us with jaws on the floor. If you’re looking to catch up on the stops or just relive the unbelievable action, we’re pleased to inform that you have found yourself in the right corner of the internet. Let’s take a look at each stop and how the winners got to stand atop that prestigious Freeride World Tour podium.

Photography by Dom Daher & Jeremy Bernard

While the tour was under obvious restraints this year, the entire crew deserves a thunderous round of applause for their efforts in pulling off a top dollar venue. The Andorran Pyrenees Mountains, the Pillerseetal Valley of Austria, and Switzerlands Valais Canton all were gracious hosts to one of skiings greatest competitions. Below you’ll find finalized tour rankings and awards, stop recaps and hot takes, highlight tapes, the whole nine yards. Let’s get this baddie rolling!

Stop One – Ordino Arcalís

Starting with the double header in Ordino Arcalís, Andorra, variable snow conditions gave the fully stacked slew of 28 riders plenty of sketchy fun to dive into. At Stop One, with the coverage looking rather thin, it was up to the riders to weigh how hard they should charge. Secure an early stack of points, and possibly a victory, but risk biting it on all the exposure, or play it safe and not get too dicey? I think it’s obvious by the level or riding we saw which one the riders chose.

Both Hedvig Wessel and Ross Tester, the Womens and Mens champion of the day, laced up atmospheric level backflips in their fast paced, clean turning runs. Ross’s hammer drop of a run, which also included a deeeep 360 at the top of the course, was truly outlandish when you consider that this dude is a ROOKIE on the Tour this year. Everyone knew going into it that he was a strong skier, but this absolutely set the tone for his later performances.

Women’s Ski Podium:

• Hedvig Wessel (NOR)
• Juliette Willmann (FRA)
• Maude Besse (SUI)

Men’s Ski Podium:

• Ross Tester (USA)
• Maël Ollivier (FRA)
• Blake Marshall (NZL)

Full Stop One replay on the FWT home page can be found here .

Stop Two – Ordino Arcalís

Due to COVID travel restrictions, as well as the FWT’s own initiative, both of the first two Stops were held at Ordino Arcalís in order to mitigate the danger that travel could present in a trip across the pond into the Hakuba Valley or Japan. With knowledge of the face under their belts and fresh snow on the mountain, the riders took to the start gate with an evident sense of eagerness to earn the hot seat position.

While the snow was face was better covered than previously, the fresh snow was coated with a layer of crust that made sticking some tricks and judging speed very difficult. We saw the fall, literally, or both previous Stop One champions, as both Ross and Wedvig went for daring lines and were rewarded with a dinner plate full of snow. This gave way for tour veteran Elisabeth Gerritzen and Ross Tester’s fellow American, Andrew Pollard, to capitalize on the day. Each pulled out beautifully executed 360s, with Elisabeth launched off a popular cliff, and Andrew lofting one off the high windlip into a pinner of a chute and following it up by stomping a high speed take off straight to flat landing. The Sweeds crushed the mens podium as well, with Kristofer Trudell and Reine Barkered taking second and third respectively. This was a very difficult course, from features to conditions, but it certainly made us aware that these skiers will put the peddle to the medal no matter what.

Men’s Ski Podium

• Andrew Pollard (USA)
• Kistofer Trudell (SWE)
• Reine Barkered (SWE)

Women’s Ski Podium

• Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI)
• Tracy Chubb (USA)

Full Stop Two replay on the FWT can be found here .

Stop Three – Fieberbrunn

In Fieberbrunn, we saw the return of the first time phenom Ross Tester to the kings chair. Combining a freestyle mindset and tricks with a racers technique is clearly a winning method, as Ross has proven that while he lacks the experience on the Tour that some of his old competitors may have, he can absolutely hang with the big dogs. On the Women’s side, Fieberbrunn was proof that the talent in this pool is as deep as it gets. The rankings were shuffled up again as Zuzanna Witych ousted former winners Elisabeth Gerritzen and Wedvig Wessel for first place.

The Austrian weather gods were shinning down and supplying, giving a feast of fresh snow in the days before the competition. Tough skiing by all was rewarded in full, either in the form of podium finishes or wienerschnitzel and beer. Well, not officially, but it’s Austria, so that’s not a brazen assumption. The course was littered with dicey features, the canyon gap being one of the more treacherous. We saw several riders attempt the leap of faith, with some having more “Hot Rod” style than others. Stop Three was indeed chaos, so be sure to check out all the extended highlights .

• Kristofer Trudel (SWE), Regnér Eriksson (SWE)

Women’s Ski Podium

• Zuzanna Witych (POL)

Full Stop Three replay on the FWT page can be found here .

Stop Four – Verbier

As one of the most storied and rightfully legendary competitions in skiing, and the world of sports in general, the 25th edition of the Xtreme Verbier had some large shoes to fill. But with this crew, was there any chance of that coming up short? That would be a negative, ghost-rider. But while the crew had spent weeks, even months, planning their Verbier line, nature demanded a change of course. Much like in Fieberbrunn, heavy snows battered the Switzerland Apls in the preceding days. These storms came with a twist however, and whipped winds well over 100 km/h down through the crags of the Bec des Rosses. With the underlying hard crust that was previously buried now being exposed, the call was made the day before the competition to move the venue to le Petit Bec , located on the lookers right of the main face. It’s sheltered position allowed the fresh snow to hold much better and stay softer through the harsh conditions. While the length of the face is about 200 meters shorter than the OG, it is jam packed with technical features and lines; a true FWT rippers dream.

Sometimes the pressure will get to a competitors head, and who could blame them? With 15,000 points up for grabs compared to the usual 10,000, it’s easy to see how this would happen to some of these studs. But as we saw time and time again, these are NO MERE MORTALS! Verbier brought out the highest level of skiing we were able to witness through the entire tour, and that’s no exaggeration. Elizabeth Gerritzen edged out former three time consecutive champion Ariana Tricomi for the Verbier title, and squeezed by the running favorite Wedvig Wessel by only 20 POINTS to snag the tour championship. While both Navarro and Gorak put unbelievable lines to their feet, it was the tried and true Sweedish work horse, Kristofer Turdell, that pulled out the Verbier top spot and claimed his second FWT overall first place finish. This incredible conclusion was the perfect capstone to a mind melting tour, solidifying this years line up as some of the best to ever do it.

• Arianna Tricomi (ITA)

• Kristofer Turdell (SWE)
• Wadeck Gorak (FRA)
• Aymar Navarro (SPA)

Full Stop Four replay on the FWT page can be found here .

Final FWT 21 Rankings

Rankings are determined by the points that the athlete has earned throughout the season, based on their run scores and finishes. The top 10 men and top 5 women all automatically qualify for next years Freeride World Tour. A full list of the final 2021 rankings and scores can be found here .

Men’s 2021 Final Standings

• Kristofer Turdel (SWE) – 31,720 pts.
• Ross Tester (USA) – 30,800 pts.
• Carl Regnér Eriksson (SWE) – 24,320 pts.

Women’s 2021 Final Standings

• Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI) – 27,620 pts.
• Wedvig Wessel (NOR) – 27,600 pts.
• Zuzanna Witych (POL) – 22,800 pts.

2021 FWT Rookie’s of the Year

Ross Tester – Men’s Ski

Katie Anderson – Women’s Snowboard

While the tour is finito, there is still Qualifier and Junior competition action, so check out the Freeride World Tour home page for more information. If you’re still itchin’ for some crafty coverage to relive the action, Stop One , Two , Three , and Four all received individual coverage, so give em a look if you haven’t!

[Freeride World Tour] Prepare for the grand daddy of them all: Stop Four, Xtreme Verbier

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Truckee’s Tester wins again on Freeride World Tour

Local skier sits in first place ahead of season finale.

News News | Mar 16, 2021

Truckee skier Ross Tester continued his standout season on the Freeride World Tour, claiming his second win of the year with a first-place finish at Saturday’s stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria.

The third stop of the tour marked the last event before the season finale, the Xtreme Verbier in Switzerland.

Tester, 22, is a rookie on the tour and now sits atop the standings with a pair of wins and an 18th place finish.

Conditions at the iconic Wildseeloder were challenging, according to officials, with low snow levels threatening the event. Fortunately, recent storms allowed organizers to go ahead with the competition on Saturday.

To open his run Tester stomped a massive backflip, and followed it up with a 360 near the bottom to claim first place.

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“I wasn’t expecting to take the win today with so many good runs,” said Tester in an interview with http://www.freerideworldtour.com . “I was a little bit nervous, but found my center and kept it low key. The top of the face is scary, but I chose a lower angled area. I’m stoked and scared to head to Verbier and will see if I can find some good stuff to do there.”

Another local, Sammy Luebke, 31, had a solid day in the men’s snowboard division, finishing in fifth place. Luebke, a three-time tour champion, attempted a massive air early in his run, but was unable to land cleanly. He later put down a backside 360 to close out his run. Following Saturday’s competition, Luebke sits in fifth place in the season standings.

“I let this line get away from me with a little to much slough, and an aggressive white room above exposure,” said Luebke in an Instagram post. “Stoked to be able to cap off the season on the infamous Bec one more time!”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sammy Luebke (@sammy_luebke)

The season will culminate at the Bec de Rosses with the 25th edition of the Xtreme Verbier from Saturday to March 28.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at [email protected] or 530-550-2643.

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Speed, shocks and a podium for Kristofer Turdell at Fieberbrunn's FWT

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Ross Tester Nabs Second Overall on Freeride World Tour

The Flylow athlete and FWT rookie made a name for himself in year one.

Ross Tester is a Tahoe-bred skier and Flylow athlete who made splashes on the Freeride World Tour this season as the American rookie who nearly nabbed the top spot overall in the men’s ski division. Tester, age 22, ended up in a close second place, just behind overall winner Kristofer Turdell from Sweden. But he won the first two contests of the season and entered the Verbier, Switzerland, finale of the tour as the skier to watch. We chatted with Tester, who grew up skiing the slopes of Squaw Valley, California, and now calls Utah home, after the tour wrapped up to see what he has planned for spring and if he’ll back on the FWT next year.

Flylow: This was your first year on the Freeride World Tour. What were your goals going into this season?

Ross Tester: Going into this season as a rookie, my main goal was to keep a balanced mindset going into each run to make sure nothing went wrong and to have as much fun as possible as I made my way down.

You won your first-ever FWT contest, at Ordino-Arcalís. What did that feel like and how did you celebrate your victory?

When I won the first competition, I didn’t know what to think. I was overwhelmed with stoke and surprise, considering the number of great riders I was up against. I went into the competition with no expectations except to have fun with it and I was surprised to have it all work out. After I won, we did some party shredding and had a few drinks in the FWT riders’ lounge and played Mario Kart. Overall, the aftermath was pretty chill with COVID regulations, but it was still a good time.

What has competing internationally during COVID felt like? What is different on the tour this year due to the pandemic?

Competing internationally during COVID was interesting. The FWT handled it very well by getting us tested consistently while managing crowds, mask-wearing, and the athlete bubble. Not a single person tested positive, which is impressive given that each of us got 10+ tests each. I was super bummed to miss out on Japan and Kicking Horse this season since those are some of the best competitions in my opinion, but it was good incentive to make the tour next year.

You went into the Verbier finale leading the men’s ski rankings. How do you do under pressure?

Going into the competition at Verbier, I felt like I handled the pressure well. I knew people would be gunning to beat me but just like any comp, I wanted to stay focused on finding a line that I could ski confidently and not get too caught up in what others were thinking. The mountains in Verbier are steep and exposed, so I was definitely nervous to ski but after some inspection, I found lines that I knew I could enjoy and would be fun to watch.

What happened in Verbier? You had a good run still, but it wasn’t enough to hold your first-place position?

In my run at Verbier, I had a few issues. I had a run planned that I thought was for sure a winning line but snow conditions and poor inspection on my part led me to have to bail on my plans and improvise mid-run to hit a totally different line. I would say things went pretty well considering I completely missed my line.

What do you wish Americans knew about the Freeride World Tour that the European fans and spectators already know?

I think Americans may not realize how difficult it can be to visually inspect a mountain that you have never seen before. In Europe, it’s mandatory to know where you’re going a lot of the time because there are huge cliffs and crevasses that you need to avoid.

What do you know now that you didn’t know at the beginning of the season?

Some good advice for future rookies would be to pack light because you end up accumulating all kinds of stuff you don’t expect. My bags were way overweight and bursting at the seams on my way back so I will definitely be keeping that in mind for the future.

What’s on tap for the rest of your spring?

The rest of my spring is looking pretty low-key at this point. I’ll definitely be getting a lot of spring skiing and bike rides in and seeing friends and family.

Will you compete on the FWT again next year?

At this point, I am definitely planning on returning to the tour. Some of my friends and fellow Flylow riders Jack and Kevin Nichols will be returning to the scene so I’m super stoked to have them come along. I’m also excited to have a full tour with less COVID regulations to get the full experience.

How to Put Your Ski Gear Away for the Summer

Flylow athlete ross tester leading the freeride world tour.

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Humans of the U: Ross Tester

“Last winter was my rookie season on the Freeride World Tour , where I won two of the three qualifier competitions held in Andorra and Austria . That and a fourth-place finish in the ‘Extreme Verbier’ Finals earned myself second place overall and ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors in the men’s ski division.

To pull this off while going to college, I’m fortunate to take classes either Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays so I could afford time to train, work and keep up with school during the summer and fall semesters. Then in the spring, I take minimal to no classes in order to ski and compete.

The first three years of my time at the U, I spent battling for a spot on the Tour by working my way up through the Freeride World Qualifiers circuit, which take place in the U.S. and Canada. At first, I struggled with balancing work, injuries, school, managing my finances and competing in the qualifiers. This led me to think that there was a better way, so to help curb these issues, I started a freeride club to help other students with similar aspirations.

The first season of the club was a little loose, but we rallied a bunch of students to a competition to test the waters and it was a great time. The club relieved a lot of stress for the athletes surrounding accommodations and travel for events by pooling resources to reduce a large chunk of the expenses that those present.

Overall, the first winter was a success because we ended up winning the overall collegiate standings and I qualified first in the North American region to make the Freeride World Tour. Since then, I have reduced my role with the team but it has grown a ton, and I give many thanks to the officers that have carried the torch and expanded the resources for its members. Whether you are interested in competing, ski or snowboard for fun, or neither, check out their Instagram @uofufreerideteam to learn what freeride is all about!

Going to the U was a no-brainer because of its proximity to intense, yet beautiful mountains, and the outdoor culture that they cultivate. When I decided to attend, I felt like it was the perfect place to find the opportunities I needed to achieve my goals, both academically and athletically. And, must say, it hasn’t come short of my expectations

If you have read this far, thank you, and don’t forget to get outside and enjoy the beautiful outdoors right in our backyard, and don’t take it for granted!”

—Ross Tester is a senior studying strategic communications while competing in the Freeride World Tour

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Ross Tester Barely Avoids Disaster On Freeride World Tour (GoPro Video)

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Ross Tester finished 14th at the Freeride World Tour event at Kicking Horse, but his recovery during a sketchy mistake is worth the watch. The fact that he doesn’t end up tomahawking down the mountain is unbelievable to me.

I’ve watched this clip at least 10 times and I still can’t make sense of it. He somehow keeps one ski on the surface at all times, but how? How in the hell did he not wipe out and yard sale all over the course?

Check it out for yourself-

That was a gnarly escape from Ross Tester in @KickingHorseMtn 😵‍💫 #FWT22 @TourismGolden @GoPro pic.twitter.com/U79WDsCoNL — Freeride World Tour (@FreerideWTour) March 3, 2022

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2023 Is Going to Be the Year of the Rookie Challenger on the Freeride World Tour

The fwt just released its 2023 athlete roster. here's who we have our eyes on..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

This morning, the Freeride World Tour raised the stoke levels a notch by announcing their list of 2023 competitors. The roster comprises FWT veterans and exciting newcomers, all set to shake up the battle for the 2023 title.

This season’s athlete list, in particular, illustrates a multi-year shift in rider demographics on the Tour. For years, career Tour athletes who stuck around for five or even 10 years dominated the podium and start list. A few seasons back, this status quo began to shift thanks to a new cadre of ripping up-and-comers. If you peek at the 2023 roster, you’ll notice that many riders are either newcomers or recent additions to the Tour.

During this season’s upcoming FWT, we’ll have a chance to witness these skilled young guns turned pros give it all they’ve got on the world stage; but don’t expect the old guard to go down easy. Here are the returning vets and new additions we’re most excited to watch this coming season.

Related: 2023 Freeride World Tour schedule

Reine Barkered

Category: Ski Men Status: Veteran Country: Sweden Age: 40

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Reine Barkered (@reinebarkered)

I know I just said that the future of freeride is with the youth, but you can’t talk about the FWT without mentioning Reine Barkered. The man’s got absurd longevity. The 40-year-old made his first appearance on the FWT in 2008 (that’s 14 years ago for those who don’t want to do the math). Since then, he’s snapped up multiple titles and top-five finishes. His legacy is already apparent—an enormous cliff on the Verbier FWT venue bears his name.

Barkered’s been on the FWT for more than a decade, giving him accumulated wisdom absent in younger riders. He’s intimately familiar with each venue and will bring a calculated yet explosive style to every competition face. Anticipate Barkered showing the young guns how it’s done on more than one occasion.

Category: Ski Men Status: Rookie Country: Austria Age: 20

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Max Hitzig▪️Skier (@maxhitzig)

In many ways, Max Hitzig is the polar opposite of Barkered. At 20 years old, Hitzig is half Barkered’s age. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Hitzig’s lack of experience presents a disadvantage, but you’d also be wrong. Hitzig combines the precision of a seasoned FWT rider with the tenacity of someone looking to make a name for himself.

On paper, Hitzig is a rookie as he’s never officially competed on the FWT. However, event organizers tossed him a wildcard slot last season for Fieberbrunn, an opportunity Hitzig took full advantage of by grabbing first place amidst a stacked field.

At Fieberbrunn, he displayed his complete suite of freeride talent: clean skiing, precise line selection, and a deep bag of tricks. While Hitzig doesn’t have a ton of experience under his belt (last season was his first time in the start gate), he’s already established himself as a contender for the FWT title.

Xander Guldman

Category: Ski Men Status: Rookie Country: U.S. Age: 24

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Xander Guldman (@xanderfire)

Xander Guldman followed a unique path to the FWT. As a junior, he competed on both the IFSA and JFT junior circuits, where he developed into an impressive freeride force known for technical lines and massive 360s. Then, after aging out of the juniors, he took a break from competing altogether.

Last season, on a whim, Guldman decided to throw his hat back in the ring, ultimately qualifying for the 2023 FWT. I’m thankful that Guldman opted to give the start gate another try, and as a viewer, I expect you’ll be, too. These days, the American is one part mountain goat and one part acrobat, peppering consequential terrain with quick tricks, making him uniquely prepared to find success on the FWT. Check out this video from last season, and you’ll know what I mean.

Manon Loschi

Category: Ski Women Status: Rookie Country: France Age: 20

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manon Loschi (@manon_loschi)

Manon Loschi proves that the women’s start list, like the men’s start list, is set to be rocked by a crew of newcomers. At 20 years old, Loschi’s already grabbed the attention of industry titans like K2 and Peak Performance. These sponsorships are well deserved, as evidenced by her equally fluid and aggressive style, which includes tweaked shiftys, smooth nose butters, and stomped backflips. As a fan of the FWT, I’ve long waited for the presence of riders who can mix old-school freeride know-how with new-school stunts. Loschi fits this bill and then some—stay tuned for aerial wizardry from the French rider.

Jess Hotter

Category: Ski Women Status: Veteran Country: New Zealand Age: 29

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jess Hotter (@jesshotterski)

Jess Hotter had a banner season last year, grabbing two first-place finishes, a second-place finish, and the overall title. Hotter’s success as a rookie during the 2022 FWT likely came as no surprise to those in the know. She cut her teeth on the qualifying circuit for years, and she’s from New Zealand, a country known for producing top-tier freeriders.

Hotter’s excellent line selection skills, impressive technique, and her hard-won experience last season means she everything she needs to defend her title this season. If her Instagram is any indication, Hotter intends to augment her extensive freeride skills with some tricks of her own, clearly taking advantage of that southern hemisphere winter to dial in an array of stunts.

Sybille Blanjean

Category: Ski Women Status: Rookie Country: Switzerland Age: 22

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Freeride World Tour (@freerideworldtour)

Sybille Blanjean, like Manon Loschi, spent little time in the qualifiers. In 2018, she graduated from the junior circuit before spending a short three years on the FWQ. Starting last season, she was officially part of the big leagues. Many riders spend over five years on the FWQ before fighting their way onto the Tour. Not Blanjean.

Blanjean’s rookie season on the FWT was promising. She held her own throughout, stacking solid middle-of-the-pack runs, which led to her clinching a spot in the finals. However, things kicked into a different gear in Verbier, Switzerland, with Blanjean putting down a winning run in puckering steep terrain—a poetic conclusion to the season for the Swiss skier and an indicator that Blanjean’s ready to take a crack at the overall title in 2023.

Amidst this excitement of fresh faces and new challengers, you may notice that a few fan favorites won’t be returning. On the women’s side, Hedvig Wessel has opted to step away from the FWT this upcoming season to focus on personal projects. While her backflips will be sorely missed, the FWT reports that she may return for a one-off as a wildcard at one of this seasons events. On the men’s side, big sender Aymar Navarro unfortunately won’t appear in the start gate in 2023, unless he’s offered a wildcard.

We’re about three months from the FWT’s kick-off in 2023, which will be broadcast free on Youtube and the official FWT website . Stay tuned to SKI’s Competitions channel for more coverage as we inch closer to the first drop of the season.

Full 2023 Freeride World Tour Athlete Roster

• Jess Hotter (NZL)
• Olivia McNeill (CAN)
• Lily Bradley (USA)
• Sybille Blanjean (SUI)
• Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI)
• Megane Betend (FRA)
• Manon Loschi (FRA)
• Addison Rafford (USA)
• Delila Quinn (USA)
• Maxime Chabloz (SUI)
• Carl Regnér Eriksson (SWE)
• Ross Tester (USA)
• Kristofer Turdell (SWE)
• Andrew Pollard (USA)
• Jack Nichols (USA)
• Abel Moga (ESP)
• Léo Slemett (FRA)
• Max Palm (SWE)
• Craig Murray (NZL)
• Jamesa Hampton (NZL)
• Manu Barnard (NZL)
• Simon Perraudin (SUI)
• Max Hitzig (AUT)
• Valentin Rainer (AUT)
• Leif Mumma (USA)
• Jedidiah Kravitz (USA)
• Dillon Flinders (USA)
• Xander Guldman (USA)
• Reine Barkered (SWE)

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