The 2026 Freeride World Tour is Here
Baqueria Beret opens the Tour this year.
Just as it has every year since 2022.
It’s Spain’s largest ski resort and sits in the Val d’Aran in the northern Pyrenees.
Baqueira Beret. Image © PlanetSKI
The competition is being held on the iconic Tuc de Baciver.
It rises to 2,644 metres above the Beret sector of the resort.
It’s known for its technical lines and great alpine scenery.
Baqueira Beret with the Tuc de Baciver the tallest peak in the distance. Image © PlanetSKI
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The competition was originally scheduled to happen on Friday.
It’s been brought forward to give the skiers and snowboarders the best conditions, safety and visibility.
Some 80cm of snow fell last weekend and the snowpack has now stabilised.
On Wednesday, the organisers were setting up at the venue.
The cameras were already in place.
Ready for the action. Image © PlanetSKI
And the riders got their first detailed look at the face they’ll be tackling.
Inspecting the competition face. Image © PlanetSKI
Inspecting the competition face. Image © PlanetSKI
A look is all they got.
There are no practice runs on the Freeride World Tour.
One of those donning the bib for the season opener is GB snowboarder, Cody Bramwell.
We met and interviewed him last year in Val Thorens.
Cody Bramwell in 2025 Image © PlanetSKI
We caught up with him again just ahead of the Baqueira Beret Pro in the Riders’ Lounge of the official hotel.
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Here’s Cody winning the 2025 Xtreme Verbier, the final stop of the season which placed him second overall.
On Wednesday evening, the riders were informed that the competition would not be a ‘powder event’.
We sat in on the Riders’ Meeting where they were warned to expect windblown, bumpy and hard snow at the start followed by firm and grippy conditions in the steepest section.
Riders’ Meeting. Image © PlanetSKI
The judges’ scores and final rankings will be determined by their overall impression of the line the riders take and how they execute it.
It’s all to play for with more than 50 riders competing in the 2026 FWT.
All will have their chance to impress in the first four stops:
- Baqueira Beret – 16 January
- Val Thorens – 24-29 January
- Georgia – 22-28 February
- Fieberbrunn – 5-10 March
Only the top 60% will make the cut and go on to the final two events:
- Alaska Haines –Â 15-22 March
- Xtreme Verbier – 28 March-5 April
In the middle of it all there’s the small matter of the inaugural FIS Freeride World Championships.
They’re being held in Ordino Arcalis in Andorra between 1 and 6 February.
So there’s lots to look forward to for the rest of the season.
But first, we can’t wait to watch some of the bravest skiers and snowboarders on the planet hurl themselves down the mountain here in Baqueira Beret.
FWT at Baqueira Beret in 2025. Image © @freerideworldtour/J Bernard.
You can watch it live on the FWT Website.
Coverage starts at 1200 CET (1100 GMT) on Thursday 15th January with the first rider dropping in at 1215 CET.
First up are the Snowboard Women, then Snowboard Men, followed by Ski Women and Ski Men.
We’ll updating this article with more news and images from the competition, so do check back.
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