I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, 2025 is shaping up to be one heck of a damn year for freeride fans.
The Freeride World Tour will deliver its first event of the season in a few short days, the Natural Selection Tour has brought skiing into the fold, Sugar Bowl’s Silver Belt is back, and this weekend, you can tune in live to catch the Nendaz Backcountry Invitational for the cool price of zero dollars.
Check it out below.
The Nendaz Backcountry Invitational kicks off at 9:30 a.m. CET Sunday which is 3:30 a.m. EST or 12:30 a.m. PST.
I hear ya—catching European ski events live is tough if you reside in the U.S. Thankfully, if you’re not inclined to burn the midnight oil, a highlight recap will be released after the Nendaz Backcountry Invitational wraps up. You could also avoid social media spoilers and watch the event’s replay Sunday morning after waking up—I’ve done that before with Freeride World Tour competitions.
Now in its fifth year, the Nendaz Backcountry Invitational combines freeride skiing with the excitement of backcountry jump sessions. By peppering manicured booters throughout the rolling, powdery course, the competition encourages athletes to show off their freestyle skills alongside their cliff-jumping chops. The Nendaz Backcountry Invitational is like watching a ski movie—but live.
Last year’s event saw numerous stand out moments—this run from Craig Murray, who called skiing the Nendaz course “a dream,” captures event’s unique feel.
In 2025, invited female athletes include Astrid Cheylus, Lou Barrin, and Eva Battola. Cheylus, in particular, is one to watch. She claimed second overall during the 2024 Freeride World Tour and has double backflips in her bag of tricks.
The male field is similarly stacked. Alex Hackel, Nico Porteous, and former Freeride World Tour charger Leo Slemmet—among others—will all vie for top marks.
Watching pros huck themselves down iced-up World Cup courses can get old. At Nendaz, a crowd of talented athletes is given the opportunity to ride something that looks more appealing.
Heck, I’m hardly a professional skier, but I’d pay good money for a few laps through the Nendaz course—unsurprisingly, I don’t feel the same way about bulletproof superpipes.
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