Four Unreal Moments From the 2026 Freeride World Tour

Featured Image: Dom Daher | Skier: Abel Moga

So you've got a heavy dose of the early-summer blues, eh? We get it; the warm weather is really picking up, and any snow left in the high peaks is starting to melt really fast. Ski season is entering the rearview mirror, and you need a blast of winter. You've come to the right place.

Take a trip back to an unforgettable Freeride World Tour season, as we recount FREESKIER's top four HEAD moments from this season. While this winter had its share of ups and downs, with two stops canceled due to poor conditions, these skiers stuck it out and still put it all on the line.

So who made the list? What backflip are we examining today? All the answers you seek lie below.

4) Jack Kolesch - Top to Bottom Hucks at Val Thorens

Freeride World Tour rookie Jack Kolesch is the latest in a long list of Canadians to put their stamp on the Tour. Kolesch. He skied well in the first half of the season and made the cut, advancing to the final stops in Alaska and Verbier, where he finished 7th and 12th, respectively.

But we're going back to Stop Two, where he managed to pull off a miraculous run in Val Thorens. He stumbled, he front punched, but he never lost a shoe and he never stopped sending. Kolesch threw down two 360s, a backflip and a big cossack (bonus points in our book) before he ripped into the finish corral. You gotta love it.

3) Abel Moga - Huge Double Drop to Backflip

The 2026 Xtreme Verbier will certainly go down in history as one of the most riveting FWT stops of all time. Many skiers put down fantastic lines... so when we tell you Abel Moga's double drop-to-backflip stands out, you know that means something. The Spanish freerider is always cooking up something special.

Much like his mentor, Aymar Navarro, is no stranger to fast and furious skiing. He's certainly imparted a bit of his wisdom on Moga, who showed off his strength and calculated sending in Verbier this year. The recovery out of this Mach 10 cliff drop is impressive enough, but to straighten it out and then go into a backflip with a precarious takeoff is outstanding.

Fun fact - the route Moga took was just next to Navarro's route on the fabled La Bamba

2) Max Hitzig - Fall Line Freeride Perfection Earns 5th at Verbier Xtreme

You can't talk about freeride without talking about Max Hitzig. The German rider has become one of the most notable skiers of the last three years, even claiming potentially the biggest backflip in FWT history in 2023 off the Rodney Pyramid at Kicking Horse, Golden, BC. (Does that make it the Hitzig Pyramid now?)

This winter, Hitzig saved his best for last. He put on an absolute clinic in Verbier to end the season, packing fall line perfection, a huge backflip and a lofty 360 into one run. Only four riders were able to squeeze out a higher score than Hitzig's 90.33. While he didn't land on the podium, we still think this dialed line deserves another watch and a big round of applause.

1) Agostina Vietti - Historic Win at Val Thorens

The top spot belongs to none other than the freeride queen, Agostina Vietti. Val Thorens, France, hosted a glorious second stop of the 2026 Tour, with ample pow blanketing the venue. There were sharks in the water, with ten riders getting snagged up on rocks and losing a ski, resulting in no score.

But Vietti, a rookie who is the first Argentinian woman on the FWT, hit her stride this year. While the second half of the season didn't go her way, she skied confidently, especially considering it was her first year adjusting to the highest level of freeride competition.

In Val Thorens, her solid technique and creative eye were on full display as she navigated her way into the history books, becoming the first Argentinian to be victorious on the Freeride World Tour. Her FULL RUN is not to be missed.