Freeride Madness at Sugar Bowl for The Silver Belt 2026

Featured Image: Jake Burchmore

For the last two years, FREESKIER has watched as The Silver Belt freeride comp carves its own chapter in the history books of skiing. Last week, we gathered again at the summit of Donner Pass for the third edition of this freeride bonanza. Despite a near-historically low snow year, the turnout of both riders and fans was fantastic, the energy was electric and we were star-struck by what might be the best independent comp on the scene today.

Hosted at California's Sugar Bowl Resort, the event has a long and nuanced history. In one form or another, the Silver Belt Gully has held competitions since the 1940s. What was once a famous slalom event has morphed into a freeride competition where skiers and boarders band together to build kickers, shaping the gully into their playground.

It's a symbolic vision of skiing's creative side, with the winner determined by the athletes themselves. There's no wrong way down, only different routes. And clearly it's an attractive sales pitch. Riders poured in from around the world, whether home was a state away or across the ocean.

Former Silver Belt champion Robert Ruud made the voyage from Norway, two-time X Games gold medalist Luca Harrington came through, Abby Winterberger was one of the five Olympians who tried their luck, and the list goes on. There was no shortage of talent, and a late-spring snowstorm delivered the final ingredient to ensure another successful Silver Belt.

2026 Silver Belt Ski Women's Roster: Emma Dayberry, Valerie Festavan, Ruby Star Andrews, Abby Winterberger, Becca Rimer, Anna Patterson, Ava Fox, Elena Messner, Savannah Dayberry

2026 Silver Belt Ski Men's Roster: Nolan Knickerbocker, Connor Clemens, Robert Ruud, Soren Fanning, David Wise, River Brown, Jasper Donley, Gustav Legnavsky, Isaac Kaufman, Hank Stowers, Drew Dana, Henry Schrichte, Luca Harrington, Danny Garringer, Graham Gray, Mack Winterberger, Tyler Curle, Anders Leckie, Reid Litwiller, Ryan Faye, Beau Smith Rohlen

Cliff drops and backy-mutes; The Silver Belt has it all!

Photo: Jake Burchmore | Skier: Val Festavan (left), Robert Ruud (right)

Two feet of snow had fallen in the previous days, and as the clouds cleared, the riders took to the mountain under blue skies to craft the course. The final build included over six kickers, with multiple natural features and two start gates in play. "Here we're skiers and snowboarders helping each other, and that's just how the world should work!" laughed Ruud as the crew stacked feet upon feet of snow.

After a day-long build session on Friday, April 3, it was showtime on Saturday morning. The shorter time window provided by poor snow conditions meant this year's Silver Belt had no open qualifier, a staple of the event that lets anyone try their hand at the course, but the finals day roster included a diverse selection of names, both local and global. The start list was mixed between disciplines, with skiers and boarders dropping intermingled. Each competitor was given two runs, with the option to select their favorite for their peers to judge that evening.

It would have been easy to play it safe from the start. The rider's right side of the venue was still softening up from the previous night's freeze. But apparently, holding back isn't in the vocabulary for these riders. Nolan Knickerbocker was the first skier to drop, opening it up with a bang as he threw a Screamin' Seaman 7 to the crowd's delight. Everyone got the memo, and the sends only heated up.

There's no stomp without a few proper spills

Photo: Jordy Grant-Krenz | Skier: Drew Dana (left), Anders Leckie

It quickly became clear that there would be no easy wins, from David Wise's textbook stomps to Elena Messner's courageous front flips. A few FREESKIER favorite sends include Nolan Knickerbocker's Screamin' 7 attempt, Messner's double front flip attempt, Reid Litwiller's huge diving board front flip, a massive safety 3 from Drew Dana off the same feature as Litwiller, Anna Patterson spinning both ways and putting a backflip to bolts, and Anders Leckie getting redemption on a massive crowd-pleaser backflip at the bottom.

As the riders kept dropping, it was impossible not to notice the energy in the finish corral. Filled with both fellow competitors and spectators alike, every single skier and boarder who rolled into the finish was greeted with hugs and high-fives. There wasn't a whiff of traditional competitive animosity. You could tell by how hard everyone was charging that each skier wanted to win, but nobody wanted anyone else to lose. That communal push is what makes The Silver Belt so special, and it was no different in 2026.

After a heavy day and a few cold ones on the remodeled Hotel at Sugar Bowl patio, it was time to head back to Village Hall for dinner and voting. Athletes gathered and TV screens lit up with their choice runs, which were edited in what was likely record time by the incredible cinematography staff. The podium only has room for three, and the numbers don't lie. Voted by their peers, Luca Harrington and Valerie Festavan were crowned as the 2026 Silver Belt champions.

2026 Silver Belt Women's Ski Podium

🥇 Valerie Festavan

🥈 Abby Winterberger

🥉 Elena Messner

2026 Silver Belt Men's Ski Podium

🥇 Luca Harrington

🥈 Gustav Legnavsky

🥉 Reid Litwiller

"To see this many talented skiers coming together, and have everyone rooting for everyone, it's incredibly special," said Olympian, Sugar Bowl Ambassador, and men's ski runner-up Gustav Legnavsky. And he's not wrong. Many of the riders here, from veteran halfpipe skier David Wise to X Games champion Harrington, spend their season at the highest levels of competition.

And yet each of them has nothing but high praise for The Silver Belt. Whether it's the people, the place, the structure, or some magical combination of all, Sugar Bowl has clearly struck gold with this event. We would be remiss without mentioning Xander Guldman, who pioneered the resurgence of this competition but was filming with Matchstick Productions during the event this year. His presence was overwhelmingly felt, and we can't wait to see Guldman back at Sugar Bowl for next season.

Cheers to everyone who stepped up to the plate this year, and we can't wait for 2027. Keep your eyes peeled for the full recap video dropping soon, and be sure to cast your vote in the FREESKIER Silver Belt People's Choice Award, open starting Thursday, April 9!