Freeride World Tour Stop Five Haines, AK Confirmed for March 13

Featured Image: Courtesy of the Freeride World Tour

It's all systems go in Haines, Alaska, as the Freeride World Tour makes its long-awaited return to The Final Frontier. Freeride fans have been waiting in anticipation to see the return of a major competition in Alaska. We got a taste of that last winter as Natural Selection Ski brought some of the best freeskiers around to do battle in AK. Now, after a decade away, FWT riders will be back in the start gate in the world's most prestigious mountains.

The 2026 Yeti Haines Alaska Pro event is confirmed for Friday, March 13, the Tour announced on March 12. After both Stops Three and Four were cancelled, originally slated for Georgia and Fieberbrunn, respectively, the drive to see a competition through has never been higher. That being said, FWT organizers are committed to rider safety as the number one priority.

Stop Four marked the official season cut, meaning only the top half of riders from each field will be competing in Alaska and at the final stop of the season, the Xtreme Verbier. The freeskiers that remain, in ranked order as of 3/12/26, are:

FWT Women's Ski Finalists: Agostina Vietti, Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Sybille Blanjean, Zoé Delzoppo, Wynter McBride, Lou Barin

FWT Men's Ski Finalists: Ben Richards, Ross Tester, Max Hitzig, Joey Leonardo, Toby Rafford, Weitien Ho, Ygo Troubat, Marcus Goguen, Jack Koelsh, Tiemo Rolshoven, Abel Moga, Victor Hale-Woods, Fynn Powell

Riders will compete on the same face that was used previously during the Tour's Alaska stops in 2016 and 2017. Know as The Venue, this daunting face is packed with features and boasts a sustained average pitch of 45 degrees. "The Venue is renowned for delivering some of the most spectacular runs in Freeride World Tour history," read the official press release. "Its wide-open terrain and dramatic spine formations offer riders countless creative line options while maintaining the technical challenge Alaska is famous for."

There will be two start gates of riders to pick from, with the lower option being situated at 2,100 meters (6,889 feet) and the second placed slightly higher at 2,130 meters (6,988 feet). Both have their advantages, but no matter which one is chosen, the way down remains technically demanding, possibly the most demanding out of any stop ever featured on the FWT circuit.

Conditions are holding well for the comp to proceed as planned. "The face is east-facing and current conditions look promising for competition day," Tour organizers stated, "with approximately 20 cm of fresh cold powder sitting on top of a compact and supportive base."

Things could always change between now and 10:30 AM AKDT on March 13, but we're hopeful that the snowpack and temperature hold steady for the best safety results. Be sure to tune in and watch the freeride madness live from Alaska!