Rahlves Banzai 2026 Returns to Palisades Tahoe

Featured Image: Courtesy of Greyson Howard and Palisades Tahoe

Rahlves Banzaia is a big mountain freeride competition in which each competitor races head-to-head from start to finish. The high-intensity, adrenaline-rushing event is returning to Palisades Tahoe after a 10-year hiatus. The event is from April 10-12, 2026, with a full weekend of fun and competition.

The competition was created in 2009 by U.S. ski icon and Red Bull athlete Daron Rahlves. The race combines big-mountain freeride with intense ski and snowboard cross racing. For those who don't know what ski cross is, it is an action-packed Olympic freestyle skiing discipline in which four competitors race down a technical course. Now imagine this, but on a freeride course for both ski and snowboarders.

The course starts with a traditional ski/snowboard cross drop gate, through which the competitors must pass an invisible plane of a triangle panel and a GS gate panel, with both feet passing on the outside of the triangle panel stubby, then the turn gate. The gate is determined by the fastest qualifying time. The course also features extensive natural terrain, as it is a big-mountain freeride course.

Men and women snowboarders who are at least 18 years old are welcome to compete by registering on the website. Race-day lift tickets are available for $85. There is one qualifying run (1 competitor at a time at 1-minute intervals) and brackets are built from the qualifying results. The top 32 men and the top 16 women advance to heats, each consisting of four competitors. The top two competitors advance to the next round.

In terms of tactics, leaning into another competitor is fair play as long as there is no malicious or blatant change of line direction out of the natural flow. If one is overly aggressive toward another competitor and alters the course or slows them down by physical force, that is grounds for disqualification. Other grounds for disqualification include missing a gate (one or both feet of the competitor don’t clearly pass through the outside of the stubby going through the triangle panel) or skipping gates.