U.S. Debuts First-Ever National Freeride Team

Featured Image: Dom Daher, Freeride World Tour | Skier : Ross Tester

When the news first broke that freeride would be included in the 2030 Winter Olympics , opinions were divided on whether or not this would be a net positive for the sport and culture. The debate echoed into every corner of the ski world, but as weeks turned to months, people hopped on the bus . That bus has now left the station, as the U.S. announced its first-ever Freeride Team this week.

Much of the discussion around freeride's inclusion in the Olympics centered on standardization and the subsequent criteria that would be used to select an Olympic team. For the upcoming season, the U.S. team's freeride criteria are fairly straightforward. Selections are made based on Freeride World Tour and Freeride World Championship standings.

There are certainly gray areas, such as "discretionary nominations," but these types of nominations aren't exclusive to freeride. In all, every rider here is more than qualified to represent the U.S.A. against the best in the world. Check out which skiers were selected to the 2026-27 U.S. Freeride Team, below.

2026-27 Stifel U.S. Freeride Team

Women

Molly Armanino, Lily Bradley, Wynter McBride

Men

Kelly Hilleke, Kai Jones, Joey Leonardo, Toby Rafford, Ross Tester