U.S. Ski Team Releases First-Ever Freeride Team Nominations

Featured Image: Dom Daher | Skier: Ross Tester | Location: 2026 FIS Freeride World Championships

The United States Ski Team has released the first-ever U.S. Freeride Team nominations ahead of the sport's 2030 Olympic debut. We saw a heated debate transpire earlier this summer when it was first announced that freeride would be included in the Winter Games. But as time passed, even the harshest critics wanted a hand in shaping what freeride's Olympic launch would look like.

Now, we get to see which skiers are the first to have a say in the next step of Olympic freeride in the United States. To be clear, this announcement is NOT an official Olympic team. The U.S. Ski Team posts nominations towards the end of every summer, and athletes must accept by late October. Further, nominations can change yearly and the list will almost certainly look different in four years when it's go time for Alpes 2030.

The U.S. team criteria change between racing, freeski and freeride disciplines, with Freeride World Tour (FWT) and Freeride World Championship rankings being named as the two biggest competition factors. That said, the Freeride Criteria does list "discretionary nominations," noting that said names have been selected based on a variety of factors or competitions outside the FWT and World Championships. In other words, film parts might help you make the O Show.

13 skiers and snowboarders have been nominated, with three skiers making the women's ski team and five making the men's team. When looking at the current FWT Rankings, the names here make a lot of sense. There are a few riders we can think of that would have been good selections as potential discretionary selections, but we're very stoked to see this group slated to represent the red, white and blue.