Timo Macvan

Amidst the haze of the Freeride World Tour stop in Georgia during the first weekend of March, PowderGuide had the opportunity to sit down with Valentin Rainer, the 2023 men’s tour champion and a competitor in this year’s season. The 26-year-old Austrian rider shares an inside look at his life, both before and during the season, and opens up about his plans for the future. It’s an exciting glimpse into the world of a professional freerider, someone who relentlessly chases goals driven by intrinsic motivation and the pure joy of the sport.

The Fieberbrunn Pro Event in Tyrol is an institution on the Freeride World Tour. The Wildseeloder is feared for its steep and narrow passages, but is also legendary for the Häusle Cliff and the parties afterwards. Unfortunately, not everyone had something to celebrate this time, as Fieberbrunn is always the last stop for some riders. While a few riders seized their last chance, others literally crashed or didn't even get the opportunity to compete, as their event was canceled. Although—or perhaps because—the male skiers were unable to race, there were still some exciting stories worth telling.

Who wouldn’t want a backpack that’s versatile enough for almost any adventure? Whether as a daily companion in the city, at university, or the climbing gym, as a daypack for hiking, ski touring, and skiing, or on a winter splitboard tour with an overnight hut stay—the Nirvana 28 from Swiss outdoor brand Mammut is designed to handle it all.

Yesterday, Saturday, the world's best freeriders came together again to determine the winners for the fourth time in the 2025 season. This time, the elites battled it out on one and two boards in the wild Caucasus, in the shadow of the 4858 m high Tetnuldis, and threw themselves down the Kakhiani.

Spectacular season opener of the FIS Freeride World Tour 2025 in Baqueira Beret. The FIS Freeride World Tour 2025 by Peak Performance kicked off with an impressive event at the Baqueira Beret Pro by Movistar in Spain. Freeride stars and up-and-coming talents delivered top performances on the newly introduced "La Bamba" competition slope. The challenging east-facing slope with a gradient of up to 53 degrees provided the perfect stage for spectacular freeride action and set the tone for an exciting season.

Davos is located in the heart of the canton of Graubünden, the largest canton in Switzerland in terms of area but also the least populated. Nestled between the majestic Albula Alps and the picturesque Plessur Alps, this winter wonderland at an altitude of around 1500 metres offers an interesting cultural history and an impressive mountainous landscape that makes freeriders' hearts leap of joy.

Ich durfte das Set, bestehend aus dem ARVA EVO5, der 240 SKITRIP-Sonde und der SKITRIP-Schaufel diese Saison, im Zeitraum von November bis Februar, in den Tiroler Alpen testen. Hierbei ist es beim Freeriden und Splitboarden genutzt worden sowie in einem LVS-Workshop auf den Prüfstand gestellt worden.

Whether on a ski tour, in deep snow or converted for hiking or mountain biking, the Haldigrat Air HS Hooded really is a multi-talent. Especially in times when sustainability is playing an increasingly important role, it is an outstanding companion for all your outdoor adventures.

The Backcountry Weeks are organised by GoVertical, an association of local mountain guides from the canton of Graubünden. They works together with the local destinations, in this case Davos/Klosters. On the long weekend in January, from 25/01/2024 to 28/01/2024, the 9th edition of the Backcountry Weekend took place in Switzerland's legendary winter sports destination. Backcountry Week 2024 offered a comprehensive and varied programme for all kinds of backcountry enthusiasts.

At the second stop of the Freeride World Tour, the best freeriders started the competition on Thursday afternoon. Kicking Horse once again showed its best side, making for some spectacular sporting action. The French team in particular was extremely strong, winning in several categories and taking several podiums. Basically, I had the feeling that the field of athletes was still finding its legs. A few crashes in Verbier and the cancellation of the second stop in the Pyrenees were already putting pressure on some riders. Nevertheless, even participants who had collected only few points so far showed very ambitious and courageous lines.

Incredible conditions in Verbier right at the start of the season, especially on the extremely steep and exposed slope of the Petit Bec. An incredible start for two German riders: Max Hitzig, FWT Rider of the Year 2023, wins his third stage and for the first time in Verbier. Timmy Schröder puts down an incredibly creative line in the high mountains of Valais and makes his first exclamation mark on his Freeride World Tour debut. Among others, he had to admit defeat to one of the grand masters of snowboarding; Victor de le Rue shook up the fabric of last year's tour with his comeback, as did Kristofer Turdell. Zuzanna Witych won the women's contest.

Last spring, the best men and women of the competitive freeride scene met in Fieberbrunn to find out who had what it takes to stand at the top of the Freeride World Tour podium two weeks later. I was also able to be part of the action, not as an athlete of course, but as a reporter who was able to provide insights into the tour and the supporting events. As part of this, I had the pleasure of conducting an interview about our favourite activity with local heroine Manuela Mandl. In 2018, she became freeride world champion in snowboarding and last year she secured victory in Xtreme Verbier, taking third place in the FWT.