PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1627889
A Perspective on Competitive Freeride Skiing and Snowboarding
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden
- 2Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedicum C5, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- 3Division of Machine Elements, Luleå University of Technology, SE97187 Luleå, Luleå, Sweden
- 4Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Gortanova 22, 1000 Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Freeride skiing and snowboarding-collectively termed competitive freeriding-have evolved from niche extreme sports into formally recognized disciplines under the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS). Unlike traditional alpine or freestyle events, competitive freeriding emphasizes creative line selection, technical execution, fluidity, style, and aerial maneuvers on natural, ungroomed mountain terrain. Athletes descend complex slopes based solely on visual inspection, without practice runs, facing unique physical and psychological challenges.This perspective article outlines the competition format and judging system, identifies key physiological and biomechanical demands, and reviews essential equipment and safety considerations. Despite growing popularity and institutional recognition, scientific research remains limited-primarily focused on avalanche risk and injury incidence-while other dimensions, such as psychological resilience, creative expression, and environmental connectedness, remain underexplored.Physiologically, competitive freeriders require high levels of eccentric and explosive strength, core stability, reactive control, and anaerobic endurance to navigate variable terrain and absorb impact during aerial maneuvers. Lower-extremity injuries-particularly anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures-are a major concern.Technological advances in drone-based filming, athlete monitoring, and protective equipment are reshaping freeride competition and broadcasting. As the sport moves toward potential Olympic inclusion, the central challenge lies in embracing innovation without compromising the core values of freedom, improvisation, and connection to the mountain environment.
Keywords: Avalanche safety, Biomechanics, injury prevention, Judging criteria, mental preparation, Physiological demands, Risk Management, Winter sport
Received: 13 May 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mulder, Holmberg and Matej. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Eric Robert Mulder, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.