Wanaka skier Ben Richards is on top of the world.
Richards, 26, continued his domination of the Freeride World Tour yesterday, securing another win in the finals to seal the overall men’s ski title for 2026.
He delivered a confident performance on the Bec des Rosses face in Verbier, Switzerland, executing a perfect 360° and linking multiple sections of difficult terrain seamlessly to highlight speed and freestyle elements.
He was awarded a huge 96 points and surged into the lead above tour leader Toby Rafford (USA) and Tiemo Rolshoven (Germany).
That score was enough to push him ahead of Rafford in the overall tour standings to make him the ski men’s season winner.
It had been a dream season, Richards said.
While his performance in the finals did not go exactly to plan, with some improvisation required in the middle of the run, it clearly did not faze him.
“I got pushed off my line so I made up a little bit in the middle, but the conditions were so perfect, I had such a good time.’’
Two of this year’s tour stops were cancelled due to weather, but the final in Switzerland played out in perfect conditions with 50cm of fresh snow falling on the days before the event.
The Bec des Rosses is the pinnacle of extreme freeriding.
At 3223m with a 600m vertical drop and 43° slopes, it offers steep and complex terrain.
New Zealand team-mate Fynn Powell also had an excellent run, finishing eighth and coming 12th overall for the 2026 season.
He also took away ‘‘best trick’’ in Verbier with an epic double backflip.
Coming off back-to-back wins at the Baqueira Beret Pro in Spain and Val Thorens Pro in France and having won the inaugural FIS freeride world championships, Richards had already cemented a reputation as one of the most technically precise and fluid riders on the circuit.
Freeride could soon be designated an Olympic sport with a potential debut at the 2030 Games in the French Alps and if that happens, Richards will no doubt aim to be there.
“The Olympics is a super exciting prospect for freeride in the future,” he said.
‘‘Hopefully it will go ahead in 2030 and if so, I’d love to be there representing New Zealand.”
