Featured Image: Courtesy of Freeride World Tour

Ready or not, ski season is coming. Every fall, the Freeride World Tour (FWT) drops its official athlete lineup for the season. Year after year, the world’s top freeriders are selected to go head-to-head on a five-stop big-mountain competition tour and this year’s roster may be the most stacked it’s ever been–making it anyone’s title for the taking.

Perhaps the first name you’ll notice missing from the men’s list is the 2019 FWT champion, Markus Eder. The Italian professional skier is stepping away from competition to focus on personal projects for the coming winter. With Eder out of contention, Sweden’s Kristofer Turdell, Tanner Hall and wildcard Reine Barkered all have their sights set on the champion’s chair.

Full Men’s Lineup

Kristofer Turdell (SWE)

Leo Slemett (FRA)

Andrew Pollard (USA)

Wadeck Gorak (FRA)

Tom Peiffer (CAN)

Craig Murray (NZL)

Tanner Hall (USA)

Drew Tabke (USA)

Carl Regnér (SWE)

Aymar Navarro (SPA)

Reine Barkered (SWE) – Wildcard

Yu Sasaki (JAP) – Wildcard

Konstantin Ottner (GER) – Wildcard

Sam Lee (NZL) – Wildcard

Ivan Malakhov (RUS) – Wildcard

Yann Rausis (SUI) – Wildcard

Hank Bilous (NZL) – Wildcard

Isaac Freeland (USA) – Rookie

Carl Renvall (SUI) – Rookie

Blake Marshall (NZL) – Rookie

Jack Nichols (USA) – Rookie

Tao Kreibich (AUT) – Rookie

Kevin Nichols (USA) – Rookie

On the women’s side, everyone is eager to see if Italy’s Arianna Tricomi will be able to hold on to her title for an unheard-of third consecutive year. Returning vets Jacqueline Pollard and Jackie Paaso have the talent to take the crown but this year’s lineup of ladies is stacked. Wildcards Juliette Willmann from France and Sweden’s Evelina Nilsson plan to shake things up and newcomers Jessica Hotter and Emma Patterson are fresh forces to be reckoned with.

Full Women’s Lineup

Ariana Tricomi (ITA)

Jacqueline Pollard (USA)

Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI)

Hedvig Wessel (NOR)

Jackie Paaso (USA)

Rachel Croft (USA) – Wildcard

Maude Besse (SUI) – Wildcard

Juliette Willman (FRA) – Wildcard

Eveline Nilsson (SWE) – Wildcard

Jessica Hotter (NZL) – Rookie

Emma Patterson (USA) – Rookie