• ABOUT

    The longest running and most prestigious competitive big mountain skiing tour in the world, The Subaru Freeskiing World Tour returns this year for its 15th season.  Founded by skiing pioneers Shane McConkey and Dave Swanwick, and owned and operated by Mountain Sports International, the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour (FWT) continues a storied tradition of bringing the best skiers in the world to the most challenging venues to compete for cash and prizes.
    With athletes like Ingrid Backstrom, Erik Roner, Seth Morrison, Dean Cummings, J.T. Holmes, Kent Kreitler, Wendy Fisher and Chris Davenport, among many others, the FWT has quickly established itself as the top big mountain freeskiing tour in the world.  Recent years have also brought up-and-comers such as Dane Tudor, Kye Petersen and Claudia Bouvier, continuing the tour’s tradition as a launching ground for pro careers.

    Hugo Harrison and Manuel Gaidet have both won the tour three consecutive times. Recent winners on the men’s side have included Julien Lopez, the late Arne Backstrom and Drew Tabke.  The women’s side of the tour continues its exponential growth from eight full tour competitors in 1998, to more than 30 in 2010, and with champions such as Jen Ashton, Kit Deslauriers and Angel Collinson each winning back-to-back years, the women continue to step it up.

    The Sickbird Award, introduced in 1998, is awarded at every FWT stop to the skier who had a run or trick with that certain wow factor.  The run may not have been the highest scoring, but its the one that makes people stand up and take notice.  The Sickbird has quickly become the most coveted piece of hardware in the freeskiing world, with past winners including Julien Lopez, Silas Chickering-Ayers and Kiffor Berg proudly sporting their belt buckles wherever they go.  In 2010, the McConkey Cup was created as the trophy for the overall tour champions.  The award is named in honor of the dearly departed Shane McConkey, IFSA founder and guiding spirit of the freeskiing world.

    The 2012 tour will once again feature competition stops in South America, Canada and the United States; as well as live webcasting of events, and featured episodes in ‘Mountain Sports International’s Big Mountain Series.’