Kiwi skier Richards wins freeride gold
- editor59343
- 18 hours ago
- 2 min read
Fresh off his win at the Baqueira Beret Pro in Spain, Wanaka's Ben Richards has been victorious at the Ski Men’s category at the Val Thorens Pro held in France.
Proving his first victory was no fluke, Richards dropped in last and commanded a challenging slope that bested numerous skiers before him. His run included two 360s and a double, executed flawlessly, scoring a 92.00.
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Rookies and renowned riders alike gathered at the peak of the brand-new Pointe de Thorens face (3200m) in the French Alps. Unpredictable weather earlier in the week meant organisers had to carefully manage a suitable weather window.
Five former world tour champions competed in the men’s ski event but none reached podium with rookie Joey Leonardo (United States) claiming second with a score of 89.00 and Ross Tester (United States) third with 84.33.
Ben, who was named Rookie of the Year after a 3rd place overall finish on the 2024 tour, and who came in ranked 5th from the 2025 event with two podium finishes, has multiple elite titles to his name.
Blake Marshall, Freeride coach and team manager, said 10-15cm of fresh powder overnight covered a lot of rocks on the run, contributing to a series of crashes.
“Dropping last played into Ben’s favour. He was able to watch the riders before him and was ready to change his line if needed. His freestyle ability and speed are unmatched and he’s really confident when he’s not skiing outside his limits. Though there were a lot of crashes, his run would have stood up to any competition.”
Teammate Fynn Powell, 23 came off the first stop with a seventh placing but fell on the second set of features on the steep slope at Val Thorens, one of numerous riders who failed to complete the run, ultimately placing 18th. He was the top placed rookie in the last event.
The next stop is the FIS World Championships in Andorra in the first week of February.
