STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FWT U.S. MEDIA

Sun Valley’s Toby Rafford won his first Freeride World Tour pro competition at the new 2026 FWT YETI Alaska Haines Pro.

Rafford not only put down a jaw-dropping run, but his win secured him a place in the FWT Finals, the 2026 FWT YETI Xtreme Verbier being held this weekend in Verbier, Switzerland, on the iconic Bec Des Rosses.

The Bec Des Rosses is a complex maze of narrow couloirs, exposed ridgelines and mandatory airs. It is considered the most demanding venue on the FWT circuit with 43-degree slopes and a 600-meter vertical drop.

Currently, Rafford is ranked first.

He dropped into the vast whiteness near Haines, Alaska, flying over cliffs, skiing through knee deep powder and spinning 360 degrees in the air before skiing to the finish through a v-shaped valley bordered by steep peaks.

"Winning my first FWT Pro stop in Alaska means everything to me,” said Rafford, who was Freeride’s 2025 Rookie of the Year. “I've been just working towards a win; for it to be in Alaska is a dream — even just to be there and let alone win.”

The Freeride World Tour is the highest level of competition for the sport of freeride, which involves descending steep, ungroomed alpine faces, including cliffs, couloirs and deep snow. The sport blends extreme big mountain skiing with freestyle tricks.

Freeride is considered the most accessible sport as no gates or terrain park features are needed.

The FWT YETI Alaska Haines Pro marked the Freeride World Tour’s return to U.S. soil for the first time since 2017.

Rafford has competed in three FWT Pro events this season, plus the inaugural FIS World Championships. The Championships provide a step for the sport of freeride to be in the Olympics—FWT competitors hope their sport will be in the Olympics in 2030.

Rafford took second in the FIS Freeride World Tour Baqueira Beret in the Spanish Pyrenees earlier this year.

“Going into the Xtreme Verbier, I'm going with no pressure, just psyched,” Rafford said. “I know it's going to be different this year, maybe dropping from the top. I'm going to be with all the homies so I'm having a bit of a simple mindset going into it this year. No pressure, just super excited.”