In late January 2024, the freeride world was treated to another installment of the Nendaz Backcountry Invitational. This marked the fourth time the Invitational has been put on, dating back to 2021. The event, held in Nendaz, Switzerland, is an epic example of how creative and entertaining a freeride ski comp can be. The course sprawls across an open face riddled with cliffs, step downs, kickers and even the occasional rail. It’s a masterful blend of course architecture in a natural setting.
There were 14 total riders invited to compete; 11 men and 3 women. Getting skiers to the event isn’t necessarily easy since it has such a giant weather window. The crew slots off most of January into early February, making it difficult for some to commit. Still, the event is such a favorite that some of the worlds best skiers turn out every year. This year we saw a horde of talent, including former Freeride World Tour champions Maxime Chabloz, Arianna Tricomi, Léo Slemett and Markus Eder.
Events like this are far from easy to put on, with weather and technical difficulties almost destined to happen. The course saw heavy rain leading up to go time. A drop in the temperature lead to a foot and a half of snow blanketing the mountain which provided the ideal conditions for riders to feel confident enough to take it the moon. In the women’s field, it boiled down to Arianna Tricomi and Lou Barin. The two finished in a draw and with a tie breaker taking the other runs into consideration, Tricomi was awarded the victory. Craig Murray took home the top spot in the men’s field, with a stellar performance that included a double backflip, a cork 720 and a switch bio 900 among other tricks.
Check out the highlights, full broadcast, final results and photo gallery below! Shoutout to everyone who worked tirelessly to put on such a great competition.
Women’s Podium Standings
🥇 Arianna Tricomi (ITA) 84.001
🥈 Lou Barin (FRA) 84.00
🥉 Jennica Folkesson (SWE) 70.50
Men’s Podium Standings
🥇 Craig Murray (NZL) 91.44
🥈 Markus Eder (ITA) 88.75
🥉 Martin Bender (SUI) 86.20
Photo Gallery
Images courtesy of Nendaz Freeride
