Featured Image: Dom Daher, Courtesy of the Freeride World Tour | Skier: Toby Rafford
It was a heavy-hitting season on the Freeride World Tour. The final stop in Verbier was the cherry on top, and while there were several rookies that put on a wild show, Toby Rafford was able to make his way onto the podium. And this wasn’t an anomaly. Rafford showed up this year, blending fluidity and technicality to create a unique style of riding rarely seen on the Tour, or anywhere else for that matter.
Rafford was able to secure several top 10 finishes, including a second place finish in Spain during Stop One and a third place finish in Switzerland during Stop Six. His impressive season tallied him 29,020 points this winter, landing him in third place on the overall FWT 2025 season rankings.
It’s wildly exciting to see the FWT judge’s rewarding style like Rafford’s. While his skiing is undeniably smooth, there are many mixed opinions on what constitutes a “good” line in freeride. It wasn’t long ago that double flat spins and nose butters were seen as improbable in the highest level of freeride competition. But today, riders like Rafford are proving that you can have next-level style and technical skiing all in one.
Check out his official FWT Rookie of the Year highlight edit below, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more from the Armada ripper in the near future.
From YouTube:
Toby Rafford is your 2025 Men Rookie of the Year by Swissborg. Securing two podium finishes Toby proved that he has got what it takes to compete at the highest level
