TL;DR
The North Face Frontier, a Freeride World Tour Qualifier event, is returning to The Remarkables in Queenstown from 28 August to 3 September. The event pairs a two-star qualifier at Shadow Basin for newcomers with a four-star event on the Alta Chutes, one step below the professional level. Now in its 21st year, the competition has produced past FWT champions including New Zealanders Jess Hotter and Ben Richards, and comes as freeriding heads toward its Olympic debut at the 2030 Alps Games.
The North Face Frontier is heading back to The Remarkables this August
One of freeriding's longest-running events, The North Face Frontier, returns to The Remarkables in Queenstown from 28 August to 3 September, with dozens of athletes competing across a two-star and a four-star Freeride World Tour Qualifier. The two-star event, aimed at newcomers and amateurs, runs at Shadow Basin on less extreme terrain, while the four-star event moves to the Alta Chutes - known for steep faces, technical cliffs, and narrow couloirs, and rated one step below the professional level.
Two decades of producing future FWT champions
The event traces back to 2005, when it started as part of the New Zealand Freeski Open alongside slopestyle and halfpipe, before becoming a standalone freeride competition and a fixture on the FWT qualifying circuit. Riders from 17 different countries have won at some point in its 21-year history, including past winners Lorraine Huber, Elisabeth Gerritzen, and New Zealanders Jess Hotter and Ben Richards, with Gerritzen, Hotter, and Richards all going on to become FWT champions. Home-turf riders have taken 33 wins and 88 podium finishes across the event's history. "One of the things we've learned over 21 years is that The North Face Frontier has a habit of showing you tomorrow's stars before the rest of the world catches on," event manager Jo Guest said.
Bigger stakes with freeriding's Olympic debut approaching
This year's event follows the International Olympic Committee's announcement that freeriding will be included in the 2030 Alps Games, and FIS's purchase of the FWT after freeriding's recognition as an official discipline. With the FWT now the main pathway to Olympic selection, every qualifying event carries extra weight for athletes chasing a roster spot. Fans can head up the mountain to watch in person, with live commentary, music, and the usual event atmosphere running throughout.
About the author
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
