We catch up with Whistler freeride ski athlete WeiTien Ho who’s about to enter his second Freeride World Tour this January. WeiTien has been skiing Whistler’s mountains since the age of four, surrounded by the sports he loved and the people who would help him grow as an athlete.
In case you need a refresher on your ski disciplines, freeride skiing involves navigating natural, unmarked and often challenging terrain, usually off-piste or in backcountry areas. Unlike traditional skiing on groomed runs, freeride skiing emphasizes creativity, adaptability, and technical skill as skiers maneuver through steep slopes, cliffs, trees and quite often, deep powder.
Skiers choose their own line (path) down the mountain, making decisions on the fly. They’re judged on the difficulty of their route, and their control, creativity and style. And the biggest competition, the Freeride World Tour (FWT) is about to kick off.
So, what kind of athlete is attracted to this kind of skiing? How do you get into it? What does it take to make it big? Let’s find out.
Can you tell us about your journey into freeride skiing?
I was born in Vancouver and moved to Whistler when I was four. My parents are very outdoorsy people and I spent a lot of time in a backpack or being towed behind my dad’s skis.
When we moved to Whistler they enrolled me in the French-speaking school but also in the ski and bike programs. That’s how I was immersed in the community. On the weekends in the winter, I’d cross-country ski one day and downhill the next. When the snow melted I’d switch my skis for a bike and did DFX and WORCA programs; I’d do anything to be in the mountains.
When did skiing become more than a hobby for you?
When I was around the age of 12 the competitions started to get a bit more serious. I did a bit of racing and freestyle skiing and then found freeride.
What is it about freeride skiing that you love?
With freeriding every day is different. Mother Nature is in control, which makes every lap a challenge. You can do it your own way; choose a line no one else has skied, or ski one in a new or unique way so you stand out.
And in Whistler, there’s endless terrain to explore; you could be here for a lifetime and ski a new line every day.
What made you want to compete in freeride?
I saw the old kids going to junior and national championships; I could see a path and I wanted to follow it. We were mixed in with the older kids at that stage and to be honest, I wanted to show off to them!
There’s a great junior freeride circuit in North America and I loved travelling with my friends. These were the same people I went to school with and did bike and ski programs with.
I won one of the competitions in my first freeride circuit and began to think, is there a future for me in this? I watched Jackson Bathgate win the Junior Worlds and thought, there are big things you can do here.
I moved through regional and national competitions and won the 2015/16 North American Championships. It was around age 15 that I realized I wanted to go for the World Tour.
How do you think being raised in Whistler has influenced your career choice and aspirations?
The unique thing about Whistler is that you are surrounded by people doing the same thing as you are year-round. You ski in the winter and bike in the summer. It makes you push yourself constantly. This intense environment isn’t for everyone, but it is for me.
Over the years I have had the opportunity to explore a fair bit of the backcountry around Whistler. And the more I explored the more I realized how much Whistler has to offer. The environment we are surrounded by living in Whistler has given me the aspirations to adventure and an endless playground to constantly push myself in new ways year after year.
There’s an incredible sense of community in Whistler. From a young age, I could see the path I could take and follow in the footsteps of the people around me. I wouldn’t be here without the Whistler Freeride Club. Although I’m out of the program now I still reach out to the coaches. It has created lifelong relationships for me.
The club is growing. There are so many talented young skiers; which means I can’t slack off!
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What happened next in your dreams of making the World Tour?
I hit a valley. I struggled to define my competition mindset. I started to think about what the judges wanted and I lost a bit of my love for competing. It was a challenging time.
How did you change your mindset?
I talked to my coaches at the Whistler Freeride Club and to a mental coach. I did an internal analysis; what do I love about skiing? How do I get that feeling back?
Once you get to a certain level in freeskiing the margins are so thin. Anyone can win, you have to check into that flow state on command and have the mental strength to manage all the external variables. Mental strength is fascinating to me and is something that I am constantly working on.
I switched up my mindset and instead of thinking about the judges, I skied what I thought I’d be proud of skiing. I asked myself; what do I want to ski? It was a year of not getting the results I wanted, but I got the love back and that’s what mattered.
In my first year out of Juniors, I was offered a wild card entry to get into what they call The Challengers, the final step to qualify for the Freeride World Tour. However, I entered a qualifying competition before The Challengers and won. This brought the fire back for competitions – I didn’t need the wild card.
Going to the main freeride tour in the world with people I’ve looked up to, was a bit surreal at first, but I had always visualized myself there. I had to own it. Europe was the first stop. I’d been visualizing the start gate and I was feeling really nervous but when I got there, I felt surprisingly calm.
Then I crashed.
But 40 to 50 percent of the other riders did too, everyone was pushing so hard.
This upped the stakes for me. They take your top two scores out of the three competitions, so I had to land the rest. However, I knew I’d be happier crashing on a run I’d be proud of than I would be if I played it safe – I like raised stakes.
My friends and family came to Kicking Horse for the North American stop, which felt so good but I didn’t love my line. I put a run-down but I wasn’t immensely proud of it. Then we headed to Georgia. I needed a good result to make the cut. I liked the conditions and the line I chose, but even though I landed it, I didn’t get the result I needed. I was out.
This was tough to accept.
How did you move forward after not making the cut?
I’d fallen in love with that competition circuit. The freeride community is a unique one. We’re all super competitive but at the same time, we’re all helping each other. I like to think of it like a travelling circus. I decided to go to The Challengers, my second chance to make the 2025 tour.
I crashed at the last stop and didn’t end up making it.
By this point, I wanted it so bad. It was unfinished business. I wasn’t proud of the way I skied and wanted to go back and show them what I could do, but my chances were over.
That’s when I got a wild card entry.
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I felt like I didn’t deserve it. But I talked to the people around me and they said just take it, take the opportunity. So here I am getting ready for the Freeride World Tour 2025.
How’s the journey to this year’s Freeride World Tour going?
It’s been an up-and-down journey. I broke my fibula (calf bone) training in the fall and was told I wouldn’t get back on my skis until mid-January (the tour starts January 18).
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My mental strength had to take this one. As quickly as I could I disregarded everything I couldn’t control, like my injury, and focused on what I could do. I created my own bubble focusing on myself and not on the other competitors.
I hit the gym and rehab hard, always conscious of the fine line between pushing enough to progress and pushing too much too quickly. No matter what, I’m going to be less prepared than I want to be, but I’ll be there competing all the same.
My best friend, Marcus Goguen, will also be on this year’s tour. We’ve been skiing together since we were eight so it’s a bit of a dream to be competing together.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about freeride skiing?
It has the potential to be a massive sport and it’s slated to be a new sport for the Winter Olympics in 2030. However, it’s not as accessible for viewing in person, because of the nature of the courses being in hard-to-reach places.
I don’t think the general public understands just how difficult freeride skiing is. When competitors are tackling the course they’re going down terrain they’d never skied before. When you look at terrain from the bottom, or from a distance it can look doable, but when you’re looking at it from the top it’s completely different. I feel like the more you know about it the more you can appreciate it.
Tell us about the film project you’re involved with.
During the summer, videographer, Cole Nelson, Hugh Saint-Jaques and I talked about doing a project together. We had many different ideas and things kept switching around, but as things fell into place for my season we landed on the idea of doing a short film centred around my season with a significant part being at the 2025 Freeride World Tour.
I’ve known Hugh and Cole for several years now through school and the sports industry. We’ve shot a couple of smaller projects but we’ve always wanted to shoot a bigger project together. So it is a dream for me to be working on this piece with two of my best friends. We’re focusing a lot on the emotions around high-intensity sports. We want it to capture the dedication, energy, chaos, pressure, stakes and euphoria.
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The theme is about pursuing one’s goals and aspirations and connecting with what you love, so in that way, it speaks to a more universal human want. Although it will have some documentary-style elements, it will have more of an artistic approach.
We are planning to do some film tours in the fall of 2025, and then have the final piece released later on my YouTube channel. We will also be releasing smaller sequences throughout the season on Instagram and YouTube.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start freeride skiing?
Start small, do a bit of everything, chase what you enjoy and work your way up. If I went back in time I’d do more ski racing, for base ski technique, and freestyle skiing for air awareness; this is becoming more and more important.
Don’t stress about the little things, keep your focus on the big picture.
What’s in your future?
I want to reach for the 2030 Olympics. I want to ski to my full potential and ski runs I’m proud of at the Freeride World Tour this year. Then I want to go to the World Champs for skiing and also for biking (oh, did we not mention he’s a world-class enduro mountain biker too?).
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Quick Fire Whistler Questions
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not skiing?
I go to the gym, ha ha! I’ve done the ziplines a few times with out-of-town friends, they’re always fun. I also like Vallea Lumina, it’s really cool. I also like paintballing, and I want to do Whistler Bungee!
The more I travel the more I appreciate Whistler. It’s the perfect place for me. I love the liveliness of the Whistler Village; I love people and just love that vibe. But then I like to retreat to my home, which is in a quiet neighbourhood only minutes away.
What’s your favourite Whistler ski run and why?
Surprise off of Peak Chair on Whistler Mountain. It’s the one I do the most with my friends. It’s consistently good and fun, with lots of hits and ways to change it up. It shapes differently each year.
Favourite Whistler coffee shop?
Cranked in Rainbow – I get a latte and a breakfast wrap.
What’s the one piece of gear you couldn’t ski without?
Earbuds. I started a competition playlist a few years ago which helps me get into my bubble.
If you want to follow WeiTien Ho on his journey follow him on Insta and for more information on how to watch the upcoming Freeride World Tour visit the website.
HEADER PHOTO: FREERIDE WORLD TOUR / JEREMY BERNARD
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