Back to the start gate: five FWT riders comebacks stories

Athletes know the taste of victory, as much as they know what it takes to come back when everything seems lost. Injuries, personal setbacks and defeats can bring even the most promising careers to a standstill. And yet, some of the greatest sporting stories begin precisely where everything falls apart.

When doubts grow louder, the most remarkable athletes find a way to rise again. Serena Williams proved it to the world, returning to the court after childbirth and reaching four Grand Slam finals against the odds. Lindsey Vonn stormed back onto the World Cup podium less than a year after partial knee replacement surgery. In freeride, where one wrong move can send a season tumbling downhill, resilience takes on a whole new meaning. Falling is part of the game, but finding the courage to drop in again is what separates a setback from a comeback.

Few stories illustrate this better than Sybille Blanjean’s remarkable return. After missing the entire 2025 season, the Swiss rider came back on an injury wildcard and delivered a season to remember, securing three podium finishes, including a victory in Alaska. From the sidelines back to the summit, she proved that unfortunate chapters can lead to the most striking comebacks.
Before the season begins, we look at the journeys that have led retuners riders back to the Freeride World Tour in 2027.

MAX PALM

Already one of the most accomplished talents in freeride at just 24, Palm has built an impressive résumé. A two-time Freeride Junior Tour winner, the youngest skier ever to win the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships, and a former Junior World Champion, he has spent years redefining the limits of the sport. But with success came expectations, and the pressure to perform eventually led him to step away from freeride competitions since 2024 to focus on personal projects and reconnect with skiing.

Sometimes, taking a step back is the only way to move forward. But with a three-time Scandinavian Big Mountain Champion for a mother and a mountain guide for a father, the mountains have always been part of his DNA. As the saying goes, what's bred in the bone comes out in the flesh. Now, as Max Palm returns to the Freeride World Tour, he brings a renewed perspective and a simple but powerful mantra: never lose sight of the joy of doing what you love.

If there is one place that could inspire another memorable moment, it is Baqueira Beret. In 2022, Palm landed his first-ever double backflip on the Spanish resort’s slopes, marking a defining moment in his progression as a freeride skier. As he returns to familiar terrain, the question is not simply how far he can push his performance, but what becomes possible when he puts fun first.

MAXIME CHABLOZ

For Maxime Chabloz, the road back to the Freeride World Tour has been a story of resilience, reinvention and learning to start again. After reaching the very top of the sport, the Engelberg native found himself taking a step back down the competitive ladder, determined to rebuild his momentum and return stronger.

His rise had been spectacular. In 2022, Chabloz claimed victories in Ordino, Kicking Horse and the YETI Xtreme Verbier, securing the FWT champion title in a season that established him among freeride’s leading talents. He followed it with another strong campaign in 2023, but the seasons that came next brought new challenges. Rather than relying on past results and reputation, Chabloz chose the longer route back, returning to the Challenger Series to fight his way towards the Tour once again. That journey culminated in qualifying for the 2027 Freeride World Tour through Region 1. His comeback is about more than reclaiming a place among the elite: it is proof that even a FWT champion must sometimes start from the bottom to find a new way forward.

Chabloz’s story, however, has never been confined to skiing. Drawn to the feeling of flying from a young age, he also excelled in kitesurfing being world champion as well, a discipline that helped shape his approach to the mountains. The balance, aerial awareness and commitment required on the water have carried over into his freeride skiing, allowing him to bring a distinctive style and perspective to the snow.

Now, as he prepares to return to the Tour, Chabloz brings both the experience of a former FWT champion and the hunger of a rider who has had to earn his place all over again. The challenge ahead is not simply to recapture past success, but to turn everything he has learned along the way into the next chapter of his career.

KATIE ANDERSON

Katie Anderson made the difficult decision to step away from competition rather than rush her return to the snow. Still recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery in early 2025, the Canadian knew that getting back to the Freeride World Tour would take more than determination alone. After a knee injury sidelined her for the 2024 season, she chose to give herself the time she needed to recover properly, even if it meant putting competition on hold for longer than planned. Away from the start gate, Anderson focused on rehabilitation, developed her avalanche safety knowledge and began reconnecting with the mountains beyond results and rankings. For the 2023 FWT champion, stepping back offered a chance to redefine progress and remember what made her fall in love with riding in the first place.

In 2023, she claimed the FWT title after a standout season that saw her win in Baqueira, Fieberbrunn and Ordino, cementing her place among the best snowboarders in the sport. Raised in Jaffray, British Columbia, and riding out of Fernie, Anderson brings a strong technical foundation to the mountain, shaped by seven years competing in snowboardcross with the Canadian national team. After three years away from the Tour, she has earned her place back for 2027 through Challenger Region 2. With a FWT title behind her and a renewed perspective on what it takes to progress, Anderson’s return sets the stage for an exciting new season.

TIPHANIE PERROTIN

Originally from Haute-Savoie, Tiphanie Perrotin took an unconventional route to the top of freeride snowboarding. After studying physiotherapy, she entered competitive snowboarding relatively late but made an immediate impact. In her debut season on the Freeride World Tour in 2022, she claimed the FWT title, winning in Fieberbrunn and Ordino before sealing the championship on the legendary Bec des Rosses in Verbier.

Away from competition, Thipanie has built a life in Switzerland, balancing her work as a physiotherapist at Geneva Hospital with her role as a snowboard instructor. After stepping away from the Tour, she chose to earn her way back through Challenger Region 1, finishing first among a packed roster and then securing her place in the 2027 roster alongside former and futur champions.

Now based in Verbier, Perrotin returns to a mountain that means more to her than just another competition venue. Known for her composed, powerful riding on demanding terrain, she has already proved she can rise to the occasion on the sport’s biggest stage. Her return brings the possibility of another long-awaited FWT title.

AUDREY HEBERT

Audrey Hebert first made her mark in 2017, securing podium finishes in Fieberbrunn and at the YETI Xtreme Verbier before stepping away from the Tour for six years. But time away did not diminish her connection to freeriding and her return proved that her competitive instincts were still sharp.

In fact, in 2025, the Albertan brought years of experience to a women’s field that had continued to evolve in her absence. When she missed automatic qualification, Hebert faced another test of determination. Rather than let the opportunity slip away, she returned to the Challenger Series in Region 2, ended up first in snowboard women and fought her way back, earning her place on the 2027 Freeride World Tour.

Her journey is a reminder that a comeback is not always a straight line. For Hebert, returning to the top level meant adapting to a changing sport. With years of competition behind her, Hebert brings a valuable perspective to the start gate. Having experienced a wide range of venues, snow conditions and competitive pressures, she approaches each line with the measured judgment that only time on the mountain can build. For the Canadian, the upcoming season is a chance to turn years of experience and the lessons of her journey back into runs that remind everyone why she earned her place on the Tour in the first place.