the quest for the perfect day

The world's best riders.

Perfect conditions.

Multiple destinations.

6

years of BC Invitational

4

destinations

8M+

views on socials in 2025

3

continents

What is the Backcountry Invitational?

It's a competition, yes. But not like any other.

The perfect powder day with your homies taken to the next level.

Untouched powder, hand-shaped features, the world's best riders, and one perfect day to send it. No pressure. No panels. No politics.

At the end of the day, the riders vote. The best run wins. Simple as that.

Six editions in, the perfect day is going worldwide. Four destinations, three continents, and the world's best riders waiting for the call. When it comes, they send it like nowhere else.

Arianna Tricomi put it simply: “Best competition in the world’’. Downdays called it ‘‘Europe's, and maybe the world's, premiere backcountry freestyle event’’.

UNTOUCHED LINES · HAND-SHAPED FEATURES · POWDER · BLUE BIRD SKIES · BY RIDERS FOR RIDERS · SWITZERLAND · ARGENTINA · NEW ZEALAND · AND BEYOND ·

UNTOUCHED LINES · HAND-SHAPED FEATURES · POWDER · BLUE BIRD SKIES · BY RIDERS FOR RIDERS · SWITZERLAND · ARGENTINA · NEW ZEALAND · AND BEYOND ·

The perfect day doesn't happen in just one place

We've chased it through the Swiss Alps, across Patagonia until the end of the world, and into the Southern Alps of New Zealand. We're still looking.

OUR last event

New format!

One week after the event. Commentators watching the best footage for the first time — live, unscripted, no dead time.

Six hours of competition distilled into two and a half. Every send. Every fall. Every moment that mattered.

Nendaz, 4 Vallées, Valais, Switzerland

The original. Where it all began. Where a group of friends turned an epic pandemic powder day into an event the whole freeski world is watching. Six editions deep in the Swiss Alps.

Presented by The North Face.

Previous editions:

Sugar Bowl, California, USA

The Sierra Nevada. Where Pacific storms hit the mountains in full force and dump some of the deepest snow in North America. Five hundred inches of snowfall per season, four peaks, and a backcountry that's been luring the best riders since 1939.

The quest for the perfect day lands in Tahoe.

First edition in:

Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

We chased the perfect day to The End of the World. The Martial Glacier, Patagonia — raw, remote, and wide open. The first Backcountry Invitational outside Europe, and proof that this format works anywhere the mountain delivers.

Previous editions:

Treble Cone, New Zealand

The quest landed in the Southern Alps above Lake Wānaka. A stacked roster of Kiwi legends and international riders on one of the mountain's most iconic runs — natural gullies, cliff drops, and a course overlooking the lake. A perfect day on the other side of the world.

Previous editions:

Ride with us

This is your chance to earn an invitation for the next Backcountry Invitational events.

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Just your riding.

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The perfect day.
The world watching.

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News and articles

  • Freeride comps suck the soul out of free skiing. Photo: Britta Winans

    Can Freeride Stay Wild? An Argument Against Chasing Points

    A sport built on freedom can only thrive in its wildness. Without it, it becomes exactly what it was created to escape.

    Apr 15, 2026 | powder.com

    By Britta Winans

  • Treble Cone Backcountry Invitational 2025. Skier: Lach Powell. Photo: Neil Kerr

    Treble Cone, NZ Hosts First Backcountry Invitational Competition

    The 2025 Nendaz Backcountry Invitational set the bar high, but the latest events have exceeded expectations.

    Sep 5, 2025 | freeskier.com

    By Freeskier

  • Nendaz Backcountry Invitational 2025. Skier Tiemo Rolshoven. Photo Levy Loye.

    One for the books. A festival of send: Tiemo Rolshoven and Mila De Le Rue win the 2025 Nendaz Backcountry Invitational

    Even the best ski events have their ups and downs—off years when things don’t go as planned and the action is underwhelming. This apparently doesn’t apply to the Nendaz Backcountry Invitational, where for five years running, the level has consistently been upped for every new edition.

    Jan 15, 2025 | downdays.eu

    By Ethan Stone

  • Pro Skier Checks Out "The Most Underrated Ski Event"

    Nendaz Backcountry Invitational should probably be on your radar.

    Jan 31, 2024 | powder.com

    By Ian Greenwood