Nendaz Backcountry Invitational 2026
4 Vallées, Valais, Switzerland.
Presented by The North Face.
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. Winners reveal and special awards.
SKI MEN
FINAL RANKING
Tobias Sieder - ITA 🇮🇹 - Run 3
Manu Barnard - NZL 🇳🇿 - Run 3
Jordane Legal - FRA 🇫🇷 - Run 3
Antoine Adelisse - FRA 🇫🇷 - Run 2
Olivier G.Gagon - CAN 🇨🇦 - Run 3
Alexandre Gameiro - CHE🇨🇭- Run 2
Noé Vouillamoz - CHE 🇨🇭- Run 1
Dennis Ranalter - AUT 🇦🇹 - Run 2
Maxime Chabloz - CHE 🇨🇭- Run 1
Johan Bachofner - CHE 🇨🇭- Run 3
Tiemo Rolshoven - DEU 🇩🇪 - Run 1
SKI WOMEN
FINAL RANKING
Jessie Violet - NZL 🇳🇿 - Run 1
Léa Bouard - FRA 🇫🇷 - Run 3
Mila de Le Rue - FRA 🇫🇷 - Run 2
Arianna Tricomi - ITA 🇮🇹 - Run 1
Eva Battolla - CHE 🇨🇭 - Run 2
Ski Men’s Best Trick - Tobias Sieder
Tobias lit up the face with a massive carved Dub Cork 10 blunt at the The North Face kicker — style, amplitude and full control.
Ski Women’s Best Trick - Mila De Le Rue
French rider Mila De Le Rue with a beautifully executed double backflip off The North Face kicker.
Ski Men’s Biggest Send - Jordane Legal
Jordane launched a massive 45 m max backflip that earned the biggest send of the event. Known for pushing limits and sending big airs, he brought pure send energy to Nendaz.
Fuelled by Focus Water.
Ski Women’s Biggest Send - Lea Bouard
Lea went full commitment with a massive 35m backflip, delivering the boldest moment of the women's category. Full commitment, no hesitation, no looking back.
Fuelled by Focus Water.
Best Crashes
No pressure and powder means bigger sends. Bigger sends mean crashes.
Nothing that a good spa session at Mad Mount Hotel in Nendaz can’t fix.
Athlete of the Day | Men’s People’s Choice - Jordane Legal
Jordane earned your votes with a standout run — featuring a huge 45m backflip — securing 3rd place on the men’s podium.
Athlete of the Day | Women’s People’s Choice - Lea Bouard
Lea earned your votes with a powerful, committed run, securing 2nd place on the women’s podium.
Nendaz Backcountry Invitational 2026. Photo: Manu Aleso
Home, Reinvented
After a southern winter that took us to the end of the world and the Southern Alps, we came home. Back to Nendaz. Back to where it all began.
But the sixth edition wasn't a return to the familiar. It was the boldest one yet.
Night before the Nendaz Backcountry Invitational 2026. Photo: Pascal Giordani
The wait
This is the edition that proved why we run on a 30-day weather window. Conditions were looking grim — until the region finally got significant snowfall in late January. Once we had the snow, we picked a venue based on the season's conditions, and our shaping crew spent five days building an epic park in harmony with the natural terrain high in the 4 Vallées backcountry — sleeping in The North Face dome tents the night before the event.
Saturday, February 7th was the day. The one perfect day the window gave us.
Johan Bachofner. Nendaz Backcountry Invitational 2026 by TNF. Photo: Will Barron
Behind closed doors
For the first time, we ran the event behind closed doors — no spectators, at a deliberately undisclosed location far from the marked runs. It wasn't about exclusivity. It was about going deeper into our backcountry DNA: optimal safety, optimal conditions, and a venue chosen purely for the riding.
Then we brought it back to the people. Instead of a live mountain broadcast, we packed the Nendaz Freeride HQ for an immersive evening — run screenings, live judging by the athletes, the best-of video of the day, autographs, and the prize ceremony. The riders' party followed at Baraka. A new way to share the event, built around the same energy.
Jordane Legal. Nendaz Backcountry Invitational 2026 by TNF. Photo: Antoine Fournier
Surgical precision up top
The level was absurd. Italy's Tobias Sieder took the win with a run of surgical precision — a rail back 2, a powerful double flatspin Japan, and a perfectly stomped double cork 1080 blunt. Former Freeride World Tour rider Manu Barnard of New Zealand landed second with a fluid, technical line. And France's Jordane Legal completed the podium with a spectacular third run: a double frontflip, a stylish flat 360 safety, and a colossal 45-metre backflip stomped clean.
Jessy Violet. Nendaz Backcountry Invitational 2026 by TNF. Photo: Levy Loye
The women sent it
The women's field brought just as much fire. New Zealand champion Jessie Violet took the win with a committed, technical run that left no doubt. France's Léa Bouard claimed second, sending a massive 35-metre backflip that stole the show. Mila De Le Rue rounded out the podium with a creative, powerful run capped by a huge double backflip on the final kicker.
Arianna Tricomi. Nendaz Backcountry Invitational 2026 by TNF. Photo: Manu Aleso
Six editions in, still pushing
Behind closed doors, in an undisclosed venue, after a month of waiting for the mountain to deliver — the sixth edition was proof that even at home, we're still finding new ways to chase the perfect day.
🏔️ The quest continues.
Shaping the perfect day with us
