Logan Pehota

Profile and significance

Logan Pehota is a Canadian big-mountain freeskier from Pemberton, British Columbia, known for fusing freeride line choice with clean, controlled freestyle execution. Raised a short drive from the lifts and backcountry zones of Whistler Blackcomb, he grew up around consequential terrain and a family legacy in the mountains. That background—paired with years of park and racing mileage—shows up in the way he reads features and sets rotations only where the terrain invites them. His résumé includes victories on the Freeride World Tour, notably Haines, Alaska in 2016 and a statement win at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in 2018 that earned one of the highest scores in Tour history. Off the start list, he is a fixture in modern ski cinema with major segments in Matchstick Productions films, and he maintains a dual identity as a capable snowmobiler who uses a sled not just for access but as an extension of how he moves in the Coast Mountains. As a result, Pehota has become a go-to reference for fans who want to understand how contemporary freeride blends fluidity, trick literacy, and risk management.

Competitive arc and key venues

Pehota’s competitive arc tracks the evolution of modern freeride. After junior racing and park starts, he shifted to the Freeride World Tour and immediately proved he could link natural hits into scores that judges and fans could read at full speed. The 2016 stop in Haines, Alaska—long, steep panels above glaciated run-outs—delivered his first Tour victory, confirming his ability to stay composed over exposure and stomp blind-roll takeoffs. Two seasons later, he returned to home soil at Kicking Horse in Golden, British Columbia and dropped a near-mythic run that earned 98/100, a benchmark score built on a decisive 360 and a deep, directional stomp off one of the venue’s biggest features. Along the way he qualified for the Xtreme Verbier finale, bringing that smooth-but-committed style to the sport’s most unforgiving stage. Even when filming takes priority over bibs, he continues to appear at select events where the venue rewards imagination more than risk for risk’s sake. The common thread is terrain that lets him tell a story from ridge to outrun—Haines spines, Kicking Horse’s ribs and noses, and the complex faces that define freeride’s showpiece stops.

How they ski: what to watch for

Pehota skis with economy and intent. Watch how early he establishes a speed floor—never rushed, never tentative—so that every air comes from a platform he’s already balanced on. His signature in the air is a clean, axis-honest backflip or 360 placed where the takeoff naturally sets him up; rotations are initiated from confident edges, not skids. Landings are driven to the fall line with a quick re-center, preserving flow into the next feature rather than bleeding speed across the slope. On spines and convexities he manages sluff proactively, using brief cross-fall-line cuts to shed moving snow before re-committing. The pole plants you’ll see are timing cues more than steering inputs, and his upper body stays quiet even as skis plane over pillows. It is “freestyle fluent” freeride—tricks as punctuation, not the headline—and it makes even very large lines look understandable to the viewer.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Two pillars support Pehota’s influence: durability in high-consequence terrain and a consistent film presence that shows process, not just end results. With Matchstick Productions he has stacked segments across multiple seasons, from the all-gas energy of Return to Send’er to the varied terrain diaries of Anywhere From Here, alongside peers who value clarity and power over gimmicks. That output has included behind-the-scenes looks at planning lines, dawn approaches, and sled logistics—useful context for fans who want to understand what it takes to ski “movie lines” safely. His work with Red Bull adds short-form projects that highlight sled-and-ski days in his home ranges, reinforcing the link between fitness, logistics, and performance. The competitive wins validate the approach; the films explain it. For younger riders, the lesson is that style endures when it’s built on deliberate decisions and repeatable habits.

Geography that built the toolkit

The Coast Mountains shaped Pehota’s toolkit long before he wore a Tour bib. Pemberton’s valley and the alpine around Whistler Blackcomb serve up heavy maritime snow that rewards strong platform management and calm commitments over rollovers you can’t see past. That environment trains skiers to anticipate sluff, to keep bases flat until the last moment before takeoff, and to land with authority so speed stays alive through deep landings. When he travels, the feedback changes but the habits hold. At Kicking Horse, chalky panels, sharky entrances, and big ribs favor precise edge sets and controlled drift; in Alaska, the broad faces outside Haines demand line vision over kilometers of relief and the discipline to avoid getting trapped by moving snow. Those miles in different snowpacks help explain why his runs look composed in so many contexts: it’s one decision-making framework applied to very different canvases.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Pehota’s partnerships reflect reliability over novelty. As an athlete with Red Bull, he brings a high-performance mindset to days that often mix filming and free-riding. His ski platform is built around Rossignol freeride shapes that stay predictable when you land deep and fast, and he complements the ski program with a snowmobile program as a Polaris ambassador. For skiers looking to translate the setup into on-hill improvements, the message is simple: choose a stable freeride ski with enough surface area and supportive flex to accept imperfect landings; tune edges sharp underfoot for chalk and life the tips and tails slightly so they stay friendly in three-dimensional snow; and pair boots and bindings that won’t fold when the landing comes up hard. In backcountry contexts, he treats beacon, shovel, and probe as non-negotiable and uses communication and terrain pacing to keep crews in sync. Gear helps, but the performance gains come from preparation and clear intent.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Logan Pehota because his skiing is both aspirational and readable. He doesn’t just collect big features; he composes lines that escalate, resolve, and make sense even to viewers new to freeride. His best contest moments—Haines 2016 and the 98-point masterpiece at Kicking Horse—are case studies in how to mix speed, control, and a perfectly chosen trick without diluting the line. His film segments extend that lesson, contextualizing why a certain takeoff works, how much room a landing truly offers, and where to look for exit options when the slope starts moving. For skiers trying to progress, he offers a blueprint that travels well: set a deliberate speed, edge cleanly, put tricks only where the terrain supports them, and land to the fall line so the story keeps going. Grounded in Pemberton and sharpened on stages from Whistler Blackcomb to Alaska’s coastal ranges, Logan Pehota stands as one of the clearest examples of contemporary big-mountain freeskiing—proof that style and consequence can coexist when every choice serves the line.