Ross Tester

Profile and significance

Ross “Boss Ross” Tester is one of the defining figures of modern big-mountain freeski, a rider who blends the speed and consequence of classic freeride with the trick vocabulary of slopestyle and big air. An American skier from Truckee, California, he grew up lapping the steep faces and cliff bands of Palisades Tahoe before basing himself in Utah to ski the deep, complex terrain of Snowbird and Alta Ski Area. On the Freeride World Tour (FWT) he quickly went from promising rookie to perennial title contender, earning FWT Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and establishing himself as a regular at the sharp end of the overall rankings. At the same time, his solo film project “Here 4 Now” and his resort edits have made him a reference point for fans who want to see how world-class freeride technique looks on everyday inbounds terrain. Tester matters because he shows that you can ski huge lines with both imagination and discipline, treating style, safety and line choice as parts of the same equation.

Competitive arc and key venues

Tester’s path to the top of freeride ran through junior freeride clubs and the North American qualifier circuit, where he learned to turn creative lines into consistent scores. His debut Freeride World Tour season in 2020–21 was explosive: he won two events and arrived at the Xtreme Verbier finale in Switzerland as a genuine threat for the overall title, ultimately finishing just shy of the championship but locking in the Rookie of the Year award and announcing himself as one of the most complete riders on the tour. In 2022 he backed that up with another strong campaign, stacking podiums and ending the season third overall in the Ski Men rankings. After stepping away from the tour schedule to reset and film, he returned in 2025 as a season wildcard and immediately proved he still had the edge, winning the Baqueira Beret Pro on the steep La Bamba venue in Spain and taking second place at the legendary Xtreme Verbier, finishing sixth overall for the year. Moments like his now-famous one-ski descent at the Georgia Pro after losing a ski on a 360 underline just how thin the line can be between highlight and crash reel at this level.

How they ski: what to watch for

Ross Tester’s skiing is built on a foundation of strong fundamentals, but what stands out to viewers are the decisions he makes under pressure. He is known for meticulous face inspection, picking lines that string together several high-value features while still offering realistic margins of safety. On snow, that preparation translates into an easy-looking rhythm: fast, fall-line skiing punctuated by big, controlled airs and clean rotations. His signature moves include large backflips into steep landings and well-spotted 360s off natural takeoffs, tricks that would not look out of place in a slopestyle course but are performed over exposure and complex terrain. When you watch a Tester run, pay attention to how little he scrubs speed between features, how early he commits to his takeoffs and how precisely he lands in tracked or variable snow. For progressing freeskiers, his clips are a masterclass in setting up tricks with smart approach angles and using body position and absorption to keep landings tidy enough for immediate turns.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Stepping away from a successful competition career is a risky move, but Tester used his time off tour to expand his impact on freeskiing. His 2024 film “Here 4 Now” focuses on presence rather than podiums, following him through resort laps and backcountry days around Palisades Tahoe, Snowbird and Alta while he reflects on what it means to be fully engaged with the mountains in front of him. The project shows a more contemplative side of an athlete fans usually see only in bibs and start gates, and it highlights his versatility on everything from hardpack groomers to storm-day pillows. At the same time, his resilience is obvious in how he returned to top form on the 2025 FWT after a break, and in how he handles inevitable setbacks such as crashes or missed tricks. That combination of competitive seriousness, creative filming and a grounded attitude has made him a role model for young freeriders who want to chase big goals without losing the joy that drew them to skiing in the first place.

Geography that built the toolkit

Tester’s skiing makes sense when you look at the places that shaped him. Growing up in Truckee meant constant exposure to the cliffs, chutes and technical lines of Palisades Tahoe, a resort famous for its film history and high-consequence terrain. There he learned to read wind-lips, navigate firm landings and use natural terrain to build freestyle-inspired airs. Relocating to Utah to study and ski brought another set of tools: the deep storms and tight canyons of Snowbird and Alta Ski Area forced him to manage sluff, changing snowpack and reduced visibility while still moving fast. On the Freeride World Tour he added yet more layers, adapting his riding to European venues such as Baqueira Beret in the Val d’Aran and Verbier 4Vallées in Switzerland, where massive faces, long runouts and variable conditions demand precise line planning. All of that geographic variety shows up in his skiing: he looks at home whether he is threading exposure on a Swiss face or blasting through playful side-hits on a storm day in California.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Like most top freeriders, Tester’s setup is built around reliability, power and safety rather than chasing the lightest possible gear. His support from Truckee’s Tahoe Sports Hub ties him closely to the community shop where skis are tuned for real conditions in the Sierra and beyond. In outerwear, he rides for Flylow, whose shells and layers are designed for the kind of storm days and long hikes that define freeride seasons. Avalanche safety is a non-negotiable part of his program, and his partnership with Backcountry Access reflects the importance of beacons, shovels, probes and airbags that are intuitive to use when things go wrong. On the hardgoods side, bindings from Marker, boots from Dalbello and freeride-oriented skis from Völkl give him a platform stiff and stable enough to handle 40-plus-degree faces and big landings. For viewers, the takeaway is not that you must copy his exact setup, but that a coherent system of trustworthy bindings, supportive boots, versatile freeride skis and competent avalanche gear allows you to focus on line choice and technique instead of worrying about whether your equipment can keep up.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans gravitate to Ross Tester because he represents a version of modern freeskiing where huge tricks, classic big-mountain lines and thoughtful risk management all coexist. His Freeride World Tour performances show what is possible when a rider brings a park-style trick bag onto genuinely serious venues, while his film work and resort edits show how that same eye for lines can be applied to lift-served terrain that many viewers know first-hand. He talks openly about preparation, inspection and safety, so aspiring freeriders can study not only what he does on the face, but also how he builds the confidence to do it. Whether he is standing on the podium at a major event, calmly skiing away from a massive backflip above exposure or carving a clean turn on a groomer, Tester offers a blueprint for skiing with creativity and intent. For anyone who loves freeride, slopestyle-inspired big lines or simply watching a skier unlock the full potential of a mountain, following Boss Ross is an easy choice.