From my Point of View

Profile and significance Henry Zakowski is a Utah-based freeride skier and coach whose reputation has grown through real-world resort footage, credible results on the Freeride World Tour Qualifier/Challenger pathway, and a clear, instructional voice in his edits. Most winters he stacks laps in the Wasatch—especially at Alta Ski Area, Solitude Mountain Resort, and Snowbird—showing how to read firm “low-tide” conditions as well as storm days. In the Southern Hemisphere he’s spent seasons at The Remarkables in Queenstown, splitting time between coaching and competition.... Read more on the Athlete page

Overview and significance New Zealand is the Southern Hemisphere’s most complete freeski playground: contest-grade terrain parks, credible big-mountain lines, night-lap culture, and a late-winter event window that draws a global roster to train and compete while the North sleeps. The South Island’s hubs around Wānaka and Queenstown stack icons—Cardrona Alpine Resort, Treble Cone, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, and Mt Hutt—while the North Island’s Whakapapa and Tūroa deliver a unique, lift-served volcanic experience on Mt Ruapehu. Layer in Canterbury’s club fields—Craigieburn Valley, Broken River, and Mt Olympus—and you have a spectrum that runs from World Cup slopestyle and superpipe to rope-tow steeps that feel like guided freeride, minus the fanfare.... Read more on the Location page

Brand overview and significance Flylow Gear is an independent ski outerwear and accessories brand founded in 2005 by Colorado skiers Dan Abrams and Greg Steen. The company was born from a simple gap: resort apparel looked good but wore out fast, while mountaineering shells survived abuse but felt awkward on skis. Flylow’s answer was freeride-ready clothing that blends durability, weather protection, and movement for everyday resort laps and long backcountry days.... Read more on the Sponsor page

Brand overview and significance Pret Helmets is a Park City, Utah–born protection brand focused on lightweight, low-profile ski and snowboard helmets—and, more recently, integrated goggles. Founded in 2010 and shaped by riders and engineers from the Wasatch community, Pret’s calling card is fit and feel: helmets that “disappear” in use yet meet modern safety expectations. Within freeski culture, the company shows up on storm days in Little and Big Cottonwood, on park laps, and in backcountry zones where long approaches and rapid transitions punish heavy or poorly ventilated lids.... Read more on the Sponsor page

Brand overview and significance Rossignol is one of the most storied names in skiing. Founded in 1907 in the French Alps, the company grew from handcrafted wooden skis into a global leader that now builds equipment for race, on-piste carving, all-mountain, freeride/freestyle, and touring. Within the Rossignol Group portfolio, the Rossignol label remains the flagship for alpine skis and boots, supported by sister brands for bindings and boots in select categories.... Read more on the Sponsor page